In the last few weeks of the 2019-20 fiscal year (ending March 31, 2020), we saw the whole world begin to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Respecting health directives from both the province and the city, Indefinite Arts Centre’s facility also closed its doors.
In recent years, the Centre has faced adverse circumstances before. It was only two years ago when the roof of the adjoining Fairview Arena forced us to close and temporarily relocate. Though this current pandemic is new territory to everyone, we are proud to have a team of thoughtful – and resilient - staff and volunteers continue to put our artists first and foremost at everything we do.
The purpose of this Annual Report is to celebrate the milestones and accomplishments during the last fiscal year. For a summary of our programming and success stories from the current pandemic, please click here.
Guided by our five-year strategic plan, This is Our Moment, the Centre continued to push the boundaries of what’s possible. We became the first Canadian arts organization to be installed at the world’s busiest airport in Dubai. Five artists were selected to participate in international artist residencies in Dubai and Guadalajara. And we explored and expanded partnerships with allies across Calgary and around the world – including Contemporary Calgary, the National Music Centre, the British Council and so many others.
All of this work has had one underlying mission – to provide a genuine, authentic platform for our artists to grow and be celebrated as artists. We’re not there quite yet, but we have made huge strides to this end.
This work would not be possible without our talented artists, along with the support of their friends and their families. We would also like to recognize the investments made by our operational partners at the Government of Alberta, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and Calgary Arts Development Authority, as well as countless generous donors who believe in the work we do.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Chair, Board of Directors
Chief Executive Officer
Indefinite Arts Centre continues to strengthen its artistic training platforms for our participating artists. Our team of talented studio facilitators work with our artists to identify and meet goals or desired outcomes – and many times, we work collaboratively with other local artists and arts organizations to expand the opportunities made available to our participants. All of this work continues to respect and celebrate the self-directed nature of our programming, ensuring that our artists drive their own creative agenda.
More than 80 IAC artists occupied the newly renovated Contemporary Calgary venue, the former site of the city’s planetarium, for four weeks during January 2020. Participating artists explored the idea of land within an artist context, working alongside each other and with the support of several guest artists. Throughout the month, several open studios and other public-facing programs allowed Calgarians to interact with and learn from our artists while exploring this fascinating space. On February 1, 2020, more than 500+ visitors came to our artist-designed open studios and karaoke party event.
Thanks to generous support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Indefinite Arts Centre welcomed Pixel Kim, an internationally-acclaimed artist living with Down syndrome, to his first Canadian tour. Through the last two weeks of August 2019, Pixel opened three exhibitions across Calgary, Toronto, and Ottawa – and hosted workshops in each city open to the public, talking about and inspiring others with his unique – and highly-celebrated – arts practice. Click here to see a video of a workshop hosted by the Korean Cultural Centre Canada in Ottawa.
At Indefinite Arts Centre, we have continued to explore new ways for our artists to expand their artistic practice, and to inspire our artists to take their creation efforts to the next level. So much of this work is made possible by our team of amazing studio facilitators, along with a growing community of mainstream contemporary artists who share their time and creativity with our participants.
Our artists partnered once again with the City of Calgary to complete a public art installation at Devonian Gardens in downtown Calgary. Similar to our utility box project launched in 2018, participating artists were motivated to think “big,” showcasing their creativity on twelve buoys. Through this project, more than $12,000 in commission cheques were issued to our participating artists.
Thanks to our friends at the National Music Centre, a number of our artists participated in a music visualization residency, where they explored a number of Canadian musical selections curated by NMC staff, and interpreted that music onto a visual medium. Their works were then exhibited at Studio Bell thanks to support from the NMC and Scotiabank, and artists also worked with visitors to help them visualize music through public workshops.
Exhibiting our artists’ works is a key pillar in our strategic plan – and it’s more than just hanging our artists’ works for its own sake. We carefully select venues and opportunities that allow our artists to engage with members of the public and share their stories.
