Applications for the 2024 retreat are now closed.
The Alberta Arts Leaders Retreat provides an opportunity for leaders tasked with the management of business operations for Alberta-based arts organizations (Executive & Managing Directors, General Managers, etc.) to convene, converse, learn, reflect, and rejuvenate at a week-long retreat that prioritizes their individual needs and takes place amidst the restorative and replenishing backdrop of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
The past four years have been an immensely challenging time for arts leaders, resulting in significant burnout and turnover. Additionally, leaders are overworked and struggling to find opportunities for bigger-picture thinking, planning, and dreaming, much less the time to focus on their own well-being, needs, growth, and development.
The Alberta Arts Leaders Retreat is an attempt to begin addressing these challenges by bringing together ten leaders of Alberta arts organizations of various disciplines and organization sizes to the Banff Centre for a week that will provide convening and learning opportunities, as well as time and space to undertake personal reflection and rejuvenation.
The formal programming of the retreat will be minimal, consisting of a daily two-hour session, the content of which will be informed by the participants’ input ahead of the retreat. Mealtimes will be shared, providing opportunities for casual conversation between participants, and open workspaces will be available throughout the rest of the day. In addition, optional artistic encounters and social activities will be made available to participants.
Beyond this light agenda, time at the retreat will belong to the participants to use as they see fit. They may choose to rest or engage in outdoor activities, focus on longer-term challenges within their organizations, or embark on a project that has been sitting on the back burner. There are no expected outcomes for participants beyond those they set for themselves.
Central to this initiative is the notion of this being a retreat that fuels these arts leaders in whatever way suits their needs. The only requests of the participants will be that they participate in the daily shared sessions and provide feedback through an end-of-retreat evaluation, which will inform the iteration of the retreat for future years. All costs for the retreat, including travel, accommodation, meals, and activities are covered for all participants.
Arts leaders can express their interest in attending by completing the short form by Friday, July 5th. We expect there to be more interest than we can accommodate, so a cohort will be built by mid-July based on an alignment of desired session themes and the perceived benefit of the retreat to the participating arts leader. If you have any questions, please reach out to Rozsa Foundation Executive Director Simon Mallett at simon@rozsafoundation.com.
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