Purpose of the Hub
The ASCN: Calgary Hub operates in partnership with Calgary Arts Development, Trico Changemakers Studio, and the International Centre of Art for Social Change. The primary mission of the Calgary Hub is to cultivate, promote, and nurture the field of art for social change and community-engaged arts in Calgary, harnessing its potential as a tool for driving social transformation.
We connect a dynamic community of Mohkínstsis (Calgary) art for social change practitioners, community leaders, non-profit organizations, art-based groups, and individuals committed to social transformation using art-based practices. We come together to share stories, resources, and initiatives and build relationships to strengthen the Art for Social Change field. Together, we inspire social innovation through the power of art.
How We Came to Be
In the Fall of 2021, the Calgary Hub embarked on a journey to uncover the landscape of Art for Social Change (ASC) in Mohkínstsis/Calgary through an outreach and mapping project. Through this project, we wanted to find the practitioners Mohkínstsis who are using arts to inspire and catalyze social change. We explored who is doing the work, how the work is done, and what conditions enable or inhibit Art for Social Change in Calgary. Over three months, we engaged with over 190 artists, art administrators, and representatives from various organizations and communities. Our findings showed that the question of resources continues to be present for most practitioners, and more interesting was the apparent need for connection within the field. More often than not, practitioners highlighted the challenges of connecting with colleagues and sharing their artistic endeavours. This has since become the Calgary Hub's first objective: connecting and engaging ASC practitioners in Mohkínstsis.
Our Guiding Collective
Wunmi Idowu
Cesar Cala
Beneath an Unbroken Sky: Art for Social Change with Students
Tuesday, October 7, 2025, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM MDT, Trico Changemakers Studio
Join The Fourth Space facilitators Aly and Maya for an evening of imagination, poetry, and collective storytelling. We will spend our time together reflecting and re-imagining what lies beneath the skies we share. Using poetry, story, and collective reflection, participants will explore how art can give voice to hope. In an inherently collaborative process, participants will explore the sensory landscapes of the spaces we share and co-create poetic stories to envision new and alternative futures.
Art for Social Change In Action with Melvee X
Thursday, September 23, 2025, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM MDT, Alcove Centre for the Arts (244 7 Avenue Southwest Calgary, AB T2P 0W6)
Join MelVee X at Art for Social Change IN ACTION on September 23 at 6 pm for a gathering focused on mental wellness in BIPOC communities. Through creative exercises, we’ll explore resilience, address the impact of racism on mental health, and celebrate cultural heritage. This workshop is open to both BIPOC and White communities. A commitment to self-reflection is required to participate.
ArtistSpeak*: Money
Thursday, September 18, 2025, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM MDT, Congress Coffee Company (215 36 Avenue Northeast #1A Calgary, AB T2E 2L4)
Join hosts Kenna Burima and Eddy Robinson as they delve into the intersections of money and creativity. The evening features an incredible line up of artists sharing how money, creativity and art intersect.
*Part talk show, performance and craft gathering. Experience artists in performance and conversation w/ hosts Kenna Burima and Eddy Robinson followed by a collective craft activity! Craft supplies included!
Shared Plates
Tuesday, June 29, 2025, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM MDT, The Alcove Centre for the Arts (244 7 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 3G6)
Join us for a hands-on, storytelling-based workshop that explores Calgary’s cultural diversity through the universal language of food, shared memories and art. Participants will co-create a collective “fusion dish” using art supplies and personal memories, reflecting the unique “flavors” each culture brings to our city. Through group sharing and creative collaboration, we’ll celebrate how food and art connects us to identity, belonging, and community.
Subscribe to: Art for Social Change Network (ASCN) to receive a monthly e-newsletter sharing the latest updates on ASCN Mohnkistists and upcoming Calgary Hub events and workshops. Add yourself or your organization to the ongoing Art for Social Change (ASC) Roster to share what you are working on. This is part of our ongoing goal to connect the ASC Community in Calgary.
Outreach + Mapping Report
Art for Social Change in Calgary: Outreach + Mapping Project
Appreciating the diversity of this field, we have investigated Calgary’s existing landscape of Art for Social Change (ASC) through an outreach and mapping project. This report illustrates Art for Social Change practitioners in Calgary, who they work with, conditions enabling or inhibiting Art for Social Change in our city, and hopes for the future. Furthermore, I hope that this report is used as a starting point to highlight and unite the Art for Social Change community in Calgary in
order to create more opportunities for the sector to grow and thrive.
Read the report here.
Artist as Changemaker Card Deck
Artists are the Changemakers of our times.
They are able to influence mental models, build empathy, and support group processes through their artistic practice. We built this deck as an open and adaptable tool for artists and groups who are doing changemaking work together. Use it to build common ground, unpack ideas, get inspired, understand impact, and dream big.