There’s a new effort to keep hardworking young Calgarians from leaving the city for greener artistic pastures.
The people behind it are showcasing homegrown talent and hoping to revitalize the downtown core while they’re at it.
Performers are preparing to take the stage for an event called ‘For the Love of’.
“It is for the love of art because we have so much talent in our city,” event organizer CJ Valencia said. “People leave to go to Vancouver or Toronto … We need that here, to help us and our community, because we grew up here.”
Among the performers taking the stage at ‘For the Love of’ is veteran breakdancer Justin Salcedo.
“Most of my mentors have left Calgary and it’s kind of upsetting to me because my inspiration and motivation kind of went down a bit,” Salcedo said. “I don’t want to be like my mentors and leave – I want to stay and help cultivate the next generation of kids.”
Calgary visual and jewelry artist Phil Nguyen will also be participating in the event.
“I think it’s important that people stay in Calgary, trying to build whatever we have here,” Nguyen said. “It’s possible to make it in Calgary with the arts.”
People involved in ‘For the Love of’ say their efforts can bring wide-ranging benefits to the city.
“We can have showcases in all these empty office spaces,” Valencia said. “Revitalizing the downtown core and diversifying our economy through arts and culture while keeping our young artists here”
The ‘For the Love of’ performance showcase happens at Arts Commons in downtown Calgary on Fri June 23 and Sat June 24.