For three days, September 18 – 20, 2009, the province of Alberta was animated with 571 events in 116 communities – from classrooms to concert halls, from libraries to choir lofts and sidewalks to studios. Albertans everywhere brought the spirit of their communities to life.

In 2010, Alberta Arts Days will take place September 17 – 19.

Alberta Arts Days is produced by the Alberta government’s Ministry of Culture and Community Spirit in collaboration with hundreds of activity organizers, creators, as well as other branches of government including the Ministry of Education. Launched in September 2008 as a 1-day affair, Alberta Arts Day was subsequently extended to become a 3-day celebration in 2009. In its second year, Alberta Arts Days has more than tripled its number of participating communities and community-led celebrations.

For information on being part of the Alberta Arts Days experience, please visit the Alberta Arts Days website.

In 2009, to inspire Alberta Arts Days events across the province, Alberta Culture and Community Spirit formed partnerships with five performing arts facilities, asking them to each host an Alberta Arts Days Flagship Celebration Event.

The 5 Flagship sites were Fort McMurray’s Keyano Theatre, the Fine Arts and Multi Media Centre in Olds, the Esplanade in Medicine Hat, the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts in Calgary and the Myer Horowitz Theatre in Edmonton. All Flagship events took place throughout the day on Saturday, September 19 and were free to the public.

Some examples…

Edmonton – Myer Horowitz Theatre and Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

• Performance Showcase (The Myer Horowitz Theatre) : A free performance by Mike Plume, The Dudes, and a special guest appearance by hip-hop artist — and Edmonton’s Poet Laureate — Cadence Weapon.
• Arts Day Block Party (Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium) : The Northern Jubilee hosted an Arts Days Block Party, featuring workshops, a new media art exhibition and live music.

Calgary – EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts

• Open House and Arts Market : 27 visual artists, over 45 arts organizations and nearly 100 performers were featured in workshops, interactive events, displays and performances.

Fort McMurray - Keyano Theatre

• Highway 63 (Keyano Recital Theatre) : A theatrical production set in Fort McMurray, researched and written by theatre students across Canada, Highway 63 explores the challenges and captures the spirit of living in the centre of Alberta’s oil sands economy.
• Art in the Making : The public was invited to get a behind-the-scenes look at Keyano College’s rehearsal hall and studios, and to watch artists in action creating drawings and sculptures.

Olds – Fine Arts and Multi Media Centre

• Community Showcase (TransCanada Theatre) : Jo Hikk headlined the Olds Community Showcase, which also featured performances from the region’s best musicians and performing arts groups.
• Art Exhibit : Free art workshops were offered to the public. Art exhibits and displays featured works by local artists and arts groups.

Medicine Hat – Esplanade

• Artisans Fair (front grounds of the Esplanade) : Artists from Medicine Hat and the surrounding region showcased their talents through performances and displays. The Fair introduced the public to an array of artistic styles and media, ranging from fibre art to sculpture and ceramics.
• Esplanade Art Gallery Tours : The Gallery offered tours by some of the very artists whose works were on display.
• Evening Concert featuring M.A.S.S instruments : Paramedic performed using M.A.S.S. instruments. The M.A.S.S instruments are huge, architectural marvels that hang from the ceiling of Esplanade’s main lobby and engulf spectators into experiencing music in a way they’ve never done before.