History of the Awards

Join us Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at cSPACE MARDA LOOP’s Art Park for Calgary’s only Stampede Breakfast created for artists and arts champions. This vibrant, all-ages morning gathering will serve up classic pancakes, live music, and lively conversations, with a generous helping of community spirit. It’s a celebration of Calgary’s arts and culture sector, its creators, supporters, and future-builders. This free, public event welcomes everyone, with a special invitation to: • Arti

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 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

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

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 articles and newsletters that regularly make their way into our inboxes. These newsletters inevitably become part of our office conversations, in case you are looking for some new inspiration. To keep the list manageable, we are limiting ou

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

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

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 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...

by Ciza Zoya Earlier this November, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference in New Mexico. This...

by Lisa Mackay In the last blog post, I included the first part of an article on developing audiences. In it, I suggested that adjusting...

by Lisa Mackay Arts attenders have been declining for many years, and as we know too well by now, the pandemic exacerbated that decline....

2024 Recipient of the Rozsa Foundation Emerging Arts Manager Award The Rozsa Foundation Emerging Arts Manager Award recognizes an...

by Simon Mallett Given the nature of the Rozsa Foundation’s multifaceted support for the arts community, it’s important for us to stay...

by Lisa Mackay Working through a career in marketing and sales at various performing arts organizations, I became increasingly proficient...

by David Maggs,the Metcalf Fellow on Arts & Society The Dilemma Cultural production from cultural non-profit sectors—how arts...

By Clayton Smith My Rozsa Arts Management Program (RAMP) Capstone Project focused on developing a new stream of accessible audio and...