History of The Banff Centre

The town of Banff has hosted artists since it was founded in 1883. Painters and writers, primarily, came to explore the mountains and the influence the environment had on their art. In 1933 a small cadre of visionaries, led by Ned Corbett of the University of Alberta's Extension Department, convinced officials to support the establishment of a summer theatre training program in Banff. Funded by a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, the "School of Drama" was first offered that summer.

Just down the valley at Seebe, A.C. (Ace) Leighton, a master of landscape painting, had established a small summer painting program. In 1935 Leighton moved his painting program to Banff to share facilities with the drama school. In 1936 the two programs joined with a new music program to become the Banff School of Fine Arts (now known as The Banff Centre for the Arts), beginning the juxtaposition of various artistic disciplines that has become its hallmark.

The Centre grew in size and reputation. During his 33 years as director, Donald Cameron transformed the vision of the founders into an internationally acclaimed artistic institution. He raised money, scrounged old buildings, and persuaded Parks Canada to provide a spectacular site on which to create a campus that would do justice to the school he dreamed of building.

Cameron's dream became a reality. Aided by funds from the Colonel J.H. Woods estate he began to build three original chalets and the administration building that bears his name. In 1947 the school moved from various locales around Banff to the beautiful site on Tunnel Mountain, where it has thrived ever since. Over the years the number of programs has grown, as has the Centre's reputation for excellence in arts training and education.

Management programs were initiated in 1952. Conference programs were started in 1953. Both added to the eclectic approach to educational programming that set the Centre apart. They also helped pay the bills and made use of the buildings during the winter months. In 1971 winter programs in the visual arts were launched and the summer session was extended from six to twelve weeks, and in 1979 a major step was taken with the launching of the winter programs.

The Centre for the Arts had gone far beyond its beginnings to become a major adult education centre. In 1978 the government of Alberta legislated The Banff Centre Act, which established The Banff Centre for Continuing Education as an autonomous institution within the Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education, and the Centre for the Arts as a division of The Banff Centre. This administrative shift allowed the Centre for the Arts to co-exist and interact with the other divisions of The Banff Centre (Centre for Management and the Centre for Conferences), yet remain independent and adventurous in its approach to artistic development.

Through its support for many artistic disciplines, The Banff Centre for the Arts advocates interaction and stimulation for artists in a multi-disciplinary environment. The pursuit of this dynamic breadth makes the Centre for the Arts among the few places in the world where concentrated creative interaction can take place. This environment has been shaped by a long-standing commitment to the needs of artists.

Banff, Alberta, Canada

Banff is the main settlement in Banff National Park. The park, dating from 1885, was the first national park to be established in Canada and is designated as a World Heritage Site. Banff is a small town, with a permanent population of 6,500, though this figure increases to as much as 30,000 during the height of the summer season. Located in the Bow River Valley at an altitude of 1,387 metres (4,550 feet) above sea level, Banff is surrounded by the peaks of Mount Rundle, Sulphur Mountain, Mount Norquay and Cascade Mountain. Deep in the Canadian Rockies, it is just an hour-and-a-half drive from Calgary in the province of Alberta.

First settled after the discovery of hot springs at the foot of Sulphur Mountain, Banff was for decades chiefly a tourist attraction. The Banff Springs Hotel, a building in the grand hotel style, was for many years the haunt of the high society of North America and Europe. The spectacular alpine setting continues to attract millions of tourists every year from all parts of the world