Alberta Culture Days grant recipients announced

Alberta Culture Days is a three-day celebration of family-friendly arts and culture activities at sites across the province.

From September 28 to 30, hundreds of free, family friendly events and activities take place across the province celebrating a number of unique and interesting aspects of Alberta’s culture. In 2017, almost 100,000 Albertans enjoyed the festivities.

“Alberta Culture Days is a celebration of everything that makes Alberta one of the best places to live in Canada because of our community, heritage, arts and, of course, culture. I encourage everyone to join Culture Days events across the province to try something new, learn more about their communities and realize how creative, vibrant and diverse our province is.”

This year, nearly 80 successful applicants will receive funding through the Alberta Culture Days grant. The Government of Alberta provides a total of $200,000 in funding through the grant to support this annual celebration of culture in Alberta’s communities. The full list of official sites can be found online at albertaculturedays.ca.

Through the grant program, five events are selected to be official feature sites that will offer three full days of programming. The successful feature sites are:

• Wetaskiwin & District Museum Society
  • Wetaskiwin will be holding a celebration to honour the Indigenous peoples from their area. Events hosted include Orange Shirt Day walk, celebrating Wetaskiwin & District artists, a Taste of Wetaskiwin’s culture, and Wetaskiwin’s Indigenous Art.
• Edmonton Opera Association
  • Offering multicultural programming – titled Many Voices, One Alberta – at several locations throughout the city to give everyone the chance to take part.
• The Alberta College of Art and Design
  • Offering a major exhibition opening and guided gallery tours in the Illingworth Kerr Gallery, along with artist presentations, panel discussions and demonstrations, Indigenous teachings, and cultural workshops in the Lodgepole Centre.
• Bonnyville and District Fine Arts Society
  • The Fine Arts society is offering a multicultural showcase of Ukrainian, French, Métis, Filipino, and Indigenous cultures highlighting their dance, music, theatre, storytelling, food and visual arts.
• Brooks Public Library
  • Hosting a Taste of Nations, a chili bowl cook-off and “A Festival of Cultures in Brooks” which will include a fashion show highlighting cultural costumes, dance, and a play. There will also be various events throughout the weekend including a comedy night and acrobatic lessons.

Alberta Culture Days promotes diversity and encourages participation in cultural experiences across the province. Anyone can host an Alberta Culture Days event. Planning and promotional tools are available for everyone online.

Alberta Culture Days is part of National Culture Days, a movement to raise awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the artistic and cultural life of their communities. Organizations hosting an event are encouraged to post to the National Culture Days Calendar.