Home | Edmonton Cultural Capital of Canada 2007 Celebratory Projects
Edmonton Cultural Capital of Canada 2007
Celebratory Projects
- Edmonton Explorations: a grant program for individual artists
This project essentially focuses on providing financial support (in grant form) to deserving Edmonton based artists, from any and all disciplines, with the ultimate goal of assuring a bright future for the arts in Edmonton through present-day investment.
- Cultural Collaborations: Voices Less Heard
This project essentially focuses on providing financial support (through the Community Arts Grant Program) to efforts which endeavour to use the arts to research and represent seldom, if ever, publicized stories steaming from various communities, ethnic and/or other, contributing to the overall social mosaic of Edmonton. The ultimate goal of this project is fostering cross-cultural understanding among the many distinct communities, and to generate works of art which are representative of those communities.
- Edmonton Poetry Festival
This project essentially focused on showcasing the considerable prowess of Edmonton's poet community through a series of poetry readings and performances. The festival, administered under the direction of Alice Major, Edmonton's former, and first ever appointed, Poet Laureate (as of July 1, 2007, and until July 30, 2009, E.D. (Ted) Blodgett is serving as Edmonton's second Poet Laureate) began on 17 September 2007 and concluded on 23 September 2007.
- Symposia and Speakers Series
This project essentially focuses on featuring local, national and international speakers of note. The thematic discourse of the symposia is meant to encompass any and all topics of relevance dealing with arts, heritage, culture, urban planning, sustainable growth, healthy communities and etc. There were three separate symposia conferences planed, with one being scheduled to take place in early 2008. The first two symposia (21-22 September 2007 and 9-10 November 2007) have already taken place; the one remaining is scheduled for 7-8 March 2008.
- Cultural Capital Celebrates New Year's Eve
This project essentially focuses on jointly celebrating the end of the year 2007, the official conclusion of Edmonton's first reign as Canada's Cultural Capital and the coming of a new year. All the evening's events are planed to intertwine with the usual New Year's Eve celebrations.
- Cultural Inventory Project
The cultural inventory project, which is the central focus of this website, has been designed and implemented by the Heritage Community Foundation in collaboration with the Edmonton Arts Council. The cultural inventory is envisioned as a legacy piece that will identify cultural indicators for Edmonton and help to create a blueprint for future development. The intent, once all of the events and performances of the year are over, is to learn from the experience and to build capacity for the future. The inventory is also meant to be an integral resource in Edmonton's Cultural Plan development process, and, it is hoped, will prove to be the keystone in an integrated cultural management system.