Two things drive the force of nature that is Meg Van Rosendaal: art and connection. With a degree in music from Western University and a diploma in painting and sculpture from Alberta College of Art (now Alberta University of the Arts), Van Rosendaal’s background is in making art. But, for decades now, she has channelled her energy into championing artists and arts organizations and building community. She was on staff at Arts Commons’ predecessor, the EPCOR Centre, and has sat on the Calgary Arts Development board and the City’s public art program board. Van Rosendaal has also been on the ground floor of grassroots initiatives like Find It, a group that created events in Ramsay and Inglewood, among many other projects that have shaped the city’s culture.
These days, Van Rosendaal focuses her energies on Music Mile, an organization she co-founded to support music venues along and near 9th Avenue S.E., from the King Eddy to the Blues Can. “I can’t live without a project. It’s what charges my batteries,” she says. “The biggest thing for me is being with all these like-minded doers who have become my community in Calgary.”