Media


Media Releases and News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Awesome Foundation - Calgary's November 2012 Winning Project 'Make Fashion' Set to Dazzle and Delight Again!

Calgary, AB, February 20, 2014 — An Awesome Foundation – Calgary winning project for November 2012, last year’s Make Fashion 2013 gala in Calgary was a complete success! It brought local technology enthusiasts and engineers together with fashion designers to create innovative artistic pieces that demonstrated the convergence of fashion and technology.

AF-Calgary’s $1,000 micro-grant helped kickstart the creation of various pieces of wearable technology in the field of high fashion for the show, ultimately contributing to roughly 10% of all the pieces created last year.

The inaugural Make Fashion gala became the first of its kind anywhere in Canada, joining FashionWare at CES and the wearable fashion show organized by Tech in Motion: New York as one of the premier events in North America showcasing the convergence of high technology and high fashion. In fact, local designers Laura Dempsey and Angela Dale were invited to show the pieces they developed for Calgary’s Make Fashion 2013 gala at this year’s FashionWare event in January in Las Vegas.

What makes Make Fashion different from shows like FashionWare and Tech in Motion wearable fashion show is that Make Fashion funds a significant portion of the development costs for the pieces designed for the gala, up to $1,500 worth for each piece.

“By covering our designers’ expenses, we allow them to take bigger risks, stimulating industry and inspiring innovation,” says Shannon Hoover, Make Fashion Co-Founder and AF-Calgary Fellow. “We’re proud to say that we have some of the best designers in the world right here in Calgary, and with this year’s show, we may become the most international one as well.”

Last year’s Make Fashion gala consisted of design teams mainly from the Calgary area, but this year, three top designers from outside of Canada have been invited to showcase their wearable technology pieces at Make Fashion 2014.

The international designers headlining this year’s gala include Erina Kashihara from Japan, who has been creating light accessories and dresses since 1985, London, UK based artist Rainbow Winters, who fuses cutting edge science with the high-art of fashion to create visually stunning pieces that have been showcased in music videos, rock-concerts, advertisements, and other red-carpet events, and Dr. Patricia Flanagan, Head of the Wearables Lab at the Academy of Visual Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University.

“After seeing some of these talented artists show their pieces at various events around the world, we extended an invitation for them to participate in this year’s Make Fashion gala, and we’re thrilled that they accepted,” says Hoover. “Calgarians are in for a treat.”

Along with 11 returning and emerging design teams from the Calgary area, Make Fashion 2014 aims to be the biggest and best show to date with a larger venue and more exhibits.
  • What: Make Fashion Show & Gala 2.0
  • Where: WestJet Campus – 22 Aerial Pl NE, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  • When: Saturday, March 1, 2014 from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
  • Tickets: Advance Purchase Here, General Admission (i.e. Standing Room) only to be sold at the door

About Make Fashion

Make Fashion is an initiative that introduces talented local designers to cutting edge new technologies, subject matter experts, and wearable technology. We are a collaboration of great minds who want to explore and demonstrate the convergence fashion and technology.
From awe-inspiring responsive runway dresses to scientific wearables with practical applications, Make Fashion designers are inspired by fashion with functionality.

Our runway gala in Calgary, Alberta is our largest annual event, where we pair fashion designers and artists with engineers and tech enthusiasts. The combination of skills and ideas creates stunning results and groundbreaking fusions of light, fashion and performance.

In addition to our runway series, Make Fashion produces a series of thought leadership symposiums, public-access workshops, and molecular cocktail events.

For more information, please visit makefashion.ca.

About Awesome Foundation – Calgary

The Calgary chapter of The Awesome Foundation (Awesome Calgary) was created in April 2011 and to date has granted $27,000 in no-strings-attached $1,000 micro-grants to enable awesomeness in Calgary. As part of the international Awesome Foundation network, collectively, $873,000 by 89 AF chapters in 18 countries have been granted to inspire and enable awesomeness around the world.

