12 Things: Highlights from the 2022-23 Season
It's the time of year when trees start to glow, the mountains turn white, and we take time to reflect on another year at Arts Commons. From captivating performances to inspiring exhibitions, the past season was filled with creativity, community, and connection. Join us as we reflect on 12 highlights that made the 2022-23 season at Arts Commons truly unforgettable.
Kicking It Off with Culture Days
200 students filled Arts Commons to experience everything from stage combat with Haysam Kadri to planet creation with Paula Timm. It was part of Alberta Culture Days and the first time that each of the resident companies of Arts Commons had come together to inspire students to learn through the arts.
Colouring It Forward and the Path to Reconciliation
In recognition of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the 2022-23 season launched with a collaboration with the Colouring It Forward Reconciliation Society, an Indigenous-led non-profit dedicated to honouring the children of past, present, and future generations. The +15 Galleries featured the work of 12 different Indigenous artists sharing paintings, drawings, beadwork, sewing regalia and star blankets, leatherwork, and photography which reflected the individual artists’ personal reflections on Truth and Reconciliation as part of their path to healing and growth.
Now THAT’S a Choir!
Over 1000 voices lifted in unison to fill the Jack Singer Concert Hall with the familiar bars of “Mamma Mia” and "Winner Takes it All". The first performance of the 2022-23 season of Arts Commons Presents, Choir! Choir! Choir! was an invitation after a season of recovery from the pandemic to return and experience an evening of connection.
Celebrating A Quarter Century with PCL Blues
In celebration of Calgary’s love affair with the blues, the PCL Blues series recognized its 25th anniversary, opening with Judith Hill in the Martha Cohen Theatre and closing off the season with a sold-out performance of everyone’s favourite vital slide guitarist, Jack Broadbent.
To the Stars with Sargeant X Comrade
Entering its second season, the TD Incubator program took a bold new step with Sargeant x Comrade. The music duo came on as Fellows for the 2022-23 season, guiding the artistic vision for both the program and bringing the TD Amplify Cabaret series in a new eclectic direction. All four performances were reimagined as an irreverent talk show in outer space to match their ‘lo-fi future’ theme for the season.
A Celebration For the Arts to Remember
Previous Mayor’s Celebrations for the Arts took the form of a sit-down dinner, and Mayor Gondek was in search of a new venue to suit a format that better aligned with her idea of how the evening should be structured. Moving the event to the Jack Singer Concert Hall provided an elevated backdrop to one of the arts community’s most beloved events.
Learning with the Elders Story Project
In the continuation of the Arts Commons Reconciliation Strategy, Dr. Reg and Elder Rose Crowshoe have maintained their support of the work that we have embarked on to learn the diverse Indigenous perspectives in our shared history, listen to their truths, honour and respect Indigenous ways, and support individuals on their healing journeys. A key part of this work is the Elder Story Project, which seeks to facilitate the sharing of truth and support healing within the Indigenous community.
Building Community Connections
Using our stages to help elevate the work of our community partners has never been more critical. Nearly doubling the previous year’s attendance, over 300 people gathered outside Arts Commons to partake in a mini powwow for National Indigenous Peoples Day with Four Winds Indigenous Showcase and Market. Our friends at Casa Mexico took over the Jack Singer Concert Hall Lobby for vibrant Day of the Dead celebrations, and the dark winter months were made a little brighter through ArtsXpeditions and Chinook Blast.
Green Onions and Beyond: A Night with Booker T. Jones
Jazz welcomed jazz, blues, R&B, and soul lovers from across Calgary when the legendary music-maker and frontman of Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Booker T. Jones, came to the Jack Singer Concert Hall with A Stax Revue. By the halfway point many audience members had abandoned their seats to dance along, calling it “the best TD Jazz show ever”.
Arts for All
The Sennheiser MobileConnect+ Assisted Listening Device system was tested and refined in the Jack Singer Concert Hall Lobby. The success of the system means that Arts Commons will be installing it throughout the entire building, making our events accessible to the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Blind communities.
Arts ReimaginED Brings Arts Education to Calgary Students
Taking place over a week in late May, 148 free arts education experiences and events popped up in schools and YMCAs across the city. Arts Commons then hosted the world-class production of Leonardo! A Wonderful Story About a Terrible Monster, and concluded the week in a Summit with a powerful keynote address by Dr. Christopher Emdin.
Sending Summer Off with a Party in the Plaza
Our season ended with a free celebration under the open sky with Party in the Plaza featuring Kiesza and Kardinal Offishall. The evening showcased a lineup of local Hip-Hop performers curated by 10 at 10 in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. It was an opportunity to support local artists in a send-off to a beautiful summer of concerts, festivals, and cultural activations all over the city.
“Thank you for doing this event and bringing many people to a world-class event linking emerging artists with established artists connect Calgarians to the World of Hip-Hop and House music.”
Reflecting on a successful 2023, Arts Commons will continue to be a place where diverse voices are heard, where creativity thrives, and where connections are made. The new year holds endless possibilities, and we’re ready to embrace the magic that 2024 will undoubtedly bring. Curious about what we have in store? Check it out!
