We are thrilled to announce that City Council unanimously approved a $5 million contribution today to the acquisition of the King Edward School site.  Pending the outcome of our due diligence work and a successful rezoning process, achieving the vision of the arts hub and incubator has taken a huge step forward thanks to Council's investment. Thank you to everyone who attended the City's Committee and Council meetings to advocate for the project and its immense potential for the South Calgary and broader arts community!

A major milestone has been achieved today for the King Edward School transformation project!

A late afternoon presentation from CADA and The Calgary Foundation to the City of Calgary's Standing Policy Committee on Community and Protective Services showcased our community engagement process and our proposed concept for the arts hub and incubator. The unanimous recommendation to allocate $5 million to the project by the Committee, subject to a few regular conditions, will be forwarded to Council as soon as late July.

Many thanks to those attending the meeting and speaking on behalf of the project:

• Dan Thorburn, V.P. of Grants and Community Initiatives at TCF
• Marc Doll, President, South Calgary Community Association
• Evangelos Diavolitsis, Executive Director of Quickdraw Animation
• Bernadette Geronazzo, Executive Director, Marda Loop BRZ

CADA and TCF will make a presentation on King Edward School to the Standing Policy Committee (SPC) on Community and Protective Services to be held on June 29th, 2011 at 9:30am in the Engineering Traditions Committee Room. 

For the municipal contribution to the overall project budget, we are seeking an allocation of $5 million through the Cultural Municipal Sustainability Initiative. The King Edward School project was recommended for this investment by an arms-length assessment committee through the Cultural Spaces Investment Process concluded earlier this year.

As members of the local and arts community, it would be immensely valuable for you to be present at the CPS meeting to express support for the King Edward School project. Calgary Arts Development, The Calgary Foundation and the South Calgary Community Association will be presenting directly to the committee on the merits, community impact and engagement process. 

The agenda for the July 29th CPS is attached, and we will update our website and via twitter @cadaspaces when we have a better sense when our presentation will occur. Please join us on Wednesday to communicate your passion and perspective to Council members next week.

On another rainy evening in Calgary, chock-a-block full of design charrettes, award presentations, and hockey finals - our 3^rd Community Open House beat the odds and saw nearly 90 in attendance despite the competition! Following a similar structure to our previous open house, local residents and artists spent time investigating the information presented on display boards at the South Calgary Reform Church before a formal presentation, informal discussion, and a question and answer period.

3rd Community Open House Presentation (VIDEO)

3rd Community Open House Presentation (PDF)

3rd Community Open House Panels (PDF)

3rd Community Open House Community Feedback (PDF) 

Presented first by The Calgary Foundation (TCF) and Calgary Arts Development (CADA) were the project drivers and community impact proposed with the revitalization of King Edward School, our commitment to community engagement as a key component of our due diligence process, and a realization of the vision through the concept of the creative, learning and community 'commons' (as described in the May 20^th blog post: Over 100 Attend 2nd Community Open House).

COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Bill Dickson

Board Member - The Calgary Foundation

 

Marc Doll

President – South Calgary Community Association

Owner, Marc Doll Homes

Area Resident

 

Bernadette Geronazzo

Executive Director – Marda Loop Business Revitalization zone

 

Michael Ireton

Former Executive Director  - South Calgary Community Association

Executive Director, Green Calgary

Area Resident

 

Laurel Johannesson

Media Artist, ACAD Faculty Member

 

Fran Morisset

Vice President - Kon-Strux Developments Inc.

Area Resident

 

Rob Mabee

Director, Axis Contemporary Art

 

Eric Moschopedis

Interdisciplinary Artist

Sessional Instructor, U of C Department of Drama

Studio Manager, Seafood Market Studios

 

Janet Naclia

Creative Cultural Liaison – ACE Communities

 

Meg Van Rosendaal

Board Member – Calgary Arts Development

 

Hannah Stilwell

Board Member – Calgary Arts Development

Co-founder, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks

 

Bob White

Consulting Director, Stratford Festival

Member of the Order of Canada 

TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Paul Battistella

Owner, Battistella Developments

Member, CADA Art Spaces Committee

 

Howard Bell

President, Riverpark Properties Ltd

 

Carolyn Boston

Senior Project Manager, Lawson Projects

 

Ann Charlton

Parks Director, City of Calgary

 

Joni Carroll

President, Edifice Design + Project Management

Member, South Calgary Community Association Civic Affairs Committee

Area Resident

 

Harold Crittenden

A great showing of support and ideas emerged from residents, artists and interested Calgarians from across the city at our 2nd Community Open House!

Download 2nd Community Open House Presentation

2nd Community Open House Panels

2nd Open House Community Feedback

After the crowd had a chance to browse our project displays, we introduced some of our emerging ideas on what's driving the vision of the project. As a fundamental inspiration for our thinking, our team has been struck by the concept of a 'commons' or gathering place where ideas are constantly shared and exchanged.  With this in mind, the adaptive reuse of the King Edward School is focused on delivering three aspects of this overarching idea:

Mark your calendars for 6:30pm-9pm on May 18^th for our second Community Open House at the Calgary Community Reform Church. This will be a great opportunity to share in the dialogue of how to transform King Edward School into a revitalized community asset.

We are expecting a formal presentation at 7pm followed by community participation in master planning activities with our representatives and consultant team. Intimate table sessions will give local residents, artists, and not-for-profit representatives an opportunity to share ideas and consider strategies for how King Edward School may be reactivated as a sustainable and vital arts hub. For those interested in learning more about Calgary Arts Development and The Calgary Foundation and the proposal to transform King Edward School into an Arts Incubator this will also be facilitated.

We look forward to your participation at this open house and eagerly anticipate a diverse attendance from the local and arts communities.

This week there has been a bluster of activity around the King Edward School with spring flurries that Calgarians have come to expect, but also from respondents to CADA and TCF’s call for future tenants and partners for the proposed arts incubator.  On Tuesday, April 26^th three information sessions were held for more than one hundred individuals and organizations who were presented with the background, values and intent for the incubator.

Following the information sessions the halls of King Edward School came to life once again as the pitter-patter of artists and not-for-profit representatives discussed the possibilities to invigorate this now quiet, but once bustling hub. Walking through the halls, one immediately felt the excitement of exploring the classrooms, climbing the stairs and sharing in the past narratives captured in the grand sandstone walls and imagining those yet to come. 

Several in attendance included alumni who remembered their homeroom class from grade 5 or the stories recalled while growing up in the area. A special visitor included past Principal John Braun who shared stories and insights from his tenure. Now retired, John spent several of his CBE years stewarding the students and staff at King Edward and couldn’t help but disappear from the group and check out the nooks and crannies for details only he could know.

For transit riders coming to King Edward School Information sessions please find the attached map, suggested routes, and transit link for your convenience. 

Calgary Arts Development and The Calgary Foundation are pleased to release a Request for Expressions of Interest for King Edward School Arts Incubator.

As part of the due diligence being undertaken by the project partnership before completing the purchase of the site, Calgary Arts Development and The Calgary Foundation have prepared this Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) to identify potential future tenants as well as programming and development partners. Calgary-based artists from all disciplines and non-profit organizations active in the cultural and community sector are encouraged to respond to this unique opportunity.

The REOI is the first step in the tenanting process and will influence how the project will proceed through its development phase. The REOI document describes the vision and values behind the project and illustrates the various options for available spaces, tenancy and partnerships. Please ensure that the submission requirements and schedule are reviewed carefully.

Please note the dealine for submissions is May 12,  2011.