This program provided artists the opportunity to collaborate and heal through their art. In turn, help them support recovery and resiliency in Wood Buffalo.
A brief background
The Arts Recovery Working Group was established in June 2017 as a partnership between Arts Council Wood Buffalo, Keyano Theatre & Arts Centre, and Suncor Energy Centre for the Performing Arts, with administrative support from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. It provided guidance to the Wildfire Recovery Taskforce in support of the recovery of the arts in the region.
From mid-2017 throughout 2018, the group worked with various people in the community to gain a better understanding of the effects of the Horse River Wildfire on the arts community and the current needs of artists in our region. Through various focus groups and one-on-one discussions, a two-year post-wildfire recovery plan was developed as part of the wider arts strategy for the region. From that plan, the Arts Recovery Project was born with a mission to support the arts community in returning to its full creative capacity.
With funding support from the Canadian Red Cross, the subsequent two-and-a-half-year Arts Recovery Project consisted of many partnership events that helped connect, engage and reinvigorate the local arts community.
Arts Council Wood Buffalo continues to serve as Chair of the Arts Recovery Working Group, which:
- Provided strategic leadership in the development, implementation and sustainability of arts recovery initiatives and strategies
- Advocated on the role of the arts in disaster recovery;
- Monitored gaps and overlaps, and advised on how to prevent, mitigate and manage them to encourage recovery; and;
- Recognized barriers and enablers to arts recovery and helped develop initiatives to address these.
Download the full Post Wildfire Recovery in the Arts Strategic Plan 
