Edmonton’s Vibrant Arts Landscape
For the past few weeks I’ve been asking people “what keeps you in Edmonton?” Most people chose to come here or chose to stay — understanding why is key to effective city building.
Their answers vary, but they usually reflect our love for homegrown arts and culture. Whether people are enjoying Shakespeare in the Park, the Verdi Festival, International Film Festival, a smaller local artist showcase, or one of the other nearly limitless opportunities – our outstanding arts and culture scene is a frequent reason why people stay in Edmonton.
The rich diversity of culture on offer is a fine gift to our city; it is the product of people of all ages and interests building extraordinary things together. Each work of art, each show, each festival began as a vision, and a desire to share it.
Our festivals in particular are a fine expressions of our citizens’ creativity, meshed with an entrepreneurial spirit to build and grow things that surprise and delight Edmontonians and visitors alike.
For example, when one attends Folk Festival, as we have for many years, it’s easy to see that people are at the heart of this energized and welcoming event. People make Edmonton a city to choose: by creating; by volunteering; by building. From the entrepreneurs serving food, to the volunteers collecting recycling and compostable organics, ours is a complete ecosystem supporting creative expression and industry.
You can show your support for #yegvotesarts with buttons from the Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton, available at many fine cultural and dining establishments around town.
Edmonton’s reputation is growing worldwide as a place to flock for all types of artists. And both our culture and our economy are better off for it. Citizens can sense the swelling support around each unique event, and can’t wait for more.
If our community can tell this story better, this competitive advantage we enjoy can be a reason why more people chose to come and be part of building Edmonton.
I’m proud that one of Edmonton’s monikers is “Festival City.” We’ve all earned it, together. It wasn’t one person, or one group, alone who built NextFest, the Works, Kaleido, the Jazz Festival, Ice on Whyte, Folk Fest, Interstellar Rodeo, or the venerable Fringe (all great Make Something Edmonton stories, by the way). Governments may support these initiatives, but the ideas came from individuals, and they succeed because Edmontonians took initiative to build Edmonton, one creative impulse at a time.
8 thoughts on “Edmonton’s Vibrant Arts Landscape”
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Hi Mr. Iveson,
I grew up in Edmonton. Went to Austin O’Brien high and then the University of Alberta. I’m very proud to tell people I’m an Edmontonian.
In 1996, I moved to Calgary. Everytime I return to Edmonton, I feel like it’s crumbling and turning to dust. Some people in Calgary and throughout Canada have nicknamed Edmonton dirt city. And, frankly, it looks dirty so the name makes sense. Some of the embarrassing mistakes of the past make it worse. Eg. That silly sculpture on Jasper and 9th that’s supposed to play music like a pan flute. So ugly and it doesn’t work. Speaking of Jasper, all the empty spaces and condemned buildings on Edmonton’s main street?? Yuck.
So, make Edmonton beautiful! Visit Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal for ideas of how a beautiful city should look. Implement a plan to knock down some off these buildings that have been empty since the 80’s. Parks, green spaces, playgrounds…..anything would be better.
Thank you,
John Iocchelli
Interesting that the ‘pan flute’ sculpture was designed by a team from Calgary…
And Dirt City is a name that Edmontonians coined for their own town because we are proud of what we are, warts and all. Thank you, Mr. Iocchelli, but you can keep your Calgary/Vancouver/Montreal aesthetic. We make our art our way.
I just wanted to respond to John’s comment about the flute sculpture on Jasper and 109th. I guess he hasn’t been to Edmonton in the past couple of years, because that piece was torn down a while ago (and perhaps moved elsewhere? I’m not sure) to make way for Mayfair Village. The South Tower is pretty much done, and the North tower is on the way. Mayfair Village provides reasonably priced rental accommodations for those earning less than $42,000 a year. This is a very welcome addition to the downtown rental landscape, and what’s more: the buildings are rather attractive looking. At least I think so. :)
Also, both Jasper Avenue and the Downtown Core are currently undergoing a major overhaul, and the LRT construction is chugging along. I think there will be less and less “dirt” to see in “Dirt City” by the time this decade is through.
When I saw the title of the text, I thought “great, someone thinking about the city beyond the economy.” But then I was frustrated to not see any minimally concrete ideas to foster (or maintain) the arts (in a general sense) in the city. Can we attract more artists? How? Can we support/fund local artist? What would be a sustainable model? What’s your vision? How can we help materialized it?
Thanks for the comments. Mario N, this is not my Arts & Culture policy announcement. This is a reflection. The more detailed policy will roll out closer to the election. If you have thoughts you’d like me to consider we would love to hear from you here or via email at electdon@doniveson.ca.
We are supporting too many artists already. Time for them to get a job & pay their own way like the rest of us. When you can’t afford to fix your car do you go buy an expensive painting? No, you cut out your luxury spending & take care of the basics. Fix the roads, fix the schools, fund the police, save for the future; and after the important things are taken care of, then you spend some of the excess on frivolous wastes.