A true highlight of this past year was to be selected as the first Canadian arts organization to be installed at the Dubai International Airport – the world’s busiest. Throughout the month of June, more than 6.8 million passengers will have walked past our exhibition Connections, showcasing 14 of our artists’ works alongside those of our sister organization Mawaheb. This followed another successful exhibition in Dubai’s historic district, opened by Consul General Marcy Grossman, British Consul General Andrew Jackson, as well as senior dignitaries representing Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.
At the invitation of the British Council, Indefinite Arts Centre had the privilege of representing Canada at a global disability arts symposium Trazando Posibilidades or Tracing Possibilities in Guadalajara, Mexico in early December 2019. Artists Andrew Harding, Susie Meredith, and Brad McCaull participated in this symposium, where their works were also installed as part of an exhibition at Centro Cultural Constitucion, the largest cultural centre in the region of Jalisco.
Carrying our tradition of sending off our artists’ works to their global destinations, Indefinite Arts Centre hosted LAUNCHPAD 2.0 and LAUNCHPAD 3.0 at Festival Hall in Calgary. This gave Calgarians an opportunity to see works of IAC artists that have been selected to be exhibited in Dubai and Guadalajara, respectively.
Last year continues Indefinite Arts Centre’s ongoing efforts to position itself as a thought leader in the work that we do in support of our artists. Here are some of the initiatives that involved Indefinite Arts Centre leadership:
Our CEO JS Ryu was invited by Korea’s Ministry of Culture and Sport to be a keynote presenter at the Asia Cultural Institute’s Forum for Inclusive Art Education, held at the Asia Culture Centre in Gwangju, South Korea. In his address that focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts, JS spoke about Indefinite Arts Centre’s work, our future strategic direction, and the leadership role that both the Centre and Canada are playing in strengthening the disability arts movement.
Indefinite Arts Centre continues to be represented as part of the growing Young Cultural Innovators (YCI) Canada movement supported by both Canada Council for the Arts and the Salzburg Global Seminar. Our CEO JS Ryu, thanks to support received by Canada Council, shared the work of Indefinite Arts Centre while also learning about local Indigenous history and traditions at a gathering of YCIs on Haida Gwaii.
Both JS Ryu, CEO, and Karly Mortimer, Director, Artist and Program Development, presented at the 2019 Tracing Possibilities Symposium hosted by the British Council. Their presentation, titled Drawing Power from World-Class Institutions, addressed the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for organizations like Indefinite Arts Centre, and where we can take learnings and inspiration from world-class arts-based organizations like Banff Centre.
The following are just a few of our partnerships and the impact they have had on our programs.
Momo MovementProduction and costume design for Momo Movement’s The Mind Palace. |
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Banff Centre + Xenia ConcertsIAC was a host venue for the community sensory friendly concert of the 2019 Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC). |
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Contemporary CalgaryIAC artists participated in Contemporary Calgary’s Collider Residency. |
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National Music CentreIAC artists participated in a Music Visualization Residency at National Music Centre. |
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Market CollectiveIAC was a feature booth at both winter and spring Market Collective fairs this past year. |
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British CouncilIAC participated at the 2019 Tracing Possibilities Symposium hosted by the British Council. |
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Tangled Arts, BEING Studio, Korean Cultural Centre CanadaOur partner organizations for Pixel Kim’s inaugural Canada tour. |
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Mawaheb + Dubai International AirportOur partner organizations for our 2019 Connections residency and exhibition. |
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Dandy Brewing CompanyThanks to our partnership with Dandy Brewing Company, we launched a successful community ceramics close for adults — raising awareness and dollars towards the Centre. |
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Below are a few examples of impactful investments made by our partners:
Rozsa FoundationThanks to funding from the Rozsa Foundation, Indefinite Arts Centre staff led the development of our new values, entitled Our Compass. |
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Global Affairs CanadaGlobal Affairs Canada, through their cultural diplomacy program, supported Indefinite Arts Centre’s Dubai exhibition and residency initiative. |
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ATB FinancialThanks to a generous investment made by ATB Financial, Indefinite Arts Centre was able to purchase new wheelchair accessible tables and chairs for our artist lounge. |
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Canada Council for the ArtsCanada Council for the Arts continues to support Indefinite Arts Centre’s global outreach efforts, including our Dubai exhibition and residency initiative and our participation at the 2019 Tracing Possibilities Symposium in Guadalajara, Mexico. |
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More than 30 business leaders, community leaders, and arts philanthropists attended rare, our 2020 fundraiser held at Contemporary Calgary. Guests were led through a unique wine tasting opportunity, where rare wines from around the world were paired with our artists’ works. Click here to read coverage from the Calgary Herald’s Bill Brooks.
