Should Airdrie have a permanent art gallery for local artists to showcase and sell their works?
Many local artists and advocates for the arts and culture community in Airdrie certainly think so.
Elizabeth Hall, a mixed-media artist whose disciplines include digital illustrations, fibre arts, and indie game development, said the lack of a permanent gallery in Airdrie has been a continuing conversation among members of the local arts community for as long as she’s been actively part of it – a span of more than a dozen years.
“It comes up in every conversation we have,” she said. “A lot of it is because communities that are a lot smaller than Airdrie with a lot smaller populations have really thriving arts and culture communities. They have small galleries, arts and culture councils, and we’re lacking a lot of that here.”
Hall is the creator of a Facebook page called The Airdrie Artist. She said she created the social media page in December 2019 to act as a hub for local creatives in the city to connect and collaborate. She was previously the president of an organization called the Airdrie Arts Society, which dissolved.
With Airdrie now boasting a population north of 80,000, Hall said it's frustrating the city still doesn't have a dedicated space for local artists and creatives to exhibit their pieces.
“The only opportunities we have in Airdrie are at the library,” she said. “Bert Church, when I was part of the art society, used to rotate our artwork through there, but it’s not really readily available on a daily basis to the public because it’s connected to the school. Unless there’s an actual event there, it doesn’t really get seen.”
While she said facilities like the public library and some local businesses are highly supportive of showcasing local artwork on their walls, Hall said in general, there's a lack of opportunities in Airdrie for that kind of exposure.
In citing an example of why a local gallery would be beneficial, Hall referenced an upcoming exhibit at Drumheller's Badlands Community Facility that will feature the works of nine Airdrie-area artists from December to February. She said the gallery is providing the space for free and only charging 20 per cent of the revenue from any sales the artists make during the three-month exhibit.
“It’s a great opportunity – however, we have to travel to Drumheller,” Hall said. “We’re not connecting with our community where we live, which is very unfortunate.
“The thing is, we have so many creatives here in Airdrie of so many disciplines. A lot of them are really professional. They sell their work all over the world, but nobody knows they’re here.”
Another local artist who would agree with Hall is Veronica Funk. The long-time Airdrie resident and painter is a prominent artist who often completes themed series of painted portraits. She was also a co-founder of the Creative Airdrie Society.
Funk's work has been displayed and sold both in Canada and internationally. But even though she's been proud to call Airdrie home for many years, she said it's been frustrating to not have a dedicated local facility to show off or sell her works.
“I’ve been to small towns with 5,000 people and their community has a public art space, so it’s really disappointing,” she said. “I’ve been here for over 25 years and there’s still absolutely nothing here in Airdrie.”
In terms of what Airdrie's local government should do to support the city's artists, Funk said she would like to see the municipality implement something like what the Town of Okotoks has set up.
“They have an arts and culture employee represented at City Hall, and that’s where it needs to start,” she said. “We need to have someone at City Hall – not a portfolio that sits under ‘rec.’”
Arts and Culture Council in the works
In terms of how the City of Airdrie is hoping to support local artists moving forward, one way is through the establishment of a City-backed Arts and Culture Council, which would be tasked with celebrating, preserving, and bringing together the art community.
The council, which hasn't been formed yet, nonetheless took a step forward last April, when City council approved a $110,000 request for seed funding from the future organization's ad-hoc committee. The funding will go toward the establishment of an arts-centric board and its first year of operations.
The money will also help pay for various overhead expenses, including legal fees, meeting costs, marketing, communications and website development, and remuneration for a paid executive director.
Coun. Heather Spearman, a vocal advocate and proponent for the arts in Airdrie, said with the approval of this seed funding, she's more optimistic than ever that a permanent location for displaying Airdrie's art could eventually come to fruition.
“For me, I’m really optimistic we’re going to start seeing things move and shake, because the City has approved the arts committee that is going to be moving forward,” she said.
In terms of where the project is at currently, Spearman said an assessment committee is starting to transition into becoming an interim committee, and the step after that is to look for members to sit on the final board.
Then, they'll look to hire an executive director.
According to Spearman, one of the mandates of this forthcoming arts council is to advocate on behalf of Airdrie's artists and cultural organizations. Under that scope would include the development of dedicated facilities and spaces.
Another positive development regarding Airdrie's arts scene, Spearman said, is the impending construction of the city's future library and multi-use facility on Main Street, which is slated to open in 2025. She said City council's discussions surrounding the multi-use portion of that $65-million facility have included plans to incorporate local art.
“I think in Airdrie currently, we have a lot of people who care about the arts, which is why you can go to different locations around the city and see art at the local level,” she said. “But from a City perspective, with the multi-use facility coming to Main Street in October 2025, there is going to be a lot of space for art. It’s built that way.”
While there is a lot of work that needs to be done to fill gaps Airdrie has experienced compared to smaller communities in terms of displaying artistic creations, Spearman said there is reason to remain bullish about the future.
“I hope that folks who are working or doing art as a source of revenue, as a hobby or as a passion stay optimistic,” she said. “I think we’re better positioned now more than ever to grow the arts scene in Airdrie. We have more residents than ever, and more diversity than ever. It’s the perfect recipe to make us a more fruitful and artistic community, so I hope everyone holds out hope.”
