September is a month rife with art and entertainment offerings – as should be expected, given the month is recognized by the Alberta government as the "Month of the Artist."
It's no secret that Airdrie's local arts community has faced hardship in recent years. 2021 was a tough time in particular for the city's creative sector, as the Airdrie Regional Arts Society folded, as did the annual Airdrie Film Festival. The yearly September-long celebration of Airdrie's arts community – a festival known as ARTember – also did not go ahead, neither last year nor this year.
But even without these formal events or organizations in place, the arts are very much alive and well in Airdrie these days – just look at grassroots initiatives like Bayview Rocks, or some of the other art-focused initiatives taking place in town this month, like the upcoming Voice and Vision gala or the launch of the 2022-23 season of live performances at the Bert Church LIVE Theatre.
As we reported on in last week's issue and again this week, there are many talented and creative people in Airdrie whose artistic efforts deserve to be celebrated. Local country artists Kyle McKearney, the Fleischer brothers, and Brandon Lorenzo come to mind, as does novelist Caillou Pettis, who is set to launch his second novel in less than a year later this month.
As a community-centred newsroom, we hope our coverage of people like Kyle, Brandon, and Caillou provides them a platform to tout their accomplishments. We also hope by writing stories about local artists, we're promoting their works and helping them expand their respective fanbases.
September is the perfect time to recognize these hard-working Airdronians and celebrate all the city has to offer in the realm of culture, arts, and entertainment. We encourage all of our readers to keep up to date with Airdrie's many artistic offerings this month, and make a point of supporting the sector in some way.
