Our newsroom interviewed Nose Creek Players president Robin McKittrick for this week's issue, and we liked what he had to say about supporting the local arts community.
It's no secret the arts sector has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The inability to mount productions, put on concerts, and arrange showcases during times of public health restrictions and lockdowns has made matters difficult for many local arts organizations.
As restrictions once again start to lessen, we would encourage Airdrie residents to support the local arts scene.
Airdrie saw a few arts-focused organizations fold in 2021, including the Airdrie Film Society and the Airdrie Regional Arts Society. Both organizations cited a lack of support and patronage, as well as the pandemic, as factors that led to their respective shuttering.
But as our coverage this week demonstrates, Airdrie has a strong arts community. The city boasts talented artists like Grade 12 student Michelle Ortiz and the city is always putting on entertaining stage performances, such as this weekend's Snow Angels production at Bert Church LIVE Theatre.
As McKittrick told us, the survival of Airdrie's arts organizations relies on strong support, and a strong volunteer base. In order for arts groups to prosper, people need to patronize them, but people also need to participate in them.
Throughout the pandemic, our newsroom has stressed the importance of shopping at area businesses to stimulate the local economy. We would say the same for supporting the local arts community. We would encourage our readers to check out a local play, buy an Airdrie band's latest album, or read an Airdrie author's latest novel.
It's good to see Airdrie City council support the creation of an ad-hoc arts committee, as we wrote about in last week's issue. Hopefully this committee will come up with good ideas, and will spur continued municipal support of the arts moving forward.
