/reddeerartscouncil
About Red Deer Arts Council
VISION STATEMENT
A vibrant community celebrating and nurturing arts and creativity.
MISSION / MANDATE
The Red Deer Arts Council is a non-profit organization that inspires, supports, and stimulates arts and culture through education, advocacy, and programming.
Who We Are Today
The Red Deer Arts Council is a Community Arts Service Organization working with visual, literary, and performing member artists and cultural organizations to enhance our community through arts and culture. We work with artists of all levels of experience (student, recreational, emerging, professional) from all backgrounds, and our membership includes both individual artists and community organizations working in arts, culture, heritage, and creativity. We have the Opportunities Membership option that allows for students, those living on low-income, and those from equity deserving communities to join for free, as a means of widening our circle and ensuring access to our services and programs. We build relationships with grassroots and new local organizations to better develop the richness of our community through arts presentation and encouragement of creative living.
For the visual arts, we:
- present an annual Plein Air Paint Out in and around Red Deer
- present an inaugural Art Walk in downtown Red Deer at the end of Summer, just in advance of Alberta Culture Days celebrations.
- operate a public art gallery in Red Deer Public Library, showcasing professional and group exhibits by local and regional artists;
- operate a second community art gallery with small artisan-made art and locally written books in our street-front office location to welcome people of all ages, backgrounds, identities, and abilities;
- offer rentable resources like grid panels for display at markets, a frame and plinth library, a green screen wall, photography, sound, and lighting equipment to members and the wider community.
- collaborate with area galleries to promote their spaces and monthly #FirstFridays opening receptions on our website and emails, and printed in our local entertainment monthly;
- coordinate an annual open studio tour to various artists’ homes as part of Alberta Culture Days;
- hosted a community mural painting event with installation of the finished public art piece in a prominent downtown outdoor event zone.
- have multiple volunteer committees that help install art, suggest learning opportunities and community activations
- operate, advocate, and provide leadership support to the visual arts community in town.
For performing arts, we:
- operate the Scott Block Theatre & Event Venue in downtown Red Deer. We took over the lease in December 2025 and support 5 resident performing arts organizations – Red Deer Players Society, Prime Stock Theatre, Tree House Youth Theatre, Bull Skit Comedy (Against the Wall Theatre) and Red Aces Dance Club. We also rent the venue to other performing arts organisations, non-profits, and business and community renters, maintaining the facility.
- will present 4 theatre, dance, and music performances at the Scott Block Theatre to generate earned revenue through ticket sales through the Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta.
- program our 7th annual outdoor pop-up concert series working with community associations and other event organizers around the city, including the downtown Ross Street Patio on behalf of the City of Red Deer.
- provide marketing support for events organized by various performing arts groups with a protected outdoor poster wall at our office, the theatre, and in our e-newsletter.
- offer reduced cost printing for member groups’ posters, scripts, and more,
- maintain a theatre-focused website to promote ticket sales and overall collaboration between Central Alberta-based theatre companies. This project also includes monthly newsletters, collaborative season print marketing collateral, theatre reviews, and more to ensure local performances have more sellout audiences.
- working with local dance clubs, community organisations, and schools to collaboratively offer events to community.
- rent out sound and lighting equipment, projector and screen, hand drums, tents, cords, generators, and more at reduced rates to members and local groups for use, providing resources to suit their event needs.
- host monthly drum circles at a multi-use space next to our office and rent out up to 40 percussion instruments to other community organizers, schoolteachers, Michener Centre, and a local rehabilitation facility to experience the healing power of sound, rhythm, and community.
For literary arts, we:
- program writerly activities featuring creative writing workshops (songwriting, playwrighting, storytelling,) author readings, book launches, and community writing contests to stimulate the literary community;
- rotate a poetry and short story vending machine through local libraries, our office, and the Red Deer Museum, and work with writing groups to program and fill it.
- host dozens of locally written books in our office shop, with low consignment fees that pay the artists first.
For Creative Development Opportunities, we:
- program the Art Speaks Learning Series with artists’ professional practice development talks and general interest sessions for the community in collaboration with the Red Deer Museum & Art Gallery. Topics include discussions for literary, visual, and performing artists as well as creative living. Sessions have included finding balance in your artistic practise, taking new plays to the stage, 2D and 3D art photography.
- Artists in Schools workshops during Alberta Culture Days, teaching elementary, middle, and high school students new activities in literary, performing, and visual arts.
- Five Scholarships and two practising artist Awards annually to support developing and student artists in their continued educational and professional pursuits.
- A nomination-based award to honour arts community Volunteer contributions – the Diane Hermary Volunteer Spirit Award.
For Outreach Programming, we:
- Ross Street Singers - a community choir program for singers of all experiences to share voices raised together and grow fellowship with new friends – open to all ages, abilities, and identities.
- The Hub is a year-round weekly program at the YMCA Northside Community Centre, providing arts activities for people with developmental, cognitive, and physical disabilities. These programs prioritize literacy, confidence, self-expression, socialization, leadership skills, and many attendees have also become valued volunteers who help us to deliver the programs each week.
- We collaborate with dozens of other local organisations to program Red Deer Culture Days in September each year, offering group exhibitions, dances, concerts, workshops, and more free community events;
- We support planning and delivery of local heritage and culture events and support marketing and volunteer engagements.
- We host fashion shows, community conversations, creativity workshops, meetings, storytelling circles, play rehearsals, and other gatherings on site at both our office and the theatre. Our street-front office provides a visible and accessible home for our growing advocacy efforts to appreciate the economic value of arts and culture in Red Deer and Central Alberta.
- We provide promotional support to our members and provide networking connections and gatherings to improve the strength of the arts landscape in Red Deer.
Our History
In the spring of 2010, three organizations, the Red Deer and District Allied Arts Council, Cultural Charter Partners of Red Deer and District, and the Cultural Development Association of Red Deer (Culture Link) merged to form the Red Deer Arts Council.
The purpose of all three groups was to bring arts and culture to the fore in our community. Their objective has been to develop the artists, the arts and culture delivery system, arts and culture engagement, and audience development.
The Red Deer Arts Council creates a vibrant community for literary, performing, and visual artists and cultural organizations. Our organization builds on our past history, diverse experiences, and the talents of its founding members to create the strong and viable organization thriving as we grow into the future.
land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge this ground where we live, dance, share stories, sing, and serve community. We belong to this meeting place of Treaty 6 peoples to the north of the river, and Treaty 7 to the south. We are also part of Métis Nation, Region 3. We acknowledge the many Blackfoot, Cree, and Stoney First Nations, Michif, and Inuit peoples who have and continue to live on this land, creating, protecting, and advocating for its health. As we gather here, we commit to listening, learning, and acting in the spirits of reconciliation and gratitude with all our relations.
Safer spaces Commitment
We support accountable spaces that allow for safety, bravery, and creative freedom. People of all identities, including those from under-represented populations (e.g., IBPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, neurodiverse, and differently abled, etc.) are welcomed to be part of our inclusive community.
NEED A CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS POSTED FOR YOUR EVENT OR ORGANIZATION?
Follow this link to complete your request form and have the Red Deer Arts Council share your request with our community of artists! Whether you need a musician, performer, visual artist, or someone who'd like to sell products at your event, this form contains all the information that we need in order to market your opportunity for local artists and artisans!
