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ARTS AND CULTURE ARE BIG ECONOMIC DRIVERS FOR THE PROVINCE, PRODUCING MORE THAN $5 BILLION IN GDP.
to ensure all Albertans can enjoy
and benefit from vibrant, inclusive and active cultural opportunities. Through organizations like the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the province provides $23 million in grants to Alberta’s arts sector.
While theatre is big in the province, Alberta also has a booming music scene with homegrown artists.
Tate McRae, a world-wide phenom was born and raised in Calgary, and has appeared on Saturday Night Live, a late-night sketch comedy television show produced in New York City, with her latest hit single “Greedy” debuting top 10 in 14 countries.
Western music singer-songwriter Corb Lund has a long family history in the province, going back to the late 19th Century. The popular music artist tours extensively but always makes his way back to his home in
Lethbridge, a city of 100,000 people in south-central Alberta.
“It’s the only place that feels like home,” says Lund of the province.
Lund got his break while studying music at MacEwan University in Edmonton, where he formed the punk- rock group, The smalls. After they broke up, he went on to record music with his band, The Hurtin’ Albertans.
Lund’s newest album, El Viejo, will be released in February 2024, his 13th in the last two decades. The album was recorded in Lund’s living room in Lethbridge, with his band The Hurtin’ Albertans. The title track is dedicated to another performer who made the province home, legendary Canadian country music songwriter Ian Tyson, who passed away at the end of 2022.
“He was great.,” said Lund. “He was a sweetheart. He was a good friend of mine and also, kind of a career mentor.”
BY THE NUMBERS $23 MILLION
Value of grants awarded by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts in 2022-2023
851
Grants awarded in 2022-2023 to organizations and artists by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
$5.3 BILLION Annual amount Alberta’s cultural industries
contribute to the economy
46,865
Number of culture jobs in Alberta in 2021
>$3 BILLION
Annual contribution from Alberta’s creative economy to the province’s labour income
AT A GLANCE
Making Waves in a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry
As Alberta grows its film and TV industry, it is well-positioned to lead animation and VFX media productions in the country. Globally, the animation and VFX market was worth over $150 billion in 2020, and is projected to grow to over $280 billion US by 2026.
“Animation and VFX are key sectors in the overall screen industry that have gained substantial momentum in Alberta in recent years,” said Tori Romano, business development manager of digital media and entertainment with Calgary Economic Development.
Calgary Economic Development (CED), Edmonton Screen Industries Office (ESIO), and its partners from across Alberta announced the Key Frames: A Growth Strategy for Animation and VFX in Alberta strategy
in June 2023 to grow and attract big-budget productions to the province. The report indicates four pillars that provide a solid base to develop a robust and sustainable VFX and animation sector, including access to
a high-quality talent pool, a connected, scalable ecosystem, a conduit to access opportunities, and an environment for creating and retaining intellectual property.
Over 60 per cent of Alberta’s VFX and animation studios have been in operation for over 10 years, with more than 90 per cent of them being Canadian-owned. This, along with deep connections to artificial intelligence through organizations like Alberta Machine Learning Institutute (amii), has Alberta poised to make waves in this sector.
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