A new community hub rooted in Indigenous design, and open to all Calgarians, is coming to the Werklund Centre, with a little help from BMO.

Elders and community members gathered inside the Jack Singer Concert Hall March 24 for the naming announcement of the BMO Lodge, backed by a $2 million investment from BMO. The building will be an ‘ethical gathering space’ for all Calgarians to enjoy.

Werklund Centre President and CEO Alex Sarian spoke about the lack of accessibility in performing arts centres, as most require a ticket to gain entrance. This space, he said, is meant to remove those barriers.

“The BMO lodge is our physical manifestation of a commitment to open space where people can gather on their terms,” he said.

“To come together around arts and culture, but also around each other.”

The lodge is part of the broader Werklund Centre Transformation, a multi-phase redevelopment project focused on revitalizing the city’s largest arts hub. According to project plans from the City of Calgary and Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, the expansion aims to modernize the Werklund Centre, previously Arts Commons, while improving accessibility, public space and cultural inclusion.

Central to that vision is reconciliation, which Sarian said is one of the guiding principals for the BMO Lodge.

“From day one, this work has been grounded in meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities,” he said.

“That collaboration is reflected not only in how the space functions, but in how it is formed.”

The building was developed in collaboration with KPMB Architects, Hindle Architects and the Indigenous-led Tawaw Architecture Collective, headed by Wanda Dalla Costa. Using her expertise, alongside input from Treaty 7 Elders and communities, the design incorporates Indigenous experience through the lighting, materials and colours, which also reflect the prairie landscapes.

“Our architects describe the BMO Lodge as opening to embrace the adjacent public plaza and capturing the natural light of Alberta’s expansive sky,” Sarian said.

“That is exactly what the space is meant to do, to be open, to invite and belong to all Calgarians.”

It’s more than another building in Calgary

While this expansion will allow for the Werklund Centre to welcome in more Calgarians, it’s about more than breaking ground.

Paul Seipp, BMO’s regional president for the prairies, called the project an investment in Calgary’s future and its social fabric.

“We’ll be able to create opportunities for gathering, for storytelling, and for learning, as well as cultural exchange,” he said,

BMO has committed close to $125 million in community investments across Canada this year, with a portion directed to Calgary initiatives.

Seipp said the BMO Lodge is about much more than a monetary donation, it’s about fostering community for all Canadians.

“For us, the opportunity to help Indigenous nations prosper is an important part of our commitment to reconciliation and an important part of the community,” he said.

“It’s why we’re here.”

Sarian also spoke on the broader implications of the BMO Lodge not as a building, but as space to foster Calgarian artistry and connection.

“We must invest in both creative hardware and creative software,” he said.

“Buildings are the hardware and they matter, but people, artists, ideas, and communities are the software that bring them to life.”

For Elder Reg Crowshoe of the Piikani Nation, the meaning of the space is simple.

“A lodge brings us together,” he said.

“I guess the Western word is a lodge, but in our case, it’s that bringing everybody together in a safe space.”