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Rural fund supports new
Empress plans |
FRANK MCTIGHE
MACLEOD GAZETTE EDITOR |
A $1.45-million
investment by the Rural Alberta Development Fund will help the
Empress Theatre become a regional performing arts hub. The money
will be used for projects related to classical music, world
music and art films.
“The Empress Theatre will become a cultural hot spot,” executive
director Gerard Gibbs said. “This is going to have a significant
impact on a lot of people in the area, and to a certain extent
other parts of the country and other parts of the world.”
The $1.45-million grant to the Empress Theatre was one of four
totalling $8.1-million awarded this month by the Rural Alberta
Development Fund. The fund gave $5-million to the Alberta Rural
Development Network, $1.5-million to the Vulcan Business
Development Society and $255,000 to the Communities Leading
Regional Recruitment and Retention project in Cold Lake.
“We feel these projects are great examples of how innovation and
passion are improving the quality of life in rural Alberta,”
development fund chairman Bob Clark said.
The Rural Alberta Development Fund is a not-for-profit company
funded by the province to inspire innovation, collaboration and
growth across rural Alberta.
“Rural development is not just about agriculture — it’s about
creating a vibrant and sustainable Alberta for everybody,”
Minister of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development George
Groeneveld said. “This fund continues to play a vital role in
ensuring the ongoing strength of Alberta’s rural communities.”
Gibbs praised the development fund for its vision in supporting the
Empress Theatre’s application.
“When people are looking at becoming permanent residents in a rural
community they look at certain aspects as being attractive,”
Gibbs said. “This (Empress Theatre) is a big element of quality
of life and the government recognizes that.”
The classical music project would be an expansion of the Windy
Mountain Music Festival. Top classical musicians would spend up
to three weeks training young musicians and providing public
performances.
“This is to develop Windy Mountain into something that is really
unique not just in this area, but in the country,” Gibbs said.
The world music project will pair the best Canadian musicians with
ensembles from outside of Canada. Composers, arrangers and
choreographers would spend a week on a project in Fort Macleod.
“We want to create something so unique we are compelled to present
this product out into the world,” Gibbs said.
The art film project would have the Empress Theatre screen more art
or specialty films, host movie festivals and offer film schools
and workshops for students in the rural area.
“This is really what they want to see developed here,” Gibbs said
of the development fund’s objective. “To them it’s about quality
of life, and it’s about access for all citizens.”
The $1.45-million grant can be used for the programs and to hire
some additional staff, but it can’t go to operations or building
maintenance.
“The challenge is that we have to match this grant to a certain
extent,” Gibbs said. “We have to go to the community and build a
certain level of support, so the programs become
self-sustaining.” |
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Rural fund supports new Empress
plans
A $1.45-million investment
by the Rural Alberta Development Fund will help the
Empress Theatre become a regional performing arts hub... |
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