We recently celebrated incredible Calgarians who help bring arts and culture to our community. As part of the 2022 Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts Awards hosted by Mayor Jyoti Gondek, CEO of Strategic Group, Riaz Mamdani presented the Mamdani Arts Leadership Award to Stephanie Hutchinson for her volunteer work as President and Director of Programming of the YYC Music Awards.
Well-known as an advocate for Calgary artists, Stephanie Hutchinson is one of the most tireless and respected figures on the Canadian Music Scene. When she joined the YYC Music Awards back in 2019 as a volunteer board member, Stephanie saw a fledgling organization that needed support to become a stronger advocate for Calgary musicians. Through her leadership, Stephanie led the organization to develop systems and a mandate that are raising Calgary musicians’ profile and prestige in the Albertan and Canadian music scene. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stephanie and her team chose to go digital, making sure Calgary musicians were recognized for their excellence.
“Stephanie is a great example of how strong board leadership can help an organization thrive in times of crisis,” said Mr. Mamdani. “Even in the midst of the pandemic, Stephanie and the YYC Music Awards helped Calgary musicians of all musical styles get great profile and legitimacy in Calgary and across the country.”
You can watch the 2022 Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts Awards video here.
Named after the Mamdani family–strong supporters of the Calgary arts and culture scene, this award honours arts volunteer board members who go above and beyond to support the logistics, programming, operations, and culture of the organizations they support. This is the fourth year that Strategic Group has sponsored the Mamdani Arts Leadership Award as a Cultural Legacy Leader. Past award winners were Arif Ansari with Sled Island and Meg Van Rosendaal and Bob Chartier with the Music Mile.
Pictured: Stephanie Hutchinson, 2022 Mamdani Arts Leadership Award winner.