PASOs - what they can do for you...

One of the most useful arts and cultural discoveries I have made recently is that Alberta has its very own set of PASOs. Pronounced like Paso as in El Paso (or is it with an ‘eh’ like in peso?), the Professional Arts Service Organizations are umbrella arts-related organizations that offer services like advocacy and educational opportunities to its members. These organizations are ideal resources for rural communities or even individuals looking to expand their arts and cultural activities.

For a very minimal annual fee (which ranges from about $25-$50 for individuals and as little as $100 - $250 for organizations), members of these PASOs have access to services as far reaching as online writing workshops and newsletters to a film festival in a proverbial can. All you need to know is where to look.

Take, for example, the Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society (www.amaas.ca). On top of direct member services like webhosting, an annual conference, sponsorship and artist commissions, members of this PASO have access to Prairie Tales - an annual touring collection of Albertan short film and video. So what does this mean for rural communities? It means that with this DVD, a DVD player and projector, an empty wall, and a little ingenuity, you have the makings of your very own film festival.

Then there is The Writers Guild of Alberta (www.writersguild.ab.ca) who represents both professional and emerging writers in Alberta. This focus materializes in projects like the ‘Guild-to-Go’ that aims to bring programming and resources to writers in rural communities across Alberta. They also have a book club starting kit and a wide range of youth programs – some of which they hope to soon take online with the goal of increasing their outreach in remote areas.

Many rural communities already know about the Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta (www.artstouring.com) and their ‘Alberta Showcase’. Now in its 32^nd year, the ‘Alberta Showcase’ brings together presenters from across the province who are searching for artists who will tour to their communities. This event also brings together community presenters for creative solutions and networking opportunities. ACE Communities, in fact, has partnered with the ATAA on the upcoming launch of our own ARTS Tour.

When it comes to opportunities, Theatre Alberta (www.theatrealberta.com) takes center stage. Not only does this PASO offer its members access to their library, with over 15,000 play scripts and theatre resources, they have free mail service for members outside of the Edmonton area. They also offer their Artstrek program, which is a residential weeklong summer theatre program for teens hosted by the Red Deer College.

On top of exhibition and sales opportunities through their shop, the Alberta Craft Council (www.albertacraft.ab.ca) offers its members access to their ‘Symbol of Quality’ program – a quality assurance program vetted by a Craft Council jury. They also offer a product advisory committee and Craft Business Training. Like many of the other PASOs, they too offer awards and scholarships opportunities.

Another service that ties all of the PASOs together is their extensive information networks. The Alberta Dance Alliance’s (www.abdancealliance.ab.ca) Dancelines e-newsletter announces dance-related opportunities on a bi-weekly basis as does the Book Publishers Association of Alberta (www.bookpublishers.ab.ca) electronic newsletter, Bibliophax.

The Alberta Music Industry Association (www.amia.ca) will soon be launching a comprehensive online music directory and the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association (www.albertamagazines.com) not only offers studies on Alberta’s publishing industry but also has its own Template magazine – a how-to resource on publishing.

In terms of educational opportunities, Visual Arts Alberta Association (www.visualartsalberta.com/blog) proudly offers the VAAA High School Scholarship Program, which provides up to four rural Alberta high school students with tuition and travel expenses to attend Summerscapes for Teens at Red Deer College. And if you are a French speaker, Le Regroupement artistique francophone de l'alberta (www.rafa-alberta.ca) offers various coaching services to Albertan Francophone artists in all media.

But this is just the tip of the taco… our province’s PASOs have all of this to offer and more! Many PASOs will even doll out advice to non-members as long as it pertains to their chosen genre. So whether it’s related to mentoring, networking, or developmental advice, you all have access to the tools to make it happen.