Episode 30: Exploring the Arts, Belonging, and Systems Change

In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Meaghon Reid speaks with Alex Sarian, CEO & President of Arts Commons, to explore how the arts can drive systems change, reduce barriers for patrons and artists, and foster civic dialogue.

In this episode

• Unpack the ways the arts contribute to systems change, shaping a more equitable and inclusive society, and acting as a powerful force for uplifting and serving the communities they inhabit.
• Understand why arts organizations have a responsibility to create a balanced business model between public and private funding in order to help remove financial barriers for people to access cultural and social experiences.
• Learn about a new vision for Arts Commons and Calgary’s downtown, including the renovation of the Olympic Plaza and easily accessible activities that redefine what a cultural experience looks like.

Three key takeaways

• Embracing a civic mandate means focusing on clear, impactful action, using the arts to enhance the quality of life, fostering dialogue, and celebrating diverse cultural identities within communities.
• Calgary has the potential to redefine cultural experiences by fostering reciprocal transformation—valuing the impact of communities on the arts as much as the arts’ impact on communities.
• Balancing private and public funding is crucial for sustainability while prioritizing experiences of joy helps create spaces where people can momentarily escape life’s challenges and find hope.

About Alex Sarian

Alex Sarian is the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Audacity of Relevance: Critical Conversations on the Future of Arts and Culture (ECW Press, 2024), and President & CEO of Arts Commons, where he is responsible for leading the $660 million Arts Commons Transformation (ACT) project—the largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history. Prior to moving to Calgary in 2020, he spent 18 years in New York City, where he served as a senior executive at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. A proud member of the 2022 class of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40, he holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from New York University, is a graduate of the CommunityShift program at Western University's Ivey School of Business and was an inaugural graduate of the Impact Program for Arts Leaders at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. 

Subscribe to Let's Talk Poverty at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

Share your thoughts. Have an idea for us to explore or a question for us? Send us a message!