The Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta is proud to present the Professional Development workshops for Alberta Showcase 2019.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Kairos Blanket Exercise:
Reconciliation Through Education and Understanding

Southfort Inn – Ballroom 3rd Floor
8:30 – 10:30 a.m.

Pre-registration Required

Contact our Executive Director, Kennedy Jenson
kennedy@artstouring.com or ATAA office 780-644-4840

This is a unique, experiential learning exercise that takes participants through 400 years of Indigenous history in the space of a couple of hours. The program has been developed in collaboration with Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers and educators and is highly recommended for all Canadians and we are delighted to be able to offer this experience to our ATAA members.
Blankets arranged on the floor represent land, or ‘Turtle Island’ known by the Indigenous peoples, and each participant plays a part, by stepping into the roles of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

Participants represent the Indigenous peoples and are given quotations from Indigenous people to read at key points and cards which determine their outcome in the Exercise. The activity really ties together all of the points of things we may have heard about, such as the Indian Act, residential schools and the 60’s scoop.

By engaging on an emotional and intellectual level, the KAIROS Blanket Exercise effectively educates while increasing empathy. When you leave, you will have a deeper understanding of Indigenous history and reconciliation through this engaging process.

We are hoping to have at least one member from each arts presenting group in this exercise.
Please pre-register for this workshop prior to the Showcase conference, as space is limited.

Building a Culture for Dance – Forum

11:00 a.m.
Scotia Bank Room

Goal: To increase the number of dance shows programmed in Alberta.

For Discussion:

• Why is this important
• What’s broken
• What’s working
• Are there $ incentives
• How do we build capacity

Facilitated by Nicholas Beach, General Manager of the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre, this open discussion will look challenges presenting dance and steps toward strengthening interest with your audience. It will look at where to look for a variety of dance works that would appeal to rural communities and discuss risk factors and funding available for introducing dance into your season. We will also discuss what excites us a dance-presenters, what we look for, and why it is important to present dance.

Insights into Arts Participation in Albertaand the Rest of Canada

Presented by Canadian Heritage & Hill Strategies Research

12:15 p.m.
Lions Mane

Kelly Hill, President of Hill Strategies Research will present key information that will help arts presenters identify cultural participation trends in Alberta and beyond. The presentation will outline Alberta and Canada-wide indicators of arts, culture, and heritage participation (with an emphasis on the performing arts) and will provide insights about demographic patterns in arts participation.

Hill Strategies Research is a Canadian company that combines rigorous and reliable research on arts and culture with clear and effective communications. Since founding Hill Strategies in 2002, Kelly has prepared nearly 400 research reports and presentations on the arts and culture, giving him a unique perspective on the Canadian arts sector and arts-related statistics.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Common Denominators of Touring

11:00 a.m.
Shell Theatre Lobby

The Common Denominators of Touring – Americana/Folk recording artist Wyatt Easterling has had a long and varied career in the music industry and is here this weekend to share some valuable tips on how to organize a successful tour in Canada and abroad. He’ll discuss how to research live performance opportunities in other countries, the need to have the proper paperwork, how to promote your shows before you get there and the day-to-day experiences on the road.

Wyatt first came to Nashville as a singer/songwriter. A few years later, he became head of A&R at Atlantic Records where he signed some of country music’s biggest names including John Michael Montgomery, Tracy Lawrence, Michael Johnson and Neal McCoy. After Atlantic, Wyatt opened Bugle Publishing with Miles Copeland, where he signed a number of artists, most notably Keith Urban and Paul Thorn. Returning to the stage Wyatt began touring again in North America and abroad, including consecutive appearances as a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville New Folk contest. Wyatt has 3 CD’s and is currently working on his 4th for a 2020 release.