Calgary Municipal Land Corporation

Placemakers - A CMLC Speaker Series

    · 4 min read

    Placemakers is a series of conversations, lectures and events celebrating the power of placemaking in Calgary’s East Village and Culture + Entertainment District.

    CMLC has been hosting these conversations since 2015 with the intention of sharing insight into our many city-building initiatives and solidifying our position as Calgary’s community building specialists.

    Placemakers 9 - Designing Cultural Spaces in a Post-Pandemic World
    Date: Wednesday, May 19, 12pm MDT, Via Zoom

    Engage in this free online conversation wtih the experts involved in Calgary’s Arts Commons Transformation (ACT) project.

    Recording of Placemakers 9 which took place on May 19, 2021

    Presenters

    Alex Sarian, Arts Commons
    Alex joined Arts Commons as President and CEO after seven years of leadership roles at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, including Director of Lincoln Centre International, Founding Director of the Lincoln Center Cultural Innovation Fund, and Director of Finance, Business Development & Operations for Lincoln Center’s education department.

    As a recognized authority on the civic role of arts institutions, Mr. Sarian has lectured and given workshops across the world. Mr. Sarian has served on numerous governing boards, special advisory committees, and funding panels.

    Joshua Dachs, Fisher Dachs Associates
    Joshua Dachs, president of Fisher Dachs Associates, is one of the world’s leading theatre consultants. Drawing on a background as a violinist, trained as an architect, and having practiced as a theatrical set and lighting designer, he has led FDA’s consulting practice for over 30 years, providing planning, programming, and design leadership for hundreds of successful projects. In early phases he focuses his work on helping clients conceptualize and plan their projects, and during the design phase focuses on room shaping, seating layouts and sightlines, backstage layouts, and overall spatial organization.

    Steven A. Wolff, AMS Planning & Research
    Steven is the founding Principal of AMS Planning & Research Corp. and AMS Analytics LLC.. For 30 years, Steven has provided counsel to arts, culture and entertainment enterprises on strategic initiatives, the planning and development of more than $11 billion in new and renovated capital facilities, and arts industry research. Steven is a leading industry thinker and speaker exploring topics from the role of ‘anchor cultural institutions’ to ‘re-thinking success’ for 21st century arts and cultural enterprises.

    Panelist & Moderator

    Ron Austin, Colliers, panelist

    Ron Austin is a highly regarded leader in the field of Performing Arts Centre Design and construction and has worked on past projects such as the Lincoln Centre for Performing Arts, the Miami Performing Arts Centre, the Adrienenne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and the Vern Rife Centre for Government and the Arts.

    Kate Thompson, moderator

    Under Kate’s leadership, CMLC is overseeing the development of the BMO Centre Expansion, Event Centre, Arts Commons Transformation and critical infrastructure projects in east Victoria Park, delivering on the vision for Calgary’s Culture + Entertainment District.

    Kate’s exceptional leadership and foresight have been instrumental in the success of many of Calgary’s major infrastructure and development projects over the past six years, including the new Central Library. She is highly regarded in the industry for her deep expertise, uncompromising standards and unwavering commitment.

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