The Canada Council for the Arts is investing $25-million to support Alberta’s arts sector over the next five years.
The newly announced Alberta Focus Fund is designed to increase access to financial support for Alberta artists and arts organizations while helping them develop projects and reach new audiences.
Michelle Chawla, director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, said the investment follows several years of engagement with Alberta’s arts community and responds to calls for increased support to help artists and organizations expand their reach and capacity.
“The Alberta Focus Fund is the result of three years of work, including collaboration with arts funders in Alberta and on-the-ground engagement, to better respond to the realities of the province,” Chawla said. “Our goal is simple: to ensure that artists and arts organizations can access the support they need to do their work, connect with audiences and have a meaningful impact on the lives of Albertans and Canadians.”
The fund will support additional artistic projects and help strengthen arts organizations through the agency’s existing funding programs, according to the Canada Council.
The council said the funding will be available to artists and organizations from a variety of artistic disciplines throughout the province, including Indigenous, Deaf, disabled and racialized artists. The program also aims to support artists and organizations in rural and remote communities as well as official-language minority communities.
The arts play an important role in Canadian society and the economy, said federal Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller.
“The arts are central to who we are as a country. They reflect our stories, bring people together and play a vital role in our economy,” Miller said. “Through this Fund, the Canada Council for the Arts is strengthening access to funding and helping artists and organizations across Alberta create and share their work with audiences at home, in Canada and around the world.”
Council officials said the Alberta fund is one element of a larger national effort to strengthen arts communities across Canada. The organization said work is underway to better understand and respond to the needs of artists and arts organizations in other regions of the country.
The Canada Council for the Arts is the federal agency responsible for supporting and promoting the arts in Canada through grants, prizes, services and other initiatives.
