Liane Faulder: Rebirth for arts scene in 2020 as Churchill Square and library come to life again

It’s easy to feel gloomy about prospects for the quality of life in Edmonton and Alberta in light of dramatic provincial budget cuts, threatened job losses, talk of separation and ongoing squabbles between Premier Jason Kenney and Ottawa.

But as 2020 approaches, take comfort in the arts scene in Edmonton — a spectacular bonus of living in our beloved, far-flung northern outpost.

Even as Alberta artists are poised to feel the provincial pinch — the Ministry of Culture, Multiculturalism and the Status of Women will lose 27 per cent of funding over the next three years and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts lost five per cent for 2019/20 — the city of Edmonton’s commitment to the arts remains strong, with additional investments planned over the next three years.

That positive perspective comes care of Sanjay Shahani, the executive director of the Edmonton Arts Council.

“The city values arts and culture in a different way than other cities,” said Shahani in a wide-ranging year-end conversation about the arts scene in River City.

As he points out, Edmonton is second only to Vancouver in municipal arts funding per capita nation-wide. While many other municipalities have art departments within their bureaucracy, Edmonton funnels all arts and culture funding through the Edmonton Arts Council, an arm’s length non-profit with its own board of directors.

With an operating budget of $14 million per year, the council helps support some 160 arts organizations, including key players such as The Citadel, the Art Gallery of Alberta, and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra — each of which receive roughly one million dollars a year.

The council is transparent about grants; the 2018 annual report lists which groups and individuals received city dollars, giving Edmontonians a good picture of how their taxes contribute to the city’s quality of life.

On top of its operating budget, Edmonton’s city council has pledged an additional $5 million to the EAC, distributed between 2019 and 2022, to fund its 10-year-plan to transform arts and heritage in Edmonton. The plan, which kicked off last year after broad consultation with the arts community and the public, aims to turn Edmonton into a “hub for extraordinary creation,” said Shahani.

Part of the plan’s thrust will see more local creativity in neighbourhoods, through free events such as this weekend’s Swing and Skate. Taking place at Ottewell community hall and arena on Jan. 4, and at city hall on Jan. 5, each of these events pairs live music by Edmonton bands with dance lessons by Sugar Swing Ballroom. There are free skates at each location for those who like to have their fun out-of-doors. (For more details, go to edmontonarts.ca and click on the picture of Winston Churchill.)

“We want to get people talking about art in a non-intimidating way,” said Shahani, referring to Swing and Skate and its equally popular summer counterpart, the Public Art Picnic. “It pushes art into the neighbourhoods. People say they want to have art in unexpected places.”

Well, not everybody says that. When the council, which is responsible for administering the city’s public art program, put a new, million-dollar sculpture by Berlin artist Thorsten Goldberg on top of the new city transit garage on Fort Road earlier this year, there was major pushback from city council members and community members alike. People thought the sculpture, called 53°30’N and representing abstract topography at the same latitude as Edmonton from around the world, should be in a traditional location, like a city park or prominent square.

But I like the piece where it is. Ideally, art should surround us as we live and work everywhere in the urban landscape; a glimpse of beauty during a commute can provide hope on a dreary day.

Asked what he’s looking forward to in 2020, Shahani points to the re-emergence of Churchill Square as a centre for summer festivals including the Street Performers Festival and Taste of Edmonton. Tix on the Square is expanding to offer a larger shop at Churchill Square, and more opportunities for local artists to sell tickets for a small administrative cost. The refurbished Stanley A. Milner library is to be unveiled this spring, when the public will see the newly restored, 50-year-old Norman Yates mural, brought back to its original splendour by the EAC’s conservation team (the only municipal team in the country).

Shahani, who came to Edmonton from Toronto three-and-a-half years ago to run the EAC, says he continues to be impressed with the city’s artistic perspective.

“It’s a city which is very warm, welcoming and friendly for anyone who wants to make room for themselves. It’s also bold and fearless in how it sees itself in its relationship with the world,” he reflects. “Edmonton has found a way to get noticed without having to brand itself as something it is not.”