Increased funding for the Alberta Foundation of the Arts (AFA) via the Government of the Alberta is set to lead to larger grants for Calgary’s artistic community.

The maximum eligible grant amount of $15,000 for individual artists is set to grow to $18,000.

The total amount of funding for the AFA is set to increase by $4.5 million annually over three years, bringing the province’s contribution to the foundation to close to $40 million annually by 2026.

Minister of Arts, Culture, and Status of Women Tanya Fir said that in this fiscal year, the GOA had provided $21.2 million in grant funding for 304 arts organizations and 422 individual artists, with more funding to be approved before the end of the fiscal year, which ends on March 31.

“The increased funding has allowed AFA to experience a nearly 40 per cent increase in the number of grants provided when compared to the same time in 2023, and the fiscal year isn’t even over yet,” Minister Fir said.

“The art sector can contribute more than $1.2 billion in GDP, and employs more than 17,000 Albertans. Providing grant opportunities for art organizations and for artists to further develop and grow their skills will help encourage the talented arts workforce to stay in Alberta, share their talents and grow our creative and cultural industries.”

She said that the increase of $3,000 for maximum eligible grants for individual artists would allow them to go further in their creation of works of art, said Minister Fir. The change in amount also came about as a desire for the government to support more individual artists.

Cynthia Moore, Board Chair for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, welcomed the increased funding from the province that allowed them to increase the maximum eligible grant amount.

Increased funding also meant allowing for more artists to receive grants of all sizes, she said.

“We do give very small grants as well, and very small grants help—the emerging artists talk about hobbyists, they could get $3,000 and that would mean a lot to them,” she said.

“The AFA supports individual artists and project grants for a variety of disciplines, including dance, film and video, Indigenous arts, literary arts, music, theatre and visual arts and new media.”

She said that the grants given out by the AFA go towards the creation of new artistic works, but also training and professional development, marketing and research, and scholarships for young people in arts training.

“It is important to remember the AFA accepts grant applications from artists in every stage of their career; be they hobbyists or professionals. It is our mandate to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate in the arts in Alberta,” Moore said.

“We purchase artworks every year through our art acquisition by application program to add to the AFA art collection. This is the largest collection of visual art by Alberta artists anywhere in the world, and it is stunning. We have more than 9500 pieces by more than 1700 artists.”

Renaissance province thanks to arts funding

Alex Sarian, CEO of Arts Commons and the author of The Audacity of Relevance: Critical Conversations on the Future of Arts and Culture, said that it was no secret that Alberta has been undergoing a renaissance in the arts.

“It’s certainly no accident that Alberta is home to the single largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history. It’s no accident that last year, Alberta got to announce the largest endowment for the Performing Arts in Canadian history,” he said.

“It’s no accident that these announcements will continue. I’m here to say that it is the role of government, and certainly the role that the Government of Alberta has stepped into, boldly and proudly, to inspire the community to step up and to join them.”

He said that the investments made into arts infrastructure, like the Arts Commons Transformation Project, would mean nothing unless there were artists to set into those buildings to use them.

“These amazing investments in infrastructure, mean nothing unless we have the organizations like the Calgary Opera, unless we have artists like Alessia filling these incredible venues and incredible spaces with the music and the arts, and the celebration of cultural identity that Albertans have come to expect,” Sarian said.

As part of the announcement, Mezzo-soprano and McPhee Artist Development Program Artist Alessia Vitali performed with Calgary Opera conductor Jonathan Brandani ahead of the Feb. 1 opening of Calgary Opera’s rendition of Don Pasquale.

Sue Elliott, CEO of Calgary Opera, said that the arts have proven to be a lifeline for Albertans.

“We harness individual and collective creativity and inspire lifelong learning. We provide workforce training for musicians, dancers, actors, writers, marketers, fundraisers, design, professionals and technicians who staff the film sets, the Saddledome and a local theatre near you,” she said.