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Wordfest Presents Alex Sarian

Wordfest Presents Alex Sarian

Wordfest Presents Alex Sarian

Sep 25 @ 7 PM - 8:15 PM MT 
Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, Central Library
800 3 Street SE

Wordfest is thrilled to showcase Alex Sarian, President & CEO of Arts Commons, and his new book The Audacity of Relevance: Critical Conversations on the Future of Arts and Culture. The conversation about the endless possibilities for reinvention at a time of crisis for the cultural sector, hosted by Wordfest's Shelley Youngblut, will be bursting with creative surprises and global insights. This event includes a performance by Calgary's Dream Angel Cowboy Robert Adam, an audience Q & A, and a book signing fuelled by Shelf Life Books. (And while we’re certain The Audacity of Relevance is going to be a national bestseller, you make that happens by pre-ordering copies of the book here for pick-up at the show!)

We are grateful to ECW Press for making it possible for Wordfest to deepen Calgary's connection with Alex Sarian.

About The Audacity of Relevance

The arts and culture sector is in crisis – a crisis of relevance. Whether it’s grappling with dwindling audience sizes, shifting trends in philanthropy, or addressing social challenges, experts have been documenting this slow decline for decades.

At the core of Alex Sarian’s international career is the conviction that cultural organizations must embrace a greater civic purpose and build a new business model—one based on the social impact of the arts.

Throughout The Audacity of Relevance, Sarian engages in conversations with leaders from across industries to paint a potential future for arts organizations—a future built on measuring our sector’s success by how positively we can influence the many local communities that surround us.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned executive or are just beginning in your career – the principles and anecdotes in this book will inspire you to see the world of arts and culture for what it truly is: filled with endless possibilities for reinvention.

About Alex Sarian 

Alex Sarian is the President & CEO of Arts Commons, one of Canada’s foremost centres for the arts, where he leads the largest cultural infrastructure project in the country’s history. Sarian was born in Toronto, raised in Buenos Aires, and spent eighteen years in New York City, most notably as a senior executive at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. With a background in education, he is deeply committed to making the transformative power of the arts accessible to all. Find out more on his website or follow him on Instagram/Threads @alexsarian.

About Musician Robert Adam

In handmade country couture, illuminated in rodeo crystal and sequin, Robert Adamcrafts records with a reverent respect for traditional country music, while infusing an accessible, modern tone. Robert’s artistry was born of the country, a little west of Bonnyville, and that’s a truth no one can touch. Hailed for his angelic, inviting presence, Robert Adam is known for breaking barriers between generations. Calgary’s “Dream Angel Cowboy,” Robert Adam blends his limitless imagination with stories of living. Whether it’s designing his outfit, graduating in heavy duty mechanics, or penning an alternative country queer love song, he is anything but one dimensional. Robert’s second single “Don’t Touch My Rhinestones” broke barriers with radio play internationally, and taking Adam to stages such as the Calgary Folk Music Festival and the CCMAs.

“There are all kinds of people that come from the country but we’re just starting to see them now,” says Robert Adam. He continues to be a trailblazer with his upcoming full length album, Governed by the Seasons. Recorded at Saxman Studios in Nasvhille, the highly anticipated debut blends Adam's visceral lyrics and emotive vocals to share stories of love and loss amidst the backdrop of the Alberta countryside. “I guess you could say I’m redneck raised with a rhinestone heart.”

About Host Shelley Youngblut

Shelley Youngblut is the CEO & Creative Ringleader of Wordfest. She was the recipient of the 2020 Calgary Award for Community Achievement in the Arts and the 2018 Rozsa Award for Arts Leadership. She also won the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Western Magazine Awards. Youngblut was the founding editor of Calgary’s award-winning Swerve magazine and has created magazines for ESPN, Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, Nickelodeon, Western Living, and The Globe and Mail. She was also a former pop-culture correspondent for ABC World News Now and Canada AM. Follow her on Facebook @ShelleyYoungblut and Instagram/Threads @youngblutshelley.

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