A Special General Meeting of PACE has been called for Wednesday, April 25, 2018
5 – 6:30 PM | Workshop West Playwrights Theatre | 11516 103 Street | Edmonton
This special meeting is called according to the bylaws of the organization.
Two items will be on the agenda for this meeting:
1. Review and Approval of the Financial Statements for the fiscal year 2016-2017 as unfinished business from the AGM in October
PACE contracted the accounting firm of Davidow and Nelson to review and organize our organization’s financial records for the fiscal year 2016-2017 and provide a financial statement with sufficient detail on the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts to make clear what money was raised and spent in association with this event. The PACE Executive Planning Council (EPC) has informally reviewed the accounting firm’s statement and is now satisfied that it is an accurate and sufficient representation of PACE’s financials for the year. The PACE EPC is recommending that the PACE membership review and approve these financial statements, copies of which will be provided to bona fide, paid-up members of our organization, either at the Special General Meeting or upon request.
2. Discussion of the Re-Imagining of the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts for 2019 and beyond
As per a recent release which PACE distributed widely throughout the city, the 2018 version of the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts (MCA) has been suspended, to allow PACE and the Mayor’s Office sufficient time to conduct a steering committee review of the event. The intention and expectation is that a re-imagined MCA will be held in the spring of 2019. I am meeting with the Mayor’s Office next week to discuss the parameters of the steering committee and which stakeholders should be represented on that committee.
PACE has been the host and administrator of the MCA for 30 years. Over that period, the event has gone from a luncheon with awards and a mix of business and arts people, to a full evening gala with entertainment, awards, and still a mix of business and arts people. The past two years, during which time the event has been held at City Hall, the MCA has fallen short in attendance and the revenue it has generated for PACE.
PACE opened the door to re-evaluation of the event at our AGM last October. The Mayor’s Office has taken that opportunity to encourage PACE to consider an event with a slightly different, and potentially expanded, focus. A priority for the Mayor’s Office is the development of enhanced levels of Innovation in the industrial, commercial, and creative sectors of our collective culture and economy. We are being invited to consider a celebration that recognizes and honours the broader Creative Class in Edmonton; not only fine arts practitioners but also “creatives” in commercial enterprise and other arenas beyond fine arts. This might include game designers, digital media specialists, designers across a number of sectors (conceivably fashion, architecture, even urban design?). People who generate original products and ideas out of their own intelligence and creative inspiration. There is even some resonance in this frame view with such areas of study as Artificial Intelligence and Nanotechnologies, both sectors that are achieving dynamic growth in Edmonton.
We will be called on to embrace new partners in achieving this re-imagined MCA. The question for PACE is, simply put, do we want to be a part of this? Do we think this is a positive evolution of the MCA, given how much the Creative Class has changed in the past 30 years?
I look forward to seeing you on April 25th.
Ken Davis
Chair, PACE