2023 Connections & Exchanges Initiatives grant recipients
November 30, 2023
Through the Connections & Exchanges Initiatives program, the Edmonton Arts Council provides project and initiative funding to organizations to activate the City of Edmonton’s 10-year plan, Connections & Exchanges.
This program invests in new and existing arts and heritage activity, enables resilience and innovation, invests in collaborations and creations, supports the artistic work of not-for-profit organizations, and supports the collective responsibility of the arts community for the implementation of Connections & Exchanges.
On September 13, 2023, 38 projects were recommended for 2023 Connections & Exchanges Initiatives funding, with a total of $810,178 distributed to organizations.
Aboriginal Arts Council of Alberta in partnership with the Works Festival and the Edmonton Public Library hosted Otehiwin // Open Heart, a TRC commemorative event that presented storytelling through music and art to provide understanding and hope, and to offer compassion and solace to those impacted by the Residential School system.
Alberta Music Industry Association is offering music workshops focused on technical aspects of music creation to empower Edmonton BPOC and women producers/engineers to strengthen and expand their knowledge, skills and networks in the technical areas of music production and creation where women are currently underrepresented.
Alberta Playwrights’ Network is offering a residency program for IBPOC playwrights and theatre creators in Edmonton that will provide mentorship, resources, and support through a year-long creative process.
Arts on the Ave will orchestrate a collaborative project involving six artists working for a one-hour duration with three rotations. By engaging diverse cultures and artists in collaborative, multi-disciplinary art, the project aims to weave a vibrant tapestry of community and foster creativity.
Ballet Edmonton will tour Atlantic Canada in spring 2024 to showcase the exceptional professional contemporary ballet created in Edmonton to artistic presenters and audiences in Charlottetown, Fredericton, and Halifax.
Boys Dance Too Alberta Dance Foundation seeks to strengthen the foundation of Edmonton’s break dance community, to support and nurture increased interest in the artform.
Brian Webb Dance Company (BWDC) will provide support to two national dance artists to incorporate Deaf access into the works they will be touring to Edmonton and will be presented by BWDC.
Broad View International Film Festival Foundation will help develop the talent and skills of Edmonton female-identifying feature film screenwriters under the guidance of industry professionals with their Script Development and Pitching Program.
Catalyst Theatre Society of Alberta will host Confluence, their season-long creative residency that offers an Edmonton-based IBPOC creator a $20,000 fee, a funded workshop presentation, and support from the Catalyst team.
Chronos Music Society of Alberta will conclude Chronos Vocal Ensemble’s 2023 – 2024 with a concert production to celebrate the ensemble’s 10th Anniversary, featuring a collaboration with Calgary’s Spiritus Chamber Choir.
Circe Magazine will create space for emerging creativity in the local community by showcasing their work in the third issue of their print magazine.
Citadel Theatre will commission a play by a local Edmonton writer for their Young Company, a training program for emerging artists aged 16 to 21. This will be their first commission for the Young Company.
Contemporary Showcase Edmonton Society will celebrate their 30th Anniversary with new program initiatives including a Sound Sculpting Workshop for kids aged 8 to 11, and several instrument-specific improvisation workshops
Dreamspeakers Festival Society will refine the profile of their Neka’new’ak Walk of Honour (dedicated to Indigenous trailblazers in the film industry) with profile videos, banners and artcards of honourees.
Fringe Theatre Adventures Society will host a cycle of workshops and storytelling circles featuring artists local to Treaty 6 to foster artistic sharing and development in support of the ongoing decolonization and Indigenization of Fringe Theatre.
Fruit Loop Society of Alberta will bring ballroom performers to Edmonton for mentorship and classes to develop the local Ballroom/Kiki Ballroom/Voguing community and create opportunities for diverse community members.
Ice on Whyte Festival Society will launch an affordable and accessible new community ice carving instruction program for Edmonton artists.
Indigenous Artist Market Collective will pair established artists with learners,; bring community members from all demographics together to share Indigenous art and culture,; and sponsor five Indigenous artists.
John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, as part of their international convention commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights, will have Edmonton artists profile our city and commitment to social change.
Latitude 53 Society of Artists will provide a mentorship opportunity for equity-seeking groups with their Emerging Curator in Residence Program meant to activate Latitude 53’s street-facing bay windows with monthly artist takeovers.
Metro Cinema Society will source and present six 35mm films at Metro Cinema covering a wide range of genres bringing a nostalgic film format back to the big screen with regularity. A local academic, artist, or film expert will provide a brief presentation prior to each film screening.
Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective Society will provide a regular space to view Indigenous film in the media gallery of Ociciwan Contemporary Art Centre throughout the 2024 programming year.
Punctuate! Theatre Society will support the development of five Indigenous artists as they explore transferring their visual art skills into designing for theatre.
Rapid Fire Theatre, in alignment with their commitment to the 35//50YEG initiative, aims to expand their free IBPOC jams to include free Improv IBPOC workshops, led by IBPOC artists.
Ribbon Rouge Foundation will hold Kinfest Festival, a three-day, multi-disciplinary event that fosters intercultural conversations and artistic creations. African, Black, and Caribbean artists will share their music, visual art, theatre, dance, and poetry.
Sisters Dialogue Inc. in collaboration with local artists of various disciplines, will host a series of creative workshops centering the experiences of Edmonton-based Muslim women.
SkirtsAfire Society will produce the Alberta première of Clare Barron’s Dance Nation as their mainstage production, showcasing an intergenerational investigation of girlhood and launching their new Artistic Producer’s fresh and pioneering vision.
Society for New Music in Edmonton will launch its intergenerational pilot project in sound-based multidisciplinary, and music composition practices. In addition to forming a mentoring partnership, mentors/mentees alike will create new works, presented by New Music Edmonton.
The Aviv Israeli Folk Dance Association will perform in South Florida’s 28th Annual Festival Yachad. The festival brings together dance companies from all over the world to share ideas, expertise, and their art with each other.
The Free Will Players Theatre Guild will engage the expertise of other artists or creative groups to help expand their festival to include innovative programming in addition to their main stage Shakespeare productions.
The International Festival of Winter Cinema will enhance their 2024 festival with the addition of interactive and indoor programming at their temporary Laurier Park location.
Thou Art Here Theatre Guild will curate and host a community event featuring artists, artisans, musicians, community leaders and Knowledge Keepers from First Nations, Métis, and French culture in amiskwacîwâskahikan to augment Civil Blood’s performance.
Ukrainian Shumka Dancers will debut Doors — a Ukrainian-contemporary dance piece commissioned by Shumka to express the grief, loss, and resilience of those affected by the war in Ukraine, inspired by Ruslan Kurt’s art installation.
Walkthrough Entertainment Society for the Interactive Arts in Alberta will showcase talent from Edmonton and beyond with its Game Discovery Exhibition (GDX 2023). The 5‑day conference and festival is the largest celebration of indie games and game culture in Canada.
Young Alberta Book Society’s FLY! (Fun Lit in YEG!) program will provide author, illustrator or storyteller visits to Edmonton-area children’s community groups at no cost to the groups.
Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s Horizons Writers Circle and Reading Series program will support another cohort of writers within the IBPOC community, ESL, and underrepresented writers who live in Alberta.
Theatre Prospero Association will work on writing, development and workshopping for part two of Edmonton playwright Tololwa Mollel’s “Anthem of Life” Trilogy.
Workshop West Playwrights Theatre will enhance its Springboards New Play Festival in March 2024 by providing more workshop/development days to participating Edmonton writers, while increasing their access to one-on-one dramaturgical support.