For more information, please visit awesomecalgary.org.

Contacts:

Maria Hoover
Co-Founder, Event Director and Media Coordinator, Make Fashion
Email: maria@makefashion.ca


Reg Tiangha
Dean of Awesome and Media Coordinator, Awesome Foundation – Calgary
Email: reg@awesomecalgary.org

###



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Save the Date: 06/27 is Awesome Day in Canada!

Calgary, AB, June 19, 2013 – The Canadian chapters of The Awesome Foundation have declared Thursday, June 27, 2013, as Awesome Day in Canada and many chapters will be holding special events in their cities to celebrate.

Taking place from coast-to-coast, participating chapters will host a wide range of awesome activities that everyone is invited to take part in.

“This is the first time that such an endeavor has been undertaken by multiple Awesome Foundation chapters not just in Canada, but around the world,” says Reg Tiangha, Dean of Awesome at Awesome Foundation – Calgary and one of the organizers of Awesome Day in Canada.

“We spend so much time devoting ourselves to enabling others to do awesome things that this time, we wanted to team up and organize something that everyone could partake in on a national scale.”

As each chapter is run independently, activities vary from city to city.

In Sarnia, citizens will be invited to blanket the city with messages of awesomeness while Vancouver will be hosting a giant picnic that everyone in the city is welcome to join. Many chapters will be performing “Random Acts of Awesome” throughout the day, which could include anything from free giveaways to flash mobs.

Awesome Calgary will be on Stephen Avenue Walk throughout the lunch hour and early afternoon on June 27 giving away free buttons and Awesome Foundation themed lollipop  Citizens will have the opportunity to have their picture taken along with their awesome idea written on a virtual chalkboard for inclusion in a national photomontage later on.

Calgary’s Awesome Day in Canada festivities will culminate with the awarding of a $1,000 grant to an awesome idea at Awesome Calgary’s $1,000 Thursday presented in partnership with the Calgary Public Library at the Louise Riley Library Program Centre at 6 p.m.

What:   Awesome Calgary’s $1,000 Thursday presented in partnership with the Calgary Public Library
Where: Louise Riley Library Program Centre (1904 – 14 Avenue NW)
When:   Thursday, June 27, 2013 at 6 p.m.

About The Awesome Foundation

The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is an ever-growing, worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of awesomeness in the universe. Created in Boston in 2009, the Foundation distributes a series of monthly $1,000 grants to projects and their creators, which is pooled together from the coffers of ten or so self-organizing “micro-trustees” and given upfront in cash, check, or gold doubloons. Collectively, over $560,000 to date has been awarded to enable awesomeness around the world by 73 chapters in 12 countries. Canada has 17 chapters across six provinces.

Your Idea. Our $1,000. No Strings Attached.

For more information, visit awesomefoundation.org and af-canada.org.

About Awesome Foundation – Calgary

The Calgary chapter of The Awesome Foundation (Awesome Calgary) was created in April 2011 and to date has granted $25,000 to enable awesomeness in Calgary. Submission deadlines are the 10th of every month, and all Calgarians are invited to attend the chapter’s pitch events, which occur during the fourth week of the month.

For more information, visit awesomecalgary.org.

Contact Information:

Reg Tiangha
Dean of Awesome, Awesome Foundation – Calgary


###



The Awesome Foundation celebrates two years of funding innovative ideas in Calgary
The Second Coming of Awesome Calgary will be marked with awarding a total of $24,000 in grants to innovators in the community
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CALGARY, Alberta (April 17, 2013) - The Calgary chapter of The Awesome Foundation is celebrating its second anniversary with former winner and internationally acclaimed artist Caitlind Brown (CLOUD) at its monthly pitch night on April 25 at Endeavor Arts & Design. The celebration marks the foundation’s second successful year in Calgary, and, at the end of the night will total $24,000 in micro-grants funded by volunteer trustees.

