The stage is set for an innovative new partnership in East Village. Today, the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) and the Calgary Arts Development Authority (CADA) announced a pilot project that will provide local artists temporary access to the vacant Seafood Market building this spring.  The two organizations are joining forces to position arts and culture as an important element of the new East Village. 
 
“We’re really excited about this project,’ said Chris Ollenberger, President and CEO of CMLC. “We felt it was a really unique way to draw people into the neighbourhood and see how the area is changing. Our vision of East Village includes the arts community as a future anchor tenant, so we think of this as a preview of sorts.”

The pilot project will run for three months and will see Calgary’s arts community invited to utilize the 24,000 sq. ft. Seafood Market in East Village for a variety of programming that could include theatre, music, visual arts or new media. While the Seafood Market is slated for eventual demolition, the creative use of an existing vacant building is part of a long term initiative to integrate the arts community into East Village. CADA will be encouraging local artists looking for temporary space to submit proposals for the use of the Seafood Market. More details will be released in the coming weeks.
 
“We’re thrilled that CMLC is willing and able to commit excess space to support Calgary’s dynamic art scene,” said Terry Rock, President and CEO of CADA. “We anticipate that there will be many artists interested in working in East Village, a community built from the ground up with the arts at its core.”
 
The first production slated for the refurbished space is ‘i-ROBOT Theatre’, produced by Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre. This original performance is a collaborative effort of 13 local theatre artists. The production opens May 5, 2010 and runs until May 15, 2010.
 
Interviews and i-ROBOT photo call at the Seafood Market, 630 7th Ave SE, available TODAY at 11:00am.

CMLC is working towards developing the East Village into a vibrant community that is well integrated into the downtown core. To learn more about the East Village redevelopment project, visit www.calgarymlc.ca
 
Read the full press release.