from Alberta Connections, Fall, 1995

Edmonton artist Peggy Heer is on the 'net. CultureNet, that is. For artists like Heer, CultureNet is an electronic "home" for information about themselves and their work. Heer's home page on the World Wide Web is complete with a photo of her pottery, information about her specialty (primitive fired work), and listings of current gallery displays and public collections.

CultureNet went online on May 1, 1995. It is a project of the University of Calgary's Faculty of Fine Arts, in cooperation with the Canadian Conference of the Arts and the Canadian Institution for Theater Technology. Financial support comes from the Canadian Network for the Advancement of Research, Technology and Education (CANARIE).

Alongside the home pages of individual artists, CultureNet houses the pages of a wide variety of cultural organizations. The groups provide information about themselves, their seasons, programs and artists. These listings, and the pointers to other cultural sites on the Internet, make CultureNet a rich resource for the Canadian cultural community.

The network also offers an optional communication service. Subscribers to this service have access to e-mail and electronic conferencing. Conferencing online is expected to be a valuable tool for small work groups and committees, allowing them to meet without traveling.

"Anything that can be done to improve communication among cultural workers is a good thing," says Ken Hewitt, CultureNet project manager. "This is particularly so in times of fiscal restraint and cutbacks. Working electronically is the smart way to go."

CultureNet can be reached at http://www.ffa.ucalgary.ca