Fate of Calgary’s Arts Central revealed
Telus will be redeveloping the Arts Central property into a new $400-million building called the Telus Sky.
Plans for the 58-storey building were announced on July 4. The 70,000-square-metre building will include 40,000 square metres of office space across 26 floors and 32 floors of residential space. The building will also include a 510-square-metre public art gallery which Telus president and CEO Darren Entwistle said will feature artwork by local artists.
The 220-metre building — 16 metres shorter than the 58-storey Bow Tower — is designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group and Dialog. The tower will feature a rooftop garden and a stormwater management system that is expected to reduce water use by millions of litres a year by recycling rain water for washrooms and irrigation. The building will use at least 35 per cent less energy than similar-sized buildings and possibly up to 80 per cent less with further improvements during development.
Construction is expected to begin summer next year and finish in fall 2017.
Tenants of Art Central were told in January of the owner’s plans to redevelop.
Although they were told development would be at least a year away, many studios and galleries have left or are in the process of moving out, with several spaces up for short-term lease.
Alberta Arts Flood Rebuild Fund launched
Calgary Arts Development has estimated that the cost of the flood to the Alberta arts community is over $3 million.
Many artists have lost artwork, studios and supplies. To help support artists affected by the flood, Calgary Arts Development has started the Alberta Arts Flood Rebuild Fund, an InvestYYC project with the goal of raising $500,000 for artists across southern Alberta.
Since the fund began last month, it has received $40,000 from Calgary Arts Development and $50,000 from Suncor Energy Foundation. Suncor Energy Foundation and Alberta Foundation for the Arts have also each pledged $50,000 to match individual donations.
To date the fund has raised $146,496, with $72,012 still to be matched.
Calgary Arts Development will be directing funds to artists with the help of government and community groups. Specific resources for recovering artists can be found on the Calgary Arts Development website or the Alberta Arts Rebuild website.
Sled Island refunds individual concert tickets
After Sled Island canceled the last two days of the festival due to flooding, festival-goers have wondered if refunds for festival passes would be offered, or whether Sled Island should even offer refunds.
A recent statement from Sled Island said that if they refunded everyone who bought an individual ticket or a festival pass the festival would face a loss of $500,000. In addition, 70 per cent of the festival’s expenses were non-refundable and none of the festival’s insurance policies cover canceling the entire festival across all venues.
However, Sled Island began offering refunds for individual tickets on July 11. Ticket holders can return to the place of purchase to receive a refund, whether at a retail outlet or the Sled Island office. Ticketfly customers are being automatically credited.
Sled Island estimates that it is currently facing a loss of $200,000 after the refunds.
There is no word on whether or not festival passes will be refunded as Sled Island is still assessing the full cost of canceling the festival.
Anyone interested in donating to the festival to help it return next year can visit Sled Island’s InvestYYC page.
Alberta Flood Aid benefit concert announced
Alberta Flood Aid is holding a benefit concert in McMahon Stadium on August 15 to raise funds for the Calgary Foundation Flood Rebuilding Fund.
The concert lineup already includes performances by Jann Arden, Randy Bachman, Tom Cochrane, Matthew Good, Colin James, Loverboy, Corb Lund, Johnny Reid, The Sadies, The Sheepdogs and Ian Tyson. The concert will be hosted by comedian Brent Butt.
The Calgary Foundation Rebuild Fund began with the Calgary Foundation contributing $1 million on June 6 and Suncor Energy donated an initial $100,000 and promised $150,000 to match donations.
After one week, the fund had already raised almost $2 million.
After Alberta Flood Aid was formed last month, the Calgary Foundation stepped in to help distribute the donations to the rebuilding efforts in southern Alberta.
Concert tickets start at $30 and are on sale July 19 through Ticketmaster.
All money raised by the concert will go to helping those who have been affected by the flood.