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Art Burn

The art world is turning at 33.3 RPM

Two art records reflect and represent communities near and far

• By: Sandee Moore
• 17/11/2011

CHRISTOPHER FRIESEN Enlarge Image

Members of The Train Gang in Manitoba Folkways

Would a world that turned at 33.3 rpm be a friendlier, more knowable and open world? Two vinyl record projects from Winnipeg curators make the case for a small world where multinational and local stories cross the border from visual arts to music: Manitoba Folkways Collection volume 1, launched by Video Pool Media Arts Centre at the Lo Pub on Oct. 28, seeks to connect listeners to contemporary Manitoban experiences as expressed through the homespun charms of folk music, while a limited edition pressing commissioned by Plug In ICA’s Anthony Kiendl reveals audio eccentricities from a selection of international artists to accompany the CONTOUR moving image biennial he curated in Mechelen, Belgium this fall.
   
What would attract two media arts organizations to an analog relic that is now a hallmark of fetishization and quaint nostalgia? Artists make a habit of turning the tables on the expected, and thus it is with the turntable that old media offers more than new.
   
It offers intimacy — central to Kerri-Lynn Reeves and Jen Delos Reyes’ Manitoba Folkways project. Eschewing the electronic ease with which even the most amateur of musicians can record and disseminate music on a humble household computer, they chose to replicate the methods of ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, and seek expressions of contemporary life in song through a friendship network in rural areas. They then produced as an LP record — an object to hold, caress with ones’ hands and cozy up to for some close listening.
    
While I wish that there was more information about the songsters included in the Manitoba Folkways Collection album and some anecdotes about the relationships formed between the artist-initiators of the project and the musicians, I can’t deny that it’s a very listenable record. While I was otherwise occupied with packing and good-byes on the eve of its launch, I heard enthusiastic reports on the liveliness of the launch party, where copies of the album were given away. The chiming voice and strumming guitar of Demetra Penner’