About
{ Our Mission }
cSPACE Projects is a social enterprise dedicated to supporting communities of artists, non-profits, and entrepreneurs working at the creative edge of change.
Our vision for Calgary is a city where creative enterprise thrives in vibrant communities.
Our mission is to develop creative places that activate people and ideas to ignite collaboration and community-led change.
We believe that diverse communities of artists, designers, musicians and makers can shape our city for the future.
Formed in 2011, cSPACE was established to own, build and operate large-scale, multi-tenant centres that deliver affordable space, shared resources, networking opportunities and specialized programming through a self-sustaining business model.
In delivering on our mission we provide the conditions that diverse communities of creatives need to remain vital, sustainable and innovative while generating dividends for Calgarians across the city:
Shared Space – Affordable, flexible and inspiring spaces that are responsive to the evolving needs of new artistic practices, missions and enterprises while delivering unique gathering places for all Calgarians.
Vibrant Community – Diverse and meaningful opportunities to engage with peers and collaborators, amplified through greater community connections to surrounding neighbourhoods and the broader cultural landscape.
Knowledge Sharing – Specialized workshops, services and peer-to-peer mentorship focused on nurturing creative entrepreneurship, building confidence in artists, designers and makers to generate innovative cultural products and experiences for Calgary and the world.
{ Our Values }
COLLABORATION
and the innovation this
unlocks – we seek out
diverse and meaningful
partnerships to
shape our
projects
COMMUNITY
and the transformative
power of engaged citizens
– we connect creativity
and community for
the benefit of
both
CHANGE
and the culture
that fosters it – we
cultivate a wide view of
sustainability to amplify
our impact
CREATIVITY
and the
conditions that
enable it to flourish – we
rethink space as a platform
for creative purpose
COLLABORATION
and the innovation this unlocks – we seek out diverse and meaningful partnerships to shape our projects
COMMUNITY
and the transformative power of engaged citizens – we connect creativity and community for the benefit of both
CHANGE
and the culture that fosters it – we cultivate a wide view of sustainability to amplify our impact
CREATIVITY
and the conditions that enable it to flourish – we rethink space as a platform for creative purpose
{ IDEA Commitment }
Inclusion. Diversity. Equity. Accessibility.
Our IDEA commitment signals that cSPACE is committed to advancing social progress in the communities we serve.
During the Spring of 2021, cSPACE conducted a multi-stakeholder process to develop our IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility) Commitment. This process included facilitation by an external consultant and participation from cSPACE staff and board, internal stakeholders from our tenant and coworking community, external partners and community representation. This process involved two working sessions and online discussions before the cSPACE board approved the commitment on June 16th, 2021.
- cSPACE believes that by ensuring our culture is inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible (IDEA) that we are open to vast creative potential.
- We recognize that barriers, injustices and discrimination have compromised the wellbeing, belonging and prospects for many in our community.
- In our commitment to fostering a vibrant and vital city, our actions will ensure that everyone can live, work, play and feel safe in our creative facilities.
- As a placemaker in Moh’kinsstis/Calgary, we will steward collaborations that expand our IDEA efforts, and foster our collective capacity for positive change.
Following the first working session, these “4A” principles were developed to inform the intent of our IDEA Commitment:
Aspirational – our commitment needs to capture the ethos of cSPACE. It needs to build upon and enrich how we have welcomed the community and will continue to improve in the years ahead.
Acknowledge – our commitment needs to recognize the fractured context that the community is asking us to respond to and in keeping with our aspirations above.
Action – our commitment needs to commit effort directed to this work, understanding that we will certainly fall short of meeting our ambitions and the expectations of our community if we do not.
Agency – our commitment needs to capture our role as a community builder in Calgary and the responsibility demanded of us.
This IDEA Commitment signals a start to our ongoing efforts to ensure that our people, spaces and places meet our community-building aspirations and genuinely supports Calgary’s creative potential.
