The Where Edmonton Community Artists Network Society will purchase Harcourt House with help from federal funding.
EDMONTON, AB, March 3, 2025 /CNW/ - Cultural spaces are essential for supporting artists, building a sense of community and allowing Canadians to experience their culture. The Government of Canada supports the vitality of arts venues by supporting cultural infrastructure projects across the country.
Today, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Member of Parliament (Edmonton Centre), announced $1 million in funding for the Where Edmonton Community Artists Network Society to purchase the Harcourt House Artist Run Centre in Edmonton's Wîhkwêntôwin neighbourhood.
The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund support will allow the Society to purchase the building it has leased since 1988. The facilities include the main Harcourt House property, with 42 affordable artist studios and two public galleries, as well as the Annex, which serves as a dedicated arts education centre.
With this acquisition, the Society and Harcourt House can move forward together with confidence, ensuring long-term stability for artists and providing uninterrupted access to its community-based cultural services. Each year, more than 8,500 people benefit from programming and support through Harcourt House, one of four public galleries and three artist-run centres in Edmonton.
Quotes
This investment reflects our strong commitment to the arts and culture and our belief in the power of the arts to unite and lift up communities. Art is a testament to resilience, identity and self-determination, core elements of our cultural sovereignty. That spirit is at the heart of Harcourt House. This support will allow them to continue fostering creativity, empowering artists and strengthening the cultural fabric that defines and sustains our communities."
—The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage
"For nearly four decades, Harcourt House has been a cornerstone of Edmonton's visual arts community, providing vital support to both emerging and established artists. This investment supports our local artists to ensure they have the space and opportunity to learn, create and inspire others. Harcourt House now has a permanent place to call its own, securing its future as a thriving hub for artistic expression and cultural vitality in Alberta and beyond."
—The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Member of Parliament (Edmonton Centre)
"The continued existence of Harcourt House will ensure that artists from across Canada will have the opportunity to exhibit their work and, for many, the chance to launch a career as a visual artist in this country. Thanks to this funding from Canadian Heritage, those opportunities will continue to be present for generations to come."
— Edmund Haakonson, President, Where Edmonton Community Artists Network Society
"Funding from Canadian Heritage was crucial to our procurement of Harcourt House. Acquiring ownership of these buildings will greatly empower us to foster and enhance the visual arts community across Canada. Artist run centres, such as ours, are vital to having artists remain here, where they can contribute to the cultural and economic vibrancy of our country, provinces and cities. We are very excited about the future."
— Jacek Malec, Executive Director, Harcourt House Artist Run Centre
Quick Facts
Founded in 1987 to raise funds for tornado disaster relief, the Where Edmonton Community Artists Network Society is a non-profit organization that supports the visual arts in Edmonton. The organization operates Harcourt House, an artist-run centre that provides exhibition opportunities for visual artists from across Canada, professional development for local artists, arts education programs, and affordable studio space for professional artists. The Society aims to create an open, accessible forum for contemporary visual and media arts, architecture and design.
Harcourt House is the single largest community venue for visual artists in Edmonton. It develops, presents and interprets contemporary art and design. Its mission is to create transformative experiences by linking art and design with both local and global communities.
Many notable contemporary artists have developed their artistic practice through Harcourt House over the years, including Barbara Paterson, creator of the Famous Five sculpture on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund supports the improvement of the physical conditions for arts, heritage, culture and creative innovation. The Fund supports renovation projects, the acquisition of specialized equipment as well as planning, design and feasibility studies related to arts and heritage cultural spaces.
Associated Links
Canada Cultural Spaces Fund |
https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/cultural-spaces-fund.html |
Harcourt House |
SOURCE Canadian Heritage
Contacts: For more information (media only), please contact: Charles Thibault-Béland, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, [email protected]
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