We thank them for their contributions:
These are pre-audited financials as of March 31, 2020. If you require additional information, please do not hesitate to email us at info@ouriac.ca.
We thank them for their contributions:
Government of Alberta
Calgary Arts Development
Alberta Foundation for the Arts
The City of Calgary
Canada Council for the Arts
Global Affairs Canada
Rozsa Foundation
Calgary Foundation
Ron and Melissa Wigham
Hotchkiss Family Foundation
Michael and Renae Tims
Anonymous
ATB Financial
Amanda Varty
Art Space and Design
Bow Valley Credit Union
Dell and Lauren Pohlman
Executive Millwork Inc.
Fairview Community Association
Gerald D. Chipeur, Q.C.
Lauren Wigham
Allin Boyer
Amber Webb
AnnDee King
April Rogowski
Ayers Justine Helesic
Bonnie Skelling
Byron McDonald
Calgary Foundation
Carol Mortimer
Carson Harding
Cathy Kerr
Christine Armstrong
Deanna Goacher
Debbie Lemke
Deborah Switzer-Cook
Deborah Trochim
Gail Vanairsdale
Geraldine Munro
Ina-Jean Gietz
Jeff de Boer
Jo Anne Murray
Jodi James
Kaisnie Singh
Kate Abbott
Kathleen Brownlee
Kevin Marjoram
Kimberley Jev
Kristine Thompson
Kyla Longstaff
Lachlin McKinnon
Lake Bonavista Village
Leia Tait
Marla Christianson
Matthew Grant
Maureen Moul
Pat Desaulniers
Patrica Pennock
Patricia Ruby
Riaz Mamdani
Robyn Messer
Sarah Braneaccio
Sean Drysdale
Shannon Lyall
Sharon Walker
Simon Mallet
Subah Sadiq
Todd Hirsch
Tyler Varga
Wendy Hunt
AnnDee King
Annice Pendrel
Barbara Beck
Carlos Foggin
Gail McPhail
James Cameron
Jennifer Green
Juanita Carberry
Jung-Suk and Nari Ryu
Kara Tersen
Kris and Greg Thompson
Kyle Olsen
Laura-Jeanne Stollery
Lori McLellan
Marc Workman
Marion Nichols
Maureen Riddle
Michael and Raechel Kim
Nicole Kaczkowski
Pansy Angevine
Pete Lendl
Rhodri Meredith
Sam Komolafe
Sharon Kaczkowski
Simon Mallett
Sonya Regehr
Terence Meredith
Unnamed
We thank them for their contributions:
Chief Executive Officer
Director, Artist and Program Development
Manager, Operations
Coordinator, Programs and Exhibitions (until March 2020)
Acting Coordinator, Programs and Exhibitions
Studio Facilitator
Studio Facilitator
Studio Facilitator
Studio Facilitator
Finance Officer (until March 2020)
Coordinator, Artist Services
Coordinator, Projects
Administrative Assistant (until May 2019)
Administrative Assistant (May 2019 to December 2019)
Community Program Instructor
Community Program Instructor
We thank them for their contributions:
Chair
Vice-Chair
Secretary-Treasurer