The second anniversary and $24,000 milestone celebration will bring together Caitlind Brown and other past winners and submitters at Endeavor Arts & Design with the Calgary chapter's revolutionary Live Pitch Format Grant Application to award their twenty-fourth micro-grant. The event will include
presentations from previous winners as well as live entertainment during the intermission.
"For me, The Awesome Foundation has offered that rare sort of no strings attached funding that every artist yearns for," says Caitlind Brown.
Awesome Calgary is starting off its third year strong, having elected Calgary 2012 Cultural Ambassador Reg Tiangha to the role of Dean of Awesome. The new Dean is already creating a wave of change, forming an executive team he refers to as "Ninjas of Awesome" to lead the foundation into what he hopes to be "a pillar of culture, technology and awesomeness in Calgary.”
"There is a wealth of awesomeness in the city just waiting to be discovered. For our third year, my vision is to seek out and do more to bring as much of that to the surface as we can, and I invite all Calgarians to help us in that endeavor," states Reg Tiangha.

Who:
  • Reg Tiangha, Dean of Awesome




  • Caitlind Brown, artist and former winner

When: The Second Coming of Awesome Calgary will be hosted on April 25th, 2013 at 6:30PM.

Where: Endeavor Arts & Design (200, 1209 - 1 Street SW)

Contact:

Tristan Bauer
Media Relations, Awesome Foundation - Calgary
Email:  tristan@awesomecalgary.org

Founded in Boston in 2009, The Awesome Foundation is a pioneer in the world of micro-grant foundations, with its Calgary chapter designing a Live Pitch format that provides the public an open-doors view of how the organization works and to see just what is being submitted with a request for funding. With 70 chapters worldwide (on every continent short of Antarctica), and being on track to have funded a total of $1 million worldwide by the end of 2013, The Awesome Foundation continues to grow and fund individuals and small organizations with big ideas.




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AWESOME FOUNDATION - CALGARY CELEBRATES A YEAR OF SUPPORTNG GREAT IDEAS – with $1000 CASH AWARDS

Calgary, Alberta, April 24, 2012 -- 

Awesome Foundation - Calgary (AF- Calgary) is part of an ever-growing, worldwide movement to promote awesomeness in the universe.  By giving $1000 cash grants – no strings attached – to everyday Calgarians with nothing more than a great idea, passion and a desire to do something awesome, AF Calgary is the new soil for the grassroots of innovation and creative thought in our city. 

Founding trustee John Smiley says “one of the most powerful things you do for someone is to believe in them.”  AF-Calgary sets out to bring people together to share ideas in a public venue, believe in them and to reward someone each month with $1000 cash to help them with their idea.   

This month's Thousand Dollar Thursday takes place on Thursday, April 26 at Endeavor Arts & Event Space (Suite 200, 1209 1 Street SW) where the public is invited to see the Top4 Finalists for the month of April present their ideas, as well as help celebrate our one year of helping to enable Awesome in Calgary.  Doors open at 6 p.m. and the program will start at 6:30 p.m.  
 
The one year anniversary is a special occasion with some very special things planned.   Calgary’s most awesome Mayor, Naheed Nenshi, will join us as an honourary trustee and will take part in the judging of April’s top 4 finalists.  Also, our silent auction winner from the charity Holipalooza event, Jen Pollock will sit as guest trustee.   

Past winners will be in attendance and the public will be able to meet with the incredible team of trustees who give $100 of their hard-earned money each month to help support people and their ideas, meet our terrific hosts at Endeavor Arts Gallery, enjoy some tidbits from Julie and the fabulous folks at Bite Groceteria and, most of all, share in the awesomeness as the finalists pitch their ideas – someone is going home with $1000 cash. 

