TAMRMS#: B09
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Poet Laureate Policy
Presented by: Catriona Gunn-Graham, Senior Manager Community and Cultural Planning and Development.
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RECOMMENDATION(S)
recommendation
That Community Living Standing Committee recommend to Council that the St. Albert Poet Laureate Policy be adopted as presented.
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
This report brings forward a Policy (Attachment 1 - Poet Laureate Policy) which formalizes the creation and role of the City in designating a Poet Laureate, in order to better facilitate the development of a robust cultural and literary community.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL STRATEGIC PRIORITY
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO SERVICE DELIVERY
Arts and Cultural Programming
Service Name: Programming
Service Definition: Delivery of arts programming to the community.
Service Component: Community Professional Series
Current Service Level: Large-scale and impactful professional programming is provided to the community as opportunities arise.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL (OR COMMITTEE) DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
N/A
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
In 2016, resident and poet Aimee Rheaume approached both the City of St. Albert’s then Cultural Services Department and the St. Albert Public Library with the suggestion to establish a St. Albert Poet Laureate program in order to build and better promote St. Albert’s burgeoning literary community.
Determining that such a program was in alignment with the Cultural Master Plan, the City partnered with the St. Albert Public Library, and a program was developed in 2017 with the first Poet Laureate announced in April of 2018.
Cultural Master Plan alignment includes:
Priority - Celebrate Cultural Assets:
“Increase awareness of the city’s abundant cultural resources.” Recognizing those who have demonstrated superior artistic merit in the literary arts is an excellent way of celebrating our cultural assets.
Priority - Increase & Deepen Cultural Participation:
“Nurture community members in community and profession...
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