Image via Afrikadey!

Getting to Know You: Afrikadey! Arts & Culture Society

The Afrikadey! Arts & Culture society (AACS) has played a pioneering role in presentation of multi cultural arts in Calgary for the last 20 years, leading the way for other ethnocultural organizations to carve their own place and visibility within our growing city.

Contributing, immensely to Canada’s cultural fabric and the vibrancy of the City of Calgary over the last two decades through its flagship, Afrikadey! Festival, the society offers Calgarians of all ages and nationalities the opportunity to experience and explore, first hand, the rich culture of African descendants in Canada and around the world.

As Calgary becomes more cosmopolitan with an ethnic diverse citizenry, the need and interest in creative arts are becoming of greater necessity. There is a simultaneous and expanding interest in the cultures of the world signaling opportunities for learning, knowing and connecting.

Forging ahead in structuring our organization towards future sustainability, the society will keep and maintain beneficial partnership initiatives with the Glenbow Museum, Calgary Public Library, Art Gallery of Calgary, Epcor Centre for performing arts, Cantos Music Foundation, ProArts Society, Calgary Immigrant Services, Bridge Foundation for Youth and others.

Afrikadey

Art Gallery of Calgary

Calgary Concert Band

Decidedly Jazz Danceworks

Downstage

EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts

Fairy Tales Presentation Society

New Works Calgary

Springboard

Stride Gallery

Theatre Alberta

We have a limited number of positions available to participate in boardLink 2012 and we would like to extend an invitation for you to apply, using the attached form.

2012 boardLink Application (Individual)

Applications will be accepted on a first come basis and the deadline for submission is April 12th, 2012. Applications received after this date will not be considered. Successful applicants will be contacted with specific event details by Friday, April 20^th, 2012.

An exciting event that has seen success across Canada, including in Calgary in the past, the artsScene Calgary board is excited to re-launch this initiative. artsScene is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting Calgary’s young professionals with the city’s vibrant and varied arts and culture community in an effort to build long term relationships of support, volunteerism and patronage. Our organization is part of a national initiative with artsScene chapters across Canada helping to bridge the gap between the corporate and art industries through meaningful arts experiences and networking events.

Sarah Black Co-Chair

Sarah Black is a lawyer at McCarthy Tétrault in Calgary, where she has a broad corporate commercial and securities law practice. Sarah is a member of the Law Society of Alberta and New York State Bar Association. Originally from Newfoundland, Sarah has lived and worked in Toronto, Ottawa, Washington D.C., and New York, and calls Calgary home. Before returning to Calgary for law school, Sarah graduated with a commerce degree from Queen’s University and worked as an investment banker. In addition to her involvement with artsScene, Sarah works with other arts and community causes, and volunteers with Calgary Legal Guidance.

Ali Shivji Co-Chair

Ali Shivji currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of AgeCare Communities of Care and Wellness, a Calgary based private company specializing in seniors retirement solutions, with over 1,400 residents based in 10 sites across Canada.  Ali has worked in hospitals and health authorities around the world, most notably in East Africa, the UK and Canada. While in Calgary, Ali was also chosen as one of the youngest Top 40 under 40 in the city’s history. Ali holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from McGill, a certificate in Value Based Health Care Delivery from Harvard Business School and an MBA from INSEAD where he was selected as MBA student of the year.

Paul Chambers

Paul spent 14 years as a professional dancer with such noteworthy companies as Cleveland San Jose Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Banff Festival Ballet, Ballet Jörgen Canada and Toronto Dance Theatre. In 2006 Paul transitioned off the stage to the position of Senior Manager of Artistic Operations for Alberta Ballet. Under his leadership, Alberta Ballet’s elementary school outreach program, Northern Tights¸ grew to include public performances and cultural exchanges with First Nations dance troupes and offered leadership training for Alberta Ballet’s dancers. Paul is now the Development Officer for The School of Alberta Ballet, continues to work in the studio as a choreographer and is a founding member of ArtsVote

Jessica Goldman

Jessica Goldman has worked for over 20 years as a communications expert. After receiving her graduate degree in Journalism, Jessica worked for national and local print, television and radio media in a variety of reporting and writing positions. She took over ownership of Toronto-based PR firm Applause! Communications in 2004 and ran the company for six years prior to moving to Calgary. Today, Jessica is the Theatre Critic for CBC radio in Calgary, writes online reviews at www.applause-meter.com, and continues to lend her communications skills to a variety of organizations in the city.

Mark Hopkins

Mark Hopkins is a Calgary-based theatre artist and community-builder. He spends his days in the offices of One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre, working as the Associate Producer of the High Performance Rodeo, and his nights in the creative trenches with Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre. He’s also thrilled to be associated with ArtsScene Calgary, ArtsVote Calgary and Calgary Young People’s Theatre. Mark is the host of regular ‘We Should Know Each Other’ parties, was voted the 3rd Hardest-Working Calgarian in FFWD’s 2011 Best of Calgary survey and appeared on The Calgary Herald’s list of 20 Compelling Calgarians for 2011.

Andrew MacNiven

Andrew MacNiven works with RBC Capital Markets covering the energy sector in Calgary, Alberta. A participant in Leadership Calgary 2008, Andrew is passionate about the city and spends time working with groups including Harmony Through Harmony, the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, and ArtsVote. Andrew attended the University of Western Ontario and originally hails from Hanover, Ontario.

Alix Williams (nee Woods)

Alix Williams is a proud supporter of the arts community in Calgary, and is an active not-for-profit advocate. A member of the first incarnation of artsScene Calgary, as well as a founding member of TEDxYYC and has participated in large scale community initiatives such as ArtsVote Calgary as well as smaller grassroots projects in her North West neighbourhood of Brentwood. Alix is the 2nd Vice Chair of the Calgary Stampede Royalty Committee, owns a small business, holds a BFA from the University of Calgary and is a proud Calgary transplant – she is 4th generation from her hometown of Victoria, BC.

Stay tuned…