Banff Centre is Welcoming You Back!
June 22, 2021, Banff, AB -- Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is welcoming people back to its beautiful campus as facilities and spaces open over the coming months. As select services and facilities on campus open over the summer, Banff Centre will also be working towards resuming on-site arts, leadership, and creation programming and small conferences in the Fall.
Words cannot express how excited we all are to start welcoming people back to our beautiful campus on the side of Buffalo Mountain in Treaty 7 territory.
Janice Price, President and CEO, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Welcoming artists, leaders, visitors, and guests over the summer:
Walter Phillips Gallery is opened to the public as of Friday, June 18th to present the exhibition “A Harlem Nocturne” by recent Scotiabank photography prize winner Deanna Bowen. Curated by Kimberly Phillips and circulated by the Contemporary Art Gallery, this iteration of the touring exhibition at Banff Centre will mark the artist’s first solo exhibition in Alberta. In-person, self-guided tours are available by appointment or walk-in (limited capacity with Covid safety protocols) on Fridays and Sundays. Virtual guided tours will continue Thursdays and Saturdays. Registration is highly recommended for these tours as capacity is limited; all details and registration information here
Maclab Grill will open on July 5th – For this summer, Banff Centre will open the largest outdoor eating area in the Bow Valley with Maclab Grill. Come and enjoy a special take-away menu and have your delicious meal looking out over the Bourgeau Range. Bring your blanket or camp chair, or find a seat at our picnic tables and Muskoka chairs.
Sally Borden Fitness will open as early in July as possible – With facility renovations complete, Banff Centre is working to open to members and guests in stages as soon as staff are hired and trained. The facility will open with rooms for weight training and cardio, and the climbing wall, maintaining all Covid safety protocols. Other services, such as the pool, fitness classes, and wellness clinic, will open over time.
Jenny Belzberg Theatre tours will resume in mid-August – Banff Centre will resume free, public tours of our renewed theatre space, the Jenny Belzberg Theatre completed in November 2020, with a sampling of live music, information about the history of the Theatre, and behind the scenes glimpses of the revitalized space.
By September, Banff Centre anticipates the return of small arts and leadership educational and training programs and small conferences on campus.
We are reopening what we can over the summer by keeping it simple and keeping it small – we’re doing it right, and we’re doing it safely. We will also be constantly evaluating and planning for the future.
Michael Code, Vice President, Operations, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Continuing the Digital Momentum:
As on-site activities gradually resume, Banff Centre’s robust online presence will continue through a series of online summer events and online arts and leadership programming. This programming offers educational, training, and creation opportunities for creative leaders at all stages of their careers. Click here to see online programs currently open for application and past programs.
The Walter Phillips Gallery is open to the public and will continue to offer guided, private, virtual tours of the current exhibition: “A Harlem Nocturne” by Deanna Bowen. Register here.
On June 21, Banff Centre was pleased to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples' Day. A selection of videos are still available for viewing on our website here.
Kick off the summer season with live classical concerts from Toronto, New York, Montana, Vermont, and London, UK with EvoFest: Evolution Concert Series featuring performances by string quartets and classical musicians from Banff Centre's Evolution: Quartet and Evolution: Classical programs. Click here for more information on these and other Summer online events.
The Banff International String Quartet Festival will be presenting free concerts online, culminating in a Banff Centre Alumni and Friends chamber orchestra recorded on campus and streamed online to our viewers. Check back here for more information and line-up announcements.
More online events will be offered over the summer. Make sure you are subscribed to our Events Newsletter here.
The Covid-19 pandemic required us to move many of our programs online. While the power of this place is baked into the fabric of Banff Centre, we have learned that online experiences, training, and programming offer more accessibility to a diverse and global audience who appreciates this format.
Janice Price
Online Recap: through the pandemic, Banff Centre's online presence has allowed us to connect with audiences around the world through robust online programs and events. For example, more than 130,000 viewers from around the world tuned in during the 2020 Banff International String Quartet Festival, and more than 160,000 global views for the 2020 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, both completely online. In addition, more than 300 artists and leaders (and counting) have participated in 20+ online arts, leadership, and creation programs, most of which have been offered full scholarship for their program fees.
With thanks:
As Banff Centre works to reopen spaces and facilities to artists, leaders, guests, and the public, we want to take a moment and thank the business continuity team employees who have stewarded Banff Centre’s mission, campus assets, and relationships through the uncertainty of the pandemic. We are looking forward to further increasing our staff complement as activity levels increase in alignment with our new strategic plan, Creative Pathways.
Many thanks to CUPE, to our many donors and supporters, and to the Bow Valley community, who have maintained their steadfast belief in Banff Centre’s mission and vision, and to our funders, faculty and participants who delivered incredible online programming.
It has certainly been challenging times. The Banff Centre team has done a remarkable job in transforming an organization which has historically been dependent on welcoming people to their iconic campus, to providing an impressive array of virtual programs and offerings. On the other side of Covid, Banff Centre will emerge a stronger organization as it continues to leverage this newfound digital expertise while providing participants a world-class on campus experience.
Adam Waterous, Chairman of the Board of Governors, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
