I exist because of music and because of Jasper Place

I exist because of music and because of Jasper Place. Literally. My father immigrated from the Philippines, and my mother migrated from a central Alberta farm. Both were musicians who met on a gig in downtown Edmonton, got married, and then raised their family in the Jasper Place community of Glenwood. Music was like a first language growing up, and participating in the arts is where I learned to connect with community and develop my own sense of identity, meaning, and purpose. Throughout my life, participating in the arts has been a lifeline and continues to weave threads of community, connection, resilience, celebration, and healing.

There is a long history of cultivating the arts in Jasper Place, as it was the original home to the Grant MacEwan Arts campus, in the building now known as the Orange Hub. I recall many rehearsals at the old Arts Campus and jam nights at The Haven Social Club, a thriving venue that used to reside on 15120 Stony Plain Road. Thousands of artists have learned, practised, and developed their art forms here.

Jasper Place is my hometown, where I was born and brought up. It is where I have now settled down to raise my own children, put down roots, and grow! When We Belong in Jasper Place asked the question, "How might we - as a wider community - foster a stronger sense of belonging for everyone who lives, works, and plays in the Jasper Place area?" the answer for me was crystal clear: through the arts!

So, as an artist, musician, mother, health professional, and engaged community member, I am excited to instigate the creation of the Jasper Place Arts Society, a growing collective of locally-based artists with the mandate to present, promote, and foster the arts in Jasper Place. The Jasper Place Arts Festival is our inaugural event and aims to be the first of many events and initiatives that seek to reinvigorate and connect our local community through engagement with the arts.

- Allison Ochoa, Artist & Festival Creator