The Top4 Finalists and Honourable Mentions for our one-year anniversary are:

Top4 Finalists
  1. The Calgary Cookie Chase by Simon Rock:  "Imagine the Cookie Monster chasing cookies through Marda Loop.  Now imagine that on YouTube done by four 15 year-olds. Yeah."
  2. Awesome Accordions! by Brenda Turley:  "Behind every great accordion, is a great accordionist."
  3. Production Ski Bike by Chic Tyson:  "Ski biking is awesome and easier than learning to ski or board."
  4. Take Off Your Clothes - Calgary Clothing SWAP by Vanessa Erickson:  "Take Off Your Clothes is a giant clothing swap for charity that helps promote the local fashion industry, the community, and on top of that:  It's great for the environment!"
Honourable Mentions
  • Chalk Art by Youth by Barb Drake:  "Young local artists getting exposure and creating original chalk art."
  • Responsive Surface by David Evans:  "A cushion that prevents bedsores."
  • Poster Trail by Matt Gallivan:  "Making nearby posters available through your cell phone."
  • Sched-U-All Student Scheduling Software by Kyle MacQuarrie:  "Building community by allowing students to connect outside of class for group work."
  • Multi-Ethnic Interactive Seminar by Kathryn Fasegha:  "An interactive seminar involving different ethnic groups to address the integration issues of Canadian children born to immigrant parents."
  • Dil Walk by Raman Kapoor:  "Create awareness about heart disease in South Asians as they are higher risk of cardiac events as compared to other Canadians."
  • Prairie Party and Collaborative Barn Dance! by Caitland r.c. Brown:  "Featuring locally created western films, a boot-stomping honky-tonk band and the collaborative spirit of an artist-run festival, Prairie Party is a one-night showcase of art in unexpected places: a windswept prairie field in rural Alberta."
The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is an ever-growing, worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of awesomeness in the universe. The Foundation distributes a series of no-strings attached grants to projects and their creators. The Calgary chapter of this initiative is formed by 13 awesome community leaders who bring $100 to the table each month and stuff a bag with cash to award the Awesome Foundation Calgary $1000 monthly grant. Awesome!  http://awesomecalgary.org

Contacts
Lori Stewart
Founder, Awesome Foundation Calgary

Reginald Tiangha
  Awesome Foundation Calgary Trustee/Media Liaison

###


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUDIO MOB YYC TO BRING CHAOS AND EXCITEMENT TO THE STREETS OF CALGARY!

Calgary, Alberta, August 5, 2011 -- 

Awesome Foundation Calgary, in conjunction with Bow River Flow, is pleased to announce that on Sunday, August 21, Calgary’s great public spaces will be turned upside down by Audio Mob YYC – the city’s first ever audio mob! One part rally, one part party, one part mass mind control, the event will see hundreds of people participating in the city’s biggest-ever inside joke!

Designed to combat the notion that Calgary is all cowboys and corporations, Audio Mob YYC will be a fun, large scale way of showcasing our vibrant streets, stores and spaces, all the while entertaining the plugged-in people who participate... and the mystified passersby who witness the goings on. The hour-long event culminates in an epic group shenanigan which will definitely be talked about for some time to come.

All are welcome to participate. To do so, they need only visit www.audiomobyyc.com to download the audio mob podcast, which will be posted in the days leading up to the event. Participants are not to listen to the podcast until they converge upon the audio mob meeting place at Sien Lok Park on August 21 at 2pm, when they will all listen to the podcast at the same time. The podcast itself contains a series of hilarious instructions and historical insights best revealed on the fly. “We want to show that Calgary is hip, young and full of surprises,” says event organizer Kiran Somanchi, “while providing participants with some interesting details they may not have known about their own city.”

Underscoring Calgary’s awesomeness, the soundtrack to the podcast is comprised of all local music, from beloved veteran acts like Dragon Fli Empire and Axis of Conversation, to emerging talents like YouTube sensation Transit.

Audio Mob YYC is made possible by a grant from the Awesome Foundation Calgary. Originally founded in Boston in 2009, The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is an ever-growing, worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of awesomeness in the universe. The Foundation distributes a series of no-strings attached grants to projects and their creators. The Calgary chapter of this initiative is formed by 13 awesome community leaders who bring $100 to the table each month and stuff a bag with cash to award the Awesome Foundation Calgary $1000 monthly grant. Awesome!

