ACWB flies with the YMM Airport
Arts Council Wood Buffalo is grateful to have built an ongoing relationship with the Fort McMurray International Airport. We would love to acknowledge the Airport’s continued support of the arts community in Wood Buffalo.
Even when the Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM) was being designed and built as far back as 2013-2014, art was considered an important component.
“YMM’s bold and iconic art program gives passengers a strong sense of place and connects them to the passion and energy of Fort McMurray,” they noted on the Airport’s website.
“Selected artists in Fort McMurray and Western Canada have been commissioned to create public art pieces to enrich and elevate the airport experience for passengers.”
In addition to visual art and history, YMM also hosts live music throughout the year, giving paid opportunities to local artists and providing entertainment to their guests.
In 2017, YMM reached out to ACWB with the hopes of creating an Arts & Culture Program Strategy. Goals included supporting the arts in Wood Buffalo and utilizing the arts to encourage more visitation to the airport.
Joanne Meredith, Manager of Marketing, Communications & Experience at the Fort McMurray International Airport, said this about her experience working with ACWB:
“We reached out to Arts Council Wood Buffalo for guidance and assistance in creating our Arts & Culture Program Strategy, which is a five-year plan to incorporate arts and culture into the airport experience for the benefit of visitors and community members. Arts Council’s guidance was valuable in assisting the Airport in creating a plan that is achievable, sustainable and supportive of the community as a whole. Beyond the assistance with the development of the strategy, we frequently reach out to Arts Council for advice on the implementation of our Arts & Culture Program to ensure we are strengthening and supporting the arts community with each stage of our strategy.”
Fast forward to 2019, the Fort McMurray International Airport came on as the Midnight Sponsor of the 2019 Wood Buffalo Excellence in Arts Awards, a further investment in the work of Arts Council and the arts community. Arts Award recipients were promoted on the airport’s advertising screens above the luggage carousels and on the screens in the departure areas throughout December, one of their busiest times of year.
Arts Council Wood Buffalo thanks the Fort McMurray International Airport for their continued support of the arts in our region and for being true arts champions.
Photograph – RJ Steenstra, YMM Airport speaking at the 2019 Wood Buffalo Excellence in Arts Awards. Photography by Stacey Northcotte Photography.
