History of the Awards

by Lisa Mackay After two years and six waves of findings, the Spotlight on Arts Audiences research project concluded on November 24 with a day-long symposium at cSPACE Marda Loop. We chose to bring people together for a larger gathering to share the Wave 6 results because it felt like the right moment to do something more substantial than our earlier presentations. After tracking shifts in behaviour, attitudes, and expectations for two years, we saw a rare opportunity to ste

There is nothing quite like perusing through Substack or Medium to help one realize just how many smart people there are in the world! So many, in fact, that it can be difficult to know where to start.  We decided to share just a handful of the articles and newsletters that make their way into our inboxes regularly and inevitably become part of our office conversations, in case you are looking for some new inspiration. To keep the list from being too overwhelming, we are limi

Join Stone-Olafson, Rozsa Foundation, Mass Culture, and invited panelists as we wrap up the two-year Alberta research project with the Spotlight on Arts Audiences Research Symposium. Monday, November 24 9:30 am to 4:00 pm As the pandemic receded, the Alberta arts and culture sector continued to experience a decline in engagement and audiences. We contracted research firm Stone-Olafson to conduct in-depth research on the current attitudes, behaviours, motivations, and barrier

by Jennifer DeDominicis As part of the Future Focus program guidelines, we talk about organizations being “curious about how to anticipate, or encounter challenges they face”.  Truthfully, anticipating and encountering are somewhat gentler terms than many organizations use to share the circumstances they are facing. In conversations I have with arts managers, we often speak of urgency or a need to respond to a new or persistent challenge that is demanding of their time and a

Last week’s mayoral debate at the Jack Singer Concert Hall placed Calgary’s arts and culture sector squarely in the spotlight. Co-presented by Creative Calgary, the Downtown Calgary Association, the Calgary Construction Association, and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, and sponsored by the Rozsa Foundation and the Werklund Centre, the event drew a capacity crowd eager to hear how the five leading mayoral candidates would shape Calgary’s creative future, and approach city issu

by Lisa Mackay After a year of research, interviews, and community consultation, the Rozsa Foundation recently launched our latest professional development training program: Rozsa Horizons of Arts Leadership . This program is new to the community, so I asked Rozsa's Director of Training, Samantha MacDonald, to describe it in detail for our readers. Below is a short interview to explore the program and its underlying philosophy. Understanding Rozsa Horizons of Arts Leadership

by Lisa Mackay As a member of the Canadian Arts Coalition Steering Committee, the Rozsa Foundation has been working with colleagues across the country to develop a letter-writing campaign ahead of the Federal budget announcement. For context, the Liberal Party included in its election platform a commitment to support and nurture Canadian arts and culture, and the Coalition and other arts advocacy groups have been working towards a funding increase for the Canada Council of th

by Jennifer DeDominicis, Organizational Strategy Advisor Core to the Future Focus Program’s ethos is supporting learning to facilitate a shift or change that organizations hope to undertake. When you apply, there’s an entire section of the application about learning and outcomes. But here’s the rub – learning, especially learning as it relates to change, doesn’t necessarily happen in straight or predictably sequential lines. In this way, learning towards a desired outcome in

A New Era for Arts Leaders The Rozsa Foundation proudly introduces Rozsa Horizons of Arts Leadership - an innovative training program designed to empower current and aspiring executive leaders in Alberta’s vibrant arts community. Arts leaders stand at a pivotal moment. The terrain they navigate is becoming increasingly complex. This complexity is shaped by shifting cultural values, tightening financial realities, and the deep human impact of burnout. However, this moment als

For thirteen years, the Rozsa Foundation has provided arts managers in Alberta with a platform to challenge their assumptions, ask...

This interview was originally published by Metcalf Foundation HERE as part of a series by David Maggs that builds on the work of his...

Meaningful exchanges don’t often happen by accident. It requires time, space, and intentionality to step away from daily demands....

by Lisa Mackay Access to reliable and up-to-date data has long been a challenge in Canada’s arts and culture sector. For those working in...

by Ayla Stephen Introduction to Future-Focused Work Over the past year, Jennifer DeDominicis and I have engaged in numerous insightful...

by Lisa Mackay Arts organizations that rely on proceeds from licensed gaming activities in Alberta should be aware of recent policy...

by Lisa Mackay Recognizing the Value of the Arts If you work in the arts, you already know that the value of our sector is undeniable....

by Lisa Mackay Photo from Olio (the first Relaxed performance show) by Laura Kleiner Expanding Arts Accessibility For Heather Close, a...

by Mathew Stone, Co-Founder of Stone-Olafson Market research is often seen as a dry, tedious process filled with endless charts, data,...

by Lisa Mackay It is the beginning of February and already the year has been full of politics. We can’t expect much of a break from this,...

In 2022, the Rozsa Foundation, Calgary Arts Development, and the Calgary Foundation jointly developed the Future Focus funding program to...