Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
107 Tunnel Mountain Drive T1L 1H5 Banff, AB, Canada

Even our campus is getting cozy under a blanket of snow for the holidays and our upcoming break.

ATTN Independent & Emerging Filmmakers Our Adventure Filmmakers Workshop is an exceptional opportunity to advance your skills under the guidance of two of the world’s premier and proven adventure filmmakers. During this four-week online workshop, learn insider skills to hone your craft, strengthen narratives, interact online with fellow filmmakers, and gain insight into storytelling, audio, editing and social media marketing. ... Financial Aid of 60% is available to cover tuition. Learn more & apply by January 13

On December 22, 1979, a fire broke out in the basement of Crich Hall, a three-storey building that contained offices, staff accommodations, and photo labs. Twenty-one members of the Banff Fire Department fought the flames that eventually destroyed it. This archival photo shows the aftermath of this event where what remained of the hall is being removed. : Courtesy of our Paul D. Fleck Library & Archives

Give the gift of #epicadventuresindoors this holiday season with our Virtual World Tour program packages! Follow these steps to start gifting all the mountain culture lovers in your life: 1. Check https://www.banffcentre.ca/virtual-world-tour to make sure gifting is available in your country... 2. Visit https://filmfest.banffcentre.ca 3. Select a film program or bundle and click ‘Rent Now’ 4. Select ‘Gift This’ 5. Follow payment steps, and you’re golden Wishing you and yours a most magical, adventure-filled holiday season

The perfect pairing? Some may say so. This archival photo shows Banff Centre's booth at the Calgary Stampede in August 1972 together with Canadian-made Carling brewery. : Photo courtesy of our Paul D. Fleck Library & Archives

"Flannery O'Connor said, 'I write to discover what I know.' [This] encapsulates my thinking on writing. I am far more articulate on the page than in real life." Marie Gethins from Cork, Ireland joined us in 2018 for our Fall Writers Retreat, where she worked on a new novel. "I'm a quiet observer and I like to spend an inordinate amount of time on my own. Writing enables me to process life in a reflective way. I am a compressionist. I like to leave a lot off the page and leave the reader to bring their own sensibilities to my material, so each interaction is unique."

It's safe to say that winter has settled in for the remainder of the year. We hope you're staying warm, safe, and sound in your corner of the world. : Rooftop view of our outdoor salt/soda ceramics kiln

"We want to share enough information to inspire change. We want to share enough information to be truthful and to be authentic, so people will understand how real colonialism is and that it's ongoing. But, we must always respect our family and not reveal too much of the indignities they have suffered." Lisa Boivin is an interdisciplinary artist, bioethicist, healthcare educator and a member of the Deninu Kue First Nation in Northwest Territories. While she was a Banff Artist in Residence in 2018, she was in the process of completing an arts-based thesis on Indigenous perspectives of wellness and the disabling effects of colonialism. Lisa remains a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine, focusing on this work.

Hot off the digital press, enjoy flipping through this year's Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival magazine Read about your favourite adventurers and filmmakers, find out about Festival films, catch an excerpt from hot-off-the-press mountain literature, and learn more about our film, book, photography competitions and programs at Banff Centre - and more!

Nationally recognized for her complex installation-based works integrating electronic media, sculpture, sound, and performance, Rita McKeough's darkness is as deep as the darkness is an invitation into an imagined subterranean just below the ground’s surface. Reserve your 1-hour spot on Thursdays from 2-8 PM or Saturdays from 10AM-530 PM at our Walter Phillips Gallery. On now until December 12 https://bit.ly/2ZM5eoO

While we get ready for our next virtual festival this weekend with the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival, we wanted to remind our classical music fans of our first virtual festival that we held in September. The 2020 Banff Centre International String Quartet Festival took place from September 1 to 5, and the videos are now ready for streaming on our YouTube channel! Some of the content is not available to watch after November 5, so be sure to tune in soon to catch it all. Start watching https://bit.ly/3mpSH3i

Classical music has always been very elitist, but this image is now changing with the advent of the age of technology and the influence of globalization. I believe every musician has the responsibility to share their passion with others and contribute to the survival of this art form. Meet Pianist Shirley Wu from Montreal. She joined us in 2017 as a Banff Musician in Residence. I love human traditions. Classical music breaks language barriers and is the purest form of communication.

CONGRATS to Banff Musicians in Residence Jake Muir for his recent album release, the hum of your veiled voice, which he worked on in part during his residency in 2018 Have a listen

We thought it was due time to share another Jenny Belzberg Theatre update. Your new seats have arrived and, as captured here, are being installed by Nickel Installation. Renovations are on time and on budget. And we're so looking forward to welcoming the public into this space very soon - details to follow!

As many begin to peer into what's possible for 2021, we couldn't be more delighted to share with you our latest programming update. Between January and April 2021, Banff Centre will connect and serve artists, Indigenous and cultural leaders, and audiences around the world through at least 20 online and on-campus educational, training, and creation programs. Learn more https://bit.ly/2HwURPe

The fact that there’s so much fakery going on is a real challenge. It’s even a challenge for journalists. In the age of alt-facts, it’s become increasingly difficult to know which sources to trust when it comes to the news. Even for seasoned journalists. Robert Cribb (The Toronto Star), Jessica Johnson (The Walrus), Ron Nixon (The New York Times) and Scott Stossel (The Atlantic) joined us in October 2017 for The Democracy Project: Journalism in the Age of Alt-Facts.... Watch as they break down some of these issues.

TODAY through October 25, you can now stream Kidd Pivot's incredible production Revisor via the San Francisco Dance Film Festival This is not one to miss! Details & tickets

The Painter House is looking rather cozy after our first big snowfall of the season.

You've heard that singing to plants helps them grow, but what if the plants sang back? This interactive work of art, "Akousmaflore, by Scenocosme, combines plants and digital technology. The work is a small garden composed of living acoustic plants that react to the audience’s proximity and intensity of their touch. This piece was exhibited at Banff Centre during our Convergence Art and Technology Summit in 2014.

LAST TWO DAYS to grab your passes at the early-bird price for the 2020 Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival Virtual Festival! Prices go UP on Friday, October 16. Book NOW

"Puppets are capable of doing things that human actors cannot easily do flying, dying, transforming, defying the laws of gravity the possibilities for story, empathy, and discovery are endless." Theatre Artist and Puppeteer Randi Edmundson from Vancouver joined us earlier this year for the Banff Puppet Theatre Intensive. During the program, participants broke down the core elements of puppetry breath, focus, articulation, and fixed-point to better understand how to bring objects to life. "One of the many things that draw me to puppetry is the interdisciplinary nature of the work. [It] embodies both visual and performative art, which means that design and storytelling must go hand in hand. Puppetry is not just the Muppets! There is something for everyone at every age."

Soon Cascade will be covered in white fluff. Until then, we've been enjoying this warmer fall and all its glorious colours