Robert Millang

In a week filled with celebrations in praise of the Art Gallery of Alberta, there remains that quiet party attendee who just might spend the evening casting off unpleasant glares and pointed remarks: yes, the elephant in the room this week just might be the reminder that Edmonton artists sometimes feel the need to pack for greener pastures. The Edmonton Arts Council’s 2008 Cultural Policy puts the number of artists considering cultural migration at almost 28 per cent. “To be expected,” some might say. “Good riddance,” say others. But there are those among us who manage to stay optimistic — and their presence alone might solve the problem.

In order to diagnose the leaking boat of local talent, it’s best to turn to the not-always-optimistic youth. “It’s almost impossible to find a graphic design job here,” says Jaime Calayo who recently graduated with his bachelor in visual communication and design. “I personally had to send out 37 resumes, and I only got two interviews, and I can probably name off all the firms in Edmonton on one hand.”  While Calayo managed to find work locally, there are others who resign to the fate of a dire cultural climate: “As someone who’s going to graduate this year, I’ve accepted the fact that I can live with not having a design job,” says Thomas Gaudin who is currently completing his final year in Industrial Design. “Being in a city where there are not a lot of opportunities … it really forces you to set up your own stuff and take an alternate route.”

Descriptions of Edmonton’s own artistic esthetic include adjectives like “honest,” “homegrown,” and “genuine” — and maybe the answer to our artist-loss lies in the same terms: “I think we’re heading in the right direction right now … in the 1980s, Edmonton had this huge modernist boom — Clement Greenberg came here, Graham Peacock, Allen Ball … that’s when all our big festivals were established,” Gaudin says. “Right now the younger generation is finally starting to make their own venues … independent art galleries and music venues created by people more in tune with this generation — to attract younger people to the city.”  Gaudin cited the ARTery and the Hydeaway as examples of this solution at work. The success of these locally-operated venues speaks volumes about the large amount of local art produced with an independent spirit. Now what about those dissenters …

“The psyche, especially with young and creative types, is to get out as fast as you can and never look back,” says arts and cultural management student Shannon Bowler. “It’s become this virus you can’t avoid; everyone claims to believe that Edmonton is a “dump” and proceeds to talk about the innovative and great things they are going to do when they leave. This general belief has blinded a lot of people to the opportunity that is actually available here. Our city does support the arts.”  Bowler shortlisted some proposed initiatives soon available to up-and-comers: the ArtsHab proposition for a new facility in the Alberta Avenue neighborhood, and the city’s project to transform downtown areas into art spaces. Here’s to things looking up!

“I think the new AGA building is an extremely positive thing for the city. I hope it inspires people to become interested in the arts, if they aren’t already.”  Bowler says.  Maybe the new gallery is the symbol that local artists have been waiting for, a thought echoed by Calayo: “For a city that doesn’t really have that much of a visual diversity, it makes for an awesome beacon for people within the city. We’re still a baby city, to have something like this in our city — it’s huge.”  While the cultural brain drain that afflicts Edmonton remains in effect, our local young artists/advocates agree that the headway outweighs the ‘no’way.