Alberta art scene members named to Order of Canada
Three of four appointees from Calgary
Desiderantes meliorem patriam.
Translated, the Latin motto for the Order of Canada means to “desire a better country.”
And that’s exactly what Calgary’s Denise Clarke, one of the city’s best-known dancers and choreographers — and now appointee to the Order of Canada — sets out to accomplish with her art.
“I do desire a better country,” said Clarke, one of 90 Canadians named Monday to the Order of Canada.
“I know that watching people express their own personal truths is a kind of small, cellular activity that contributes tremendously to a better civilized society.”
Clarke, a longtime member of local performance company One Yellow Rabbit, Bob McPhee, CEO of Calgary Opera, and philanthropist Joan Snyder — all from Calgary — were among the four southern Albertans to be appointed to the Order.
Mary Hofstetter, from Banff and Stratford, Ont., was recognized for her work in transforming the Banff Centre into a leading arts institution.
Gov. Gen. David Johnston announced the new appointments, which include highprofile recipients such as former deputy prime minister Don Mazankowski, retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps, and journalist Steve Paikin.
Several members of Canada’s arts community were also recognized, including actor and director Sarah Polley, author Douglas Coupland, and musicians Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo fame.
Established in 1967, the Order of Canada has extended membership to more than 6,000 people in recognition of their achievements internationally, nationally and locally.
Recipients are chosen upon the recommendation of an 11-member advisory council, which includes the chief justice of the Supreme Court and the Clerk of the Privy Council.
McPhee, a baritone who has performed in theatre, opera, radio and television, first worked for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet before joining the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
He went on to head the Edmonton Symphony Society and Edmonton Concert Hall Foundation before returning to Calgary in 1998, joining Calgary Opera as CEO — a position he still holds.
Clarke, who joined One Yellow Rabbit in 1983, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary earlier this year in recognition of her longtime work in the city’s arts scene.
“I believe deeply and passionately that our society needs introspection and a mirror to look into,” she said. “And certainly that is our job as artists. To provide that mirror and feedback to ourselves and therefore society in general.”