IGNITE! 2020: About

Since 2005, the IGNITE! Festival of Emerging Artists’ objective has been to present work from new and exciting local voices. We typically have the pleasure of serving 100+ artists per year. Our mandate is to foster an environment that promotes creativity and innovation. We provide each project a mentor from their professional arts discipline, production support, marketing and producing support, professional development workshops, and community-building events with their fellow festival artists. Another of our core values is paying artists for their work, and we are proud to offer every artist an honourarium. We endeavor to uphold a healthy work environment informed by practices of anti-oppression, reconciliation, anti-racism, anti-homophobia, anti-transphobia, and anti-ableism. We hold all our artists, staff, and volunteers accountable to a Code of Conduct.

The performances that are being presented this year fall into four categories: Dance, Improv, Provocation, and Theatre. Within these categories, artists have gone down multiple avenues and our lineup for this year is subsequently diverse and thought-provoking.

Due to the unprecedented state of the world in the throes of COVID-19, this year’s festival at a distance model is a new venture that is being navigated carefully and in accordance with provincial regulations. Our artists have adapted their projects, and we are working to present them to full effect. See here for our official statement with regard to COVID-19.

Banner for IGNITE! 2020 Hyperspace Edition was created using Andromeda by Shannon Barry. See here for more information about the piece and the artist.

Treaty 7 Land
The IGNITE! Festival takes place in Moh’kins’tsis, the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) name for the place we now call Calgary, located in the Treaty 7 region and the traditional lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy (including the Siksika, Piikani and Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including the Chiniki, Bearspaw and Wesley First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III. We’re grateful to the past, present and future stewards of this land.