Contemporary Calgary Sets a Date for Community Consultation

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Following an earlier Report to the Community, Contemporary Calgary is extending an open invitation to a public consultation to help determine a course for its future.

October 10 at 7 pm at their Stephen Avenue location

RSVP to alison.andersen@contemporarycalgary.com

Opening Thoughts

As Contemporary Calgary determines its future direction, we want to meet with you, our valued members and supporters, to discuss some of the possibilities before us. We see three possible directions, each with different consequences for the community.

1. A New Venue – find a permanent home

We have seen the energizing force that comes from community working together to transform an iconic building into a major museum of modern and contemporary art. Can the momentum be maintained for another venue? A number of venues can be investigated that could involve retrofitting existing infrastructure. Another option could be a new purpose-built facility. Without understanding the viability of any specific venue, what kind of qualities does a permanent home require?

Which existing buildings capture the imagination of Calgarians?

What locations are the most accessible for Calgarians?

Is there a greater appetite to re-purpose an existing building? Or to build new?

And at what scale is the community thinking for the venue? There are a range of options that impact capital, operating costs, and management complexity.

2. Programming First – a museum without a permanent space

The success of Contemporary Calgary has been tied to our vision for The Centennial Planetarium.

However, our mission extends far beyond any single bricks and mortar project. The mission of Contemporary Calgary is to engage Calgarians with the art of our times through exhibitions, distinguished speaker series, outreach and education programs. Our reputation in programming exhibitions and speaker series is growing and we’ve realized a number of projects at a number of off-site venues, particularly in the last year.

With so much available space in Calgary today, we believe there are interesting opportunities for a series of temporary programs in a variety of non-permanent locations. Contemporary Calgary has shaped its vision as a non-collecting institution to focus on the experience of art. Is a permanent venue necessary to delivering our mission?

3. Collaboration

Contemporary Calgary is the consolidation of Art Gallery of Calgary, MOCA Calgary, and the Institute of Modern and Contemporary Art. Each organization represents decades of delivering its mandate to the community. We are rich in both spirit and resources. The community has a group of powerful art organizations and some very interesting organizations not solely focused on art. Is this the time to think about collaboration, strategic partnership, or merger?

Does Contemporary Calgary’s mandate satisfy enough of a community need as a stand-alone visual arts organization?

Source: Contemporary Calgary