Arts on the Ave Edmonton Society is a non-profit, community based, grassroots initiative engaged in developing 118th Avenue (75 – 106 Streets) into a community arts district. Arts on the Ave produces the Kaleido Family Arts Festival each September, Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival each January, and runs the Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse year round. Begun in 2005 and incorporated into
a Society in 2007, this creative coalition has experienced exponential growth with a current involvement of over 200 multi-disciplinary artists and invested community members. This active growth has been spurred on by highly dedicated and involved members. In April 2008 Arts on the Ave was the proud recipient of the 21st Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts. Arts on the Ave has organized and presented a broad range of activities: extensive art showings, a variety of inter-disciplinary festivals as well as activities that are a blend of artistic expressions in an educational, mentoring and sharing environment. Using the existing cultural fabric to enliven Edmonton’s inner-city neighbourhoods, Arts on the Ave has showcased local talent, and crossed boundaries to establish a multi-disciplinary arts cluster. The organization is engaged with the city and dedicated to the community through the cultivation of positive urban renewal. It is through culture-led urban regeneration initiatives, a vision of creative spaces and place-making that these art-infused communities have begun to flourish and provide a safe, nurturing environment for artists to thrive.
