News Release
15 Major Projects Announced for 2009 Cultural Capital Celebration
October 7, 2008
Fredericton (October 7, 2008) - Fifteen special arts and culture projects were announced today as the City gets ready to celebrate its designation as a 2009 Cultural Capital of Canada.
The announcement was made by Councillor Dan Keenan, chair of the City's Development Committee during a news conference at Fredericton's City Hall Council Chambers.
"Being named a 2009 Cultural Capital of Canada is enabling Fredericton's arts and cultural organizations to do some extraordinary projects in the coming year and we are announcing 15 of them today," said Coun. Keenan. "These projects were selected because of their celebratory and legacy components and set the foundation for a unique, year-long celebration of arts and culture in our community."
The Cultural Capitals of Canada program has been in place since 2003. It was designed to promote arts and culture across Canada. Fredericton was named a 2009 Cultural Capital of Canada last January.
"This celebration of arts and culture is creating partnerships between the City and art and cultural organizations such as the New Brunswick Arts Board, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and The Playhouse," said Coun. Keenan. "These partnerships are leveraging even more investment in big projects that will engage the local community, expose our culture, celebrate the arts through theatre, public art, festivals and community art projects while raising the profile of our local artists."
The City of Fredrericton will contribute $150,000 while the city's arts and culture community will also provide more than $150,000 in cash and in-kind contributions. Canadian Heritage funding was announced last January.
Colleen Hanna, the former City of Fredericton recreation manager, has been hired as Cultural Capitals Coordinator. Her duties will include working with various partners to coordinate several Cultural Capitals of Canada projects. Ms. Hanna comes with 20 years experience in community development and program management and has a background in theatre arts.
Following is a list of the 15 Culture Capitals of Canada projects announced today:
Fredericton Cultural Capital Grant Program - A total of $100,000 in grants will be available to Fredericton arts and cultural organizations for special 2009 projects. Minimum grants of $10,000 will be awarded to projects selected by a jury from submitted applications. The jury will be looking for applications that complement the 14 other projects approved for funding. This special one-time grant program is in addition to the City's regular annual arts, cultural and heritage grant program. Guidelines, criteria and applications will be available later this month.
Public Art - A piece of public art will be commissioned for a sculpture garden to be established at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in celebration of its 50th anniversary.
Summer Theatre Production - The Playhouse, celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2009, will commission a new piece of theatre with the first full production anticipated for summer 2010.
City Commissions Art Works - The City of Fredericton will commission two pieces of art for its art collection - a carved mask by Ned Bear, and a pewter sculpture by Martin Aitken.
Community Art Program - The City of Fredericton will partner with the New Brunswick Arts Board to establish a community art program. The application and jury process will be facilitated by the Arts Board and the project ideas will come from the artists.
'Salmon Run' Exhibition - Gallery Connexion, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2009, will stage an art exhibition which involves fish-shaped forms adorned with the creativity of local artists displayed throughout the city during the summer.
Short films on Fredericton's Culture and Heritage - Ten short films will be commissioned by the New Brunswick Film Co-op, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2009. The films will explore various aspects of Fredericton's heritage and culture.
Performing and Media Arts Gala - A performing and media arts gala will be staged to showcase and celebrate Fredericton's diverse performing and media artists.
Summer Visual Arts Festival - This festival will include projects and exhibitions to celebrate our local visual artists and galleries.
Children's Community Art Project - This project will involve children working hands-on with an artist and/or designer to learn about the art-making process and create a piece of community art.
Youth Summer Culture Camps - These camps will provide an opportunity for local children to be engaged and learn about various art forms and creative outlets.
Community Art Garden at Charlotte Street Arts Centre - This project will involve the artistic development of the green space at the back of the Arts Centre which will inspire creativity for its users.
Francophone Artists Cultural Exchange - The City of Fredericton will partner with Centre communautaire Sainte-Anne to facilitate a francophone cultural exchange in the community, including an exhibit at the City Hall Gallery.
Arts & Culture on the Web - The City of Fredericton will be looking at creative ways to connect the arts and culture community via the City website. An example will be to take the arts and culture short films to be commissioned by the Film Co-op and make them available for download on the City's website.
Arts and Culture Forum - This Forum will to bring community stakeholders together with a facilitator to discuss our successes and developments in Fredericton's arts and cultural sector and to set some priorities for post-Cultural Capitals of Canada year.
Further information on each of these projects will be released as planning progresses.