OKOTOKS, ALBERTA

Partners in Promoting Local Artists & Tourism:

The Story of the Okotoks Art Walk

A very successful project of the Okotoks Arts Council, High River Art Society, local businesses & the Alberta Summer Games with administrative support from the Town of Okotoks. Art Walk's long-term goal is to increase visitation to the region by creating an awareness of producing artists, a desire for people to come and see what Okotoks has to offer, and a lasting impact on tourism in the region. 15 downtown businesses exhibit art as part of Art Walk.

NOW IN ITS SECOND YEAR, Art Walk is a project that places the work of local artists into downtown businesses. The "galleries" are linked together and promoted as a walking tour.

The project is a successful example of innovative partnerships in creative tourism and promotions.

Art Walk is a project of the Okotoks Arts Council, High River Art Society, local businesses and the 2004 Alberta Summer Games, with administrative support from the Town of Okotoks.

The 2004 Alberta Summer Games have been a great accelerator for developing relationships between the Municipal District of Foothills, Town of High River and the Town of Okotoks. The Arts and Heritage Groups have really came together to ensure that our region shines at the games through presentation of a very strong cultural component at the summer games. The Art Walk was developed as part of the games, and was held in 2003 as a trial run to be sure that is would be successful in 2004 with many more participating businesses. In 2003 we had 11 locations in Okotoks. From June 15 to August 26 in 2004 we have 15 businesses in Okotoks and 8 in High River.

The Town of Okotoks works very closely with the Okotoks Arts Council. They do not provide direct financial support, but they do provide administrative and Professional Support through Tracie Ward, Business Centre Leader (department head), Cultural and Historical Services. This very healthy and collaborative relationship has been evolving for nearly 25 years, beginning with the Arts Council re-developing the Train Station as a mixed use Cultural Centre. The Town now operates the facility, with much programming input by the Society.

It is our intention that Art Walk will continue to evolve as an annual event to be anticipated by visitors and locals. Our long-term goal is to increase visitation to our region by creating an awareness of producing artists, creating a desire for people to come and see what we have to offer, and create a lasting impact on tourism in the region. We believe that promoting regional artistic identity will lead to increased visitation to community, and increased future art sales. Our annual increase of sales in 2003 was 51% over 2002 total sales: we anticipate even greater success in 2004.

In 2003 we took a group representing Art Making in the Foothills to the Works Art and Design Festival in Edmonton, to promote Art Walk, and Okotoks as a Cultural Tourism Destination. We received modest financial support from Travel Alberta to assist wit the Marketing component of this. Not only did we find our time well spent at the 13 day Festival in terms of community promotion (13,455 people visited our display), we had significant sales, and 5 artists were offered future exhibitions around the province. We have been invited back for 2004.

Success of Art Walk in 2003 allowed Okotoks Visitor Information Centre to maintain our year over year level of visitors in spite of the general decrease reported by the media in the rest of the province and Canada. It is known three groups of people visited Okotoks specifically because of hearing about Art Walk. One group from Vancouver traveling to Saskatoon saw us at the Works festival in Edmonton, and ordered pottery. They then made special plans to stop in Okotoks to pick it up, and spent time within the community spending 2 hotel nights and purchasing an additional $220 worth of pottery. Another group from the Edmonton area was planning on visiting Alberta South and decided to include Okotoks based on the Works Festival exposure. The third group decided to camp in Okotoks for the Calgary Stampede because of the Works Festival Exposure.

For more information:
Tracie Ward
Coordinator Cultural and Historical Services
Town of Okotoks
tward@okotoks.ca

Photo: Okotok artists' work on display at Edmonton's the Works Art and Design Festival. Photo by Tracie Ward.

Profile by: Tracie Ward, edited by Steven R. Dang (Creative City Network, 2004-2006).