About
Artists have a unique role to play in accelerating social change for the betterment of people and the planet. The Artist as Changemaker (AAC) Residency Program looks to illuminate, elevate, and expand the capacity of socially engaged artists to create meaningful social change. This program is designed for and by artists. It exists to reveal the relationship between art, the artistic process, social innovation, and systems thinking in creating pathways for change.
The Residency Program is designed to help both artists and organizations develop a strong knowledge of:
- Tools, resources, and frameworks for social innovation and systems change
- The specifics of the complex issue or ‘wicked problem’ that the organization and artist sets out to address
- The strengths of the socially engaged artist
- Ways in which artists and organizations can collaborate
Why artists
Because artists have always been paving the way for change.
Artists have the capacity to mobilize people and catalyze action. They expose the underlying conditions that hold problems in place. They inspire new connections and offer people new possibilities for engaging with a challenge.
Combining the artistic process with the tools of social innovation can help socially engaged artists identify leverage points to amplify change. Partnerships with organizations on the front lines of social problems serve as fertile ground for artists to demonstrate these abilities.
The residency focuses on developing three main areas.
Expanding Knowledge
Expanding social innovation and systems change learning is a core objective as we try to understand how artists could use this knowledge to inform their artistic process, how the artistic process is interrelated with social change, and how it can advance systems change.
Investing & Deepening Relationships
Investing and deepening the relationships between the cohort of artists and partner organizations is a core objective as we try to understand what it means to work collaboratively in an environment of trust, knowledge sharing, and deep connection.
‘Process as Outcome’
Change often occurs in the ‘how’, not the ‘what’. Social innovation practices place as much (if not more) emphasis on the process of innovation rather than the final product. It is in the process of working together that transformation occurs. Focusing on the process with the artists cohort and partner organizations allows us to gain deeper insight and understanding into the role that artists play in social change and transformation.
Artist as Changemaker 2025-2026 Cohort
8 Artists As Changemakers
8 Community Partners
How to Apply
Have Questions?
Learn more about the AAC Residency program here: Program Information Package
Or contact: Kelaena Maude, Program Lead at kmaude@mtroyal.ca.
Past Cohorts and Learning
Artist as Changemaker 2024 Program Report
The Artist as Changemaker Program (AAC) is a seasoned initiative spanning 6 years and 3 iterations, aimed to expand the capacity of artists to facilitate meaningful social change in Calgary, Alberta. Since inception, the program has been co-designed with participating artists to meet artists' needs in facilitating change in community, and in partnership with community organizations. Artists explore the relationship between the artistic process and social innovation as a means to discover unique and creative ways to address complex social challenges.
Read the report here.
Artist as Changemaker 2021 Program Report
The Artist as Changemaker Residency Program is a direct outcome of the Artist as Changemaker Project. The second pilot of the residency program launched in January 2021 and ran until June 2021. Artists expressed the importance of leveraging relationships with organizations on the front lines of social problems, which informed the focus of the 2021 residency: How might artiss and organization work together to address complex challenges?
Read the report here.
Artist as Changemaker 2020 Program Report
As a society, the challenges we face are complex and do not have easy solutions, and artists have been playing powerful roles to help us understand and make sense of complexity. Using art, artists invite people to enter into alternative realities in all sorts of ways. Artists use playfulness, dialogue, and even controversy to evoke emotions that have the potential to catalyze action. This is one of the ways that artists contribute to systems thinking and change work. Artists help to clarify patterns and trends in society by challenging mental models, which are founded on layers of beliefs, values, assumptions, and traditions.
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.
