A Message from Okotoks Arts Council President: Cheryl Taylor

These are very challenging times for Arts and Culture in Alberta in 2017. During difficult financial circumstances, we must be as creative and innovative as possible to continue to support our artists, arts organizations and infrastructure as well as provide delivery of broad reaching arts opportunity, events, programming, knowledge and cultural experience. This is especially true when quality of life is compromised and many Albertans are at their most vulnerable.

In Okotoks it is important that:

  • Arts and Culture are acknowledged as significant contributors to a creative knowledge base particularly in our youth as well as health and mental well being for all demographics.

  • It is recognized that incubating creativity is essential for a vibrant, dynamic and innovative community that fosters creative based technology and industry, encourages tourism and contributes significantly to our local economy.

  • Arts infrastructure is made a priority to account for significant deficiencies incurred during rapid population expansion to 30 000 people, and growing, and subsequent demand for service now and in the future.

It is the changing face and size of our community that led The Okotoks Arts Council through significant changes in 2017 and to acknowledge the many needs of our Arts and Cultural community. We are in the process of specifically identifying and articulating these various deficiencies in our community through networking, engagement and consultation within our cultural fabric and we will expand this to the broader community.

All while we start to roll out some exciting new OAC events, initiate our own programming and continue to work on and champion support for a Performing Art Centre which will accommodate our growing population while responding to the many changes and challenges upon us today.

We look forward to releasing our Strategic Plan for the Okotoks Arts Council in the very near future. I believe we have created a strong plan that supports our mission, that it will engage the broader public, energize the arts and cultural community, and that the Okotoks Arts Council will be recognized as a strong advocate for The Arts in our area.

We look look forward to working with you and for you,

Cheryl Taylor

Okotoks Arts Council President