This year, much of our work has centred around the work of translation. To be an “artist” carries weight. To be a “changemaker” invites responsibility. To do both is to engage both headspace and heartspace. 

While we know that most artists are engaged in social change work in some capacity, the meaning and understanding can get lost in translation. In response, we’ve continued to gather for Art for Social Change in Action sessions, designed to surface and share the diverse ways that creative practice can lend language to complexity, disrupt systems, shape communities, and cultivate new ways of being, working, and creating together.

Through these gatherings, we also chose to dig deeper in Blue Sky City, Calgary’s newest branding that outlines the civic identity and imagined future for the city. This work created space to examine the gap between aspirational branding and lived experience, inviting artists and residents to interrogate how belonging is shaped, how systems can both support and limit collective thriving, and our responsibility to this land, Treaty 7, and each other.

ArtistSpeak with Kenna Burima

This year, we partnered with ArtistSpeak and Kenna Burima to provide a space for artists to share their practices, challenges, and insights in an intimate, conversational setting. This season, we gathered to discuss the topics of Faith, Indigenous Collaboration, and Gender with incredible artists who shared thought-provoking reflections on the intersections of art, activism, and community engagement. In partnership with The Alcove, the Creatives Mixer brings together people with local creatives, individuals who work in the sector, supporters and key players such as (but not limited to) grants organizations, media outlets, politicians, City Administration, property management groups, and Business Improvement Areas.

Creatives Mixer

In partnership with The Alcove, the Creatives Mixer brings together people with local creatives, individuals who work in the sector, supporters and key players such as (but not limited to) grants organizations, media outlets, politicians, City Administration, property management groups, and Business Improvement Areas.

Whether through spontaneous collaborations, shared resources, or simply conversations that spark new ideas, these gatherings reaffirm the importance of coming together outside of structured programming. They have been a great opportunity to connect with other creatives in Calgary!

Expanding Our Network

Beyond our local work, we’ve been strengthening relationships with the national Art for Social Change Network, learning from artists and organizers doing parallel work in other regions. The national network meets monthly and is always looking for new voices and perspectives to help shape our shared work. 

Thank You

This ASCN: Calgary Hub is a member of the national Art for Social Change Network, which engages community arts organizations all over the country. 

Our work is enhanced by community members who play key roles in Calgary’s Art for Social Change landscape. The Guiding Collective helps to inform the development of the Hub and is made up of: 

• Cesar Cala
• Wunmi Idowu

ASCN: Calgary Hub is generously supported by and funded by Calgary Arts Development