Arts, Culture & Heritage Organizations in Calgary

ART SPOT is a non-profit artist/volunteer run organization that has been a home to emerging artists since 2008. Most known for the notorious “Under $100 Art Show”; which, in it’s 14th year of operation, featured over 200 local artists and brought out over 4000 attendees, and with over 100 art events under it's belt, ART SPOT is an integral part of the Calgary art scene.

A festival featuring different communities of the Afro-Caribbean sectors in Calgary, AB.

The Alberta Drama Festival Association is a volunteer, not-for-profit organization whose mandate is to encourage, develop and maintain community theatre in Alberta. The main vehicle for pursuing this mandate is the adult, non-professional One-Act Play Festivals held throughout Alberta. Regional organizations in each of the nine zones host annual festivals which bring together community groups in a celebration and sharing of theatre excellence.

Alberta Theatre Projects’ Mission, Vision and Values MISSION We create world-class contemporary theatre from our home in the Martha Cohen Theatre. We are a national leader in new play development. Programming is driven by the collision of diverging ideas, points of view, class, gender, or cultural perspectives and is selected from the finest Canadian and international plays and new works commissioned and developed in-house. Our productions radically explore our space, blurring the line between the audience and the artist through multiple seating configurations each season. VISION We are provocative contemporary storytellers, reflecting our world through stirring theatrical experiences. CORE VALUES KINDNESS We are guided every day by the principles of kindness, respect, and integrity. EXCELLENCE We pride ourselves on quality, ensuring every element of our operations and the work we put on stage is exceptional. INCLUSIVENESS We celebrate human connection and the diversity of our world with an emphasis on inclusion and accessibility. INNOVATION We explore magical ideas, creativity, and the power of our imagination to create new ways of working on stage and behind the scenes. COMMUNITY We bring together people from every corner of our city, province and nation to share in the power of storytelling.

The Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society aims to create a safe space where all storytellers are welcome. We provide a relaxed, friendly and encouraging environment where writers of all ages and abilities can practice their craft and sharing the joys and difficulties of the writing experience. We support writers’ development through a variety of classes, programs, and events, creating and reshaping offerings to meet the needs and interests of our members.

Artpoint Gallery & Studios Society was incorporated under the provisions of the Societies Act in 1998. Formed by artists, it is a non-profit artist-run studio and gallery supporting and promoting visual arts and art education in the Calgary community. The society’s web site can be found at www.artpoint.ca. The web site features the work of member artists and notices of current and upcoming shows. The Society is supported in part by grants from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Calgary Arts Development Authority. MANDATE AND MISSION I.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE SOCIETY As a non-profit cooperative association of artists: - To support the development of the visual arts in Calgary - To promote art education in the community - To support the artistic work of members - To provide for the exhibition of members’ works of art - To provide for fellowship between the members - To foster good relationships between the Society and the local community. OUR VISION - To be an artist-run cooperative studio gallery. - To help emerging artists become full-time professional artists. OUR MISSION - To provide an accessible, attractive, and affordable environment for local artists to produce and exhibit their artwork in a studio gallery. - In promoting arts and culture, to enhance the life of the community. - To help members develop their artistic careers.

The BJP Music Foundation (BJP) is a mostly volunteer-led, grassroots arts organization that prioritizes presenting world-class musicians through an intimate setting. Our goal is to expand operations in the future so we are able to engage more diverse audiences through creative collaborations via larger Calgary venues. Ultimately, we want to ensure musicians are paid fairly for the talent and experience they bring; we are committed to fair performance fees, gender parity and diversity in programming. With much success over the past 9 years, we continue this commitment, building community around professional and aspiring artists so they can rehearse, exhibit, present and perform their artistic works for the public, while advancing education and artistic appreciation through learning and training opportunities.

For nearly 50 years, The Calgary Boys’ Choir has been delivering dynamic, engaging, high quality choral instruction, performance opportunities and formative experiences designed for boys. Our vision is to empower boys to be remarkable, expressive and creative citizens.  We operate with the core values of stewardship, integrity, creative leadership, excellence, growth, friendship, fun and humour.

The Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre is a community centre dedicated to serve the Chinese community of Calgary and the surrounding area.  In carrying out its mandate, it also dedicates itself to undertake educational and cultural programs to enrich the lives of all Calgarians.

Founded in 1990 by composer Roberta Stephen, Calgary's Contemporary Showcase has been held every year, reaching thousands of students since its inception. Part of the Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects (ACNMP), Contemporary Showcase is hosted in centres around the nation, drawing on a wide range of sponsors to sponsor awards at the local and national level.  ​​The only festival of its kind in Canada, Contemporary Showcase is devoted entirely to music by Canadian composers. It is non-competitive in that no marks are awarded, no ranking given and the adjudications take place in a master class atmosphere designed to be informative and supportive. Outstanding performers are further encouraged through scholarship recognition. Many scholarship recipients of the past festivals have gone on to make their mark in the music world. Notables include Jean Stillwell, Scott St. John, Measha Brueggergosman, Lara St. John, and Stewart Goodyear. The organization is growing and being recognized as one that is currently building performers, composers and audiences for the future. No other organization continues to promote the performance, composition and study of Canadian Contemporary Music.

The Calgary Folk Club is Calgary’s first folk music club. In our 50 years of operations, we have created vital partnerships to promote the city’s music scene and Alberta talent to the world. The Calgary Folk Club provides an environment of discovery, reflection, diversity and community. We provide a setting where our listening-oriented audience is keen to hear the musicality, harmonies and storytelling of the individuals and groups coming to the stage. We believe that providing diverse musical experiences for the Calgary area, where artists are paid according to Socan Standards, opens the western Canadian market for touring artists from across the world. The Calgary Folk Club is an inclusive venue where performers can refine their craft, test a new skill or song and perform to an attentive and observant audience. Each concert is composed of a ‘Main Act’ and a ‘First-up’. For the main, we seek out high-quality, renowned artists – often recognized award winners. Our first-up spaces are offered to award-winning performers, as well as up-and-coming artists who may be unfamiliar to the Calgary audience. We see the Club as Canada’s best live folk music venue. An attentive listening atmosphere that is diverse, accessible and affordable. We want to continue to foster a space where the current community members and future generations come together and interact with the artists to make music collaboratively.

Calgary International Film Festival is now the largest film festival in Alberta and is the sixth-largest in Canada. It is also an Oscar-qualifying festival for short films, a Canadian Screen Award Qualifying festival, and was named one of "50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" in 2009, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 & 2022 by MovieMaker Magazine. In 2022, CIFF celebrates its 23rd year, September 22 - October 2. The 11-day showcase of over 175 multi-genre feature and short films from Canada and around the world also hosts an Industry Week series that emphasizes unique and exciting ways for filmmakers and fans to interact. Our virtual cinema program returns this year for audiences across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. In addition to Calgary International Film Festival, we present three film series year-round: MoS Docs, a series dedicated to showcasing the year's most talked and compelling music documentaries from around the world, Top Docs, a six-month screening series of award-winning and critically acclaimed documentary film and our third series introduced in 2019, Global Perspectives, a new contemporary world cinema series. We also host an Oscar-Nominated Shorts Weekend every February.