History of the Awards

by Simon Mallett I recently attended an event packed with people who care deeply about this province and this country to listen to a panel about national perspectives on Alberta separation. A call to action that emerged was for those in leadership roles to speak out in support of national unity, noting that now was not the time to hedge bets. I left feeling both challenged and inspired, and so my response to that call is this unapologetic declaration: I believe fully and pro

by Lisa Mackay Across the arts sector, there is growing pressure to understand what artificial intelligence means for creative work and for the organizations that support it. I attended the National Summit on AI and Culture, hosted by the Banff Centre in partnership with the federal government, including Canadian Heritage and the office of the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, where the conversation began to take shape at a national level, bringing t

by Lisa Mackay Across Canada, arts organizations are working to ensure their creative teams and collaborators better reflect the communities they serve. This can create a challenge for the sector: IBPOC artists are often expected to be visible and available for opportunities, yet many hiring processes still rely heavily on informal and hyper-local networks that tend to be monochromatic. It was in response to this challenge that Valerie Sing Turner and Anju Singh of Visceral

by Lisa Mackay Interest in social prescribing continues to grow as health systems look for ways to address issues such as loneliness and isolation, and other mental health challenges through community connection rather than clinical treatment alone. Within the arts sector, this growing conversation has prompted new thinking about how creative participation might contribute to broader approaches to wellbeing. The Rozsa Foundation has been exploring this idea over the past sev

The Rozsa Foundation has always had an interest in exploring and advocating for the broader benefits of the arts in society. Early funding projects such as Dancing with Parkinsons with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks and Anne Flynn at the University of Calgary showed us the profound impact that art can make in physical and medical challenges. We are also always interested in exploring ideas that may help strengthen the arts sector by identifying and accessing other streams of reven

The Importance of Arts Day on the Hill Earlier this month, the Rozsa Foundation participated in Arts Day on the Hill , the Canadian Arts Coalition’s flagship federal advocacy event in Ottawa. As a steering committee member, the Rozsa Foundation is committed to federal arts advocacy through the Canadian Arts Coalition, a collaborative non-partisan movement of national associations, arts organizations, and artists. Twenty years after the very first Arts Day, arts leaders from a

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

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

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 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