They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Imagine my surprise watching Canada's World Junior triumph earlier this evening... only to see something that started as "I (Heart) Calgary Arts" turn into "I (Heart) Alberta Arts" staring at me from the rink board advertising at one of the most-watched sporting events this year in Canada!

Minister Blackett... I applaud your surprise marketing tactics... for SURE that ad was noticed. But... we'll have to talk about some royalties for Calgary (ahem, from 2007, I present the brainchild of our own Erica Mattson, with design from Janine Vangool):

At least we're all cheering for the right team!

Slate has a very interesting pictorial essay of creative uses of surplus big box stores (from Julia Christensen's book Big Box Reuse) . We often think of "adaptive reuse" as a means of employing heritage buildings.  I suspect the "heritage" of the 80's, 90's and early 2000's is going to include a huge inventory of big boxes.  Imagine what we could do with them...

News from the University of Maryland Medical Centre:

JOYFUL MUSIC MAY PROMOTE HEART HEALTH, ACCORDING TO UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE STUDY

Research team concludes the cardiovascular benefits of music are similar to those found in their previous study of laughter

So... while you're out there hugging your Alderman, maybe hand them some tickets to the Beethoven Festival!  Something tells me they're going to need some help with their blood pressure next week.

The past two months at Calgary Arts Development have been among the most intense we’ve experienced in the 3+ years of our existence. So much to do, so little time, such big stakes. If you’ve been wondering where we are, or why we haven’t had much to say on our blogs, it’s because we’re moving so fast on so many things, that we really haven’t had the time. I’m happy to say that we’re nearly through this difficult period, and I have some news to report.  read more »

Scanning bloglines today, I noticed an item on the 37Signals blog Signal vs. Noise... it appears that Calgary's own VEER was purchased by Corbis. Congrats are due to the folks at VEER for another major Calgary creative industry success story. Some of the heaviest hitters in the world in the creative industries--Corbis and Getty Images--now both have major operations in Calgary.  read more »

Keen observers of this website will have noticed an increase in blogging over the past week. In case you're thinking "maybe they're bored..." I thought I'd provide a little meta-post (blogging about blogging) to shed some light on what's up.

In a previous incarnation I was a business professor (cue dramatic music). I specialized in Strategic Management, Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Over the years I became generally fascinated with the ways humans organize to get things done. My studies took me all over the map, into anthropology, economics, psychology, sociology (social network theory mostly), and technology.  read more »

Congratulations to Calgary's Joe Slabe, who is basking in the glow of a successful run of his show Austentatious, recently part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Heck, even the New York Times agrees!

It's been a wild 2007 at Calgary Arts Development. Among the many highlights, we've got a new baby, programs being renewed and launched, a completed thesis (fingers crossed!), a wedding coming up...

PHEW!! It's time for a break to get ready for the fall! And as I make my way into the wilds of Saskatchewan, I'd like to leave you with this... officially in the running for "CEO mantra of the year" in the office (an office thats as active as any deli counter in the city... check the link to decipher)!

(link and photo courtesy Merlin Mann at the excellent 43Folders website)

On July 25th, a group of interested (dare I say "passionate") Calgarians will join in a discussion about the Alberta Cultural Policy. There have been discussions across the province about this policy, and Calgary Arts Development, together with the Calgary Professional Arts Alliance have decided to add an additional, collective, voice to the hundreds already submitted.

We think and hope that the meeting we've called will provide a unique contribution to the process. Many of the challenges and opportunities facing Calgary are different than the challenges and opportunities faced by other cities and towns of Alberta. I know that the people in Calgary actively working as artists, arts administrators and cultural workers generally, are intimately familiar with these challenges. This meeting is a chance for these people to get together, talk about issues that are important to them, and have those collective views championed as important contributions to the provincial discussion.

So... lets start the discussion now. Consider this an "invitation to take responsibility for discussing your passion."* If you can't make the meeting on Wednesday, let us know what's important to you about cultural policy in Alberta, and what you think might be done about it. Whatever comes out of this, I guarantee that Calgary Arts Development is interested in your thoughts. Comments are open!

*For more about Open Space meetings, check out this Wikipedia entry  read more »

Noise Between Stations points us to Paragaph, a membership-based facility located in NYC. What a great way for writers to access to the kind of space they need to practice their craft. Looking at their blog, they are also clearly building community in addition to supplying needed infrastructure for artists. Prices range from $80 to $132 per month, including internet access. Seems reasonable to me.  read more »