Contacts
Kiran Somanchi, Audio Mob YYC Organizer: somanchi.kiran@gmail.com or 403-370-2444
Reginald Tiangha, Awesome Calgary Media Relations: reg@awesomecalgary.org

For more information:
Lori Stewart
  Founder, Awesome Foundation Calgary

Reginald Tiangha
  Awesome Foundation Calgary Trustee/Media Liaison

###

24 April 2011

For Immediate Release:  Awesome Foundation Calgary
$1,000 FREE GRANT TO BE AWARDED FOR AWESOME IDEAS IN CALGARY APRIL 28, 2011
The Awesome Foundation, Calgary Chapter (awesomecalgary.org) is excited to announce the first group of Top 4 Finalists to compete live for the group’s inaugural $1000 cash prize to be given on the spot Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. at Endeavour Arts Gallery, with special musical guest Melissa D’Souza. 

Just what is the Awesome Foundation?
Originally started in Boston in late 2009, the Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences (awesomefoundation.org) is an ever-growing, worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of awesomeness in the universe.

Based on the power of 10, it’s typically 10 awesome people (trustees) who pitch in $100 each month out of their own pockets to grant $1,000 to the most awesome idea submitted each month, with no strings attached.  The Calgary Chapter of the Awesome Foundation has found 13 awesome Calgarians willing to chip in that $100 per month to give even more flexibility in rewarding awesomeness throughout the year. 

Awesome Foundation Calgary core tenets:
  • We believe people are basically awesome
  • Awesome ideas need to be rewarded
  • Collectively we can do far more than any of us can individually
Why do 13 people want to give money away each month?
The diverse team of trustees all have one common goal in being involved in the Awesome Foundation – they all believe in this city and amazing people who live here.   Awesome Foundation Calgary founder, Lori Stewart says “During the recent mayoral election campaign we shone a bright light on the very vibrant, energetic and creative subsurface in this city and after the election I just couldn’t walk away from that.  My goal is to help raise that awesomeness up to street level in Calgary by rewarding innovative and creative ideas and then providing support to help bring those ideas to life.”

How it works:
The first submission deadline for the inaugural prize was April 10, 2011 and after reviewing all 26 interesting, varied and diverse submissions, the trustees settled on a group of Top 4 finalists and 5 honourable mentions.   Those four awesome finalists will pitch to the trustees – and a live, public audience – in rapid pitch style on Thursday, April 28, 2011.  The $1,000 free cash grant will be awarded on the spot to the most awesome idea. 

Top 4 Finalists:
  • Fire Tornado - Dean Balkenstein
    • An innovative device that marries gas fireplace and dust devil.
  • 100 Year Old Houses - Art Matsui
    • Commemorating Calgary homes that have reached their centennial year.
  • Yes! - Paisley V. Sim
    • Look up to the sky for an inspiring, encouraging, positive message to Calgarians.
  • Meganopoly – J. Snider
    • A take on the classic board game; you can’t pick the top hat, but you could wear one!
Awesome Awards Nights
The monthly Awesome Foundation Calgary $1,000 cash award will be granted on the fourth Thursday of each month in an awesome public venue in Calgary.  The public is encouraged to come and watch the pitches, meet the trustees, and chat with the team about the ideas and potential new ideas. 

April 28, 2011 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Endeavour Arts Gallery - 1209 1st Street SW (upstairs).   Special musical guest Melissa D’Souza will add to the awesomeness of the evening.  
“Someone is going home ... a winner!”

Next submission deadline is Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. and all submissions received by that deadline will have a shot at the next $1,000 grant to be awarded in May. 

For more information:
Lori Stewart
  Founder, Awesome Foundation Calgary

Reginald Tiangha
  Awesome Foundation Calgary Trustee/Media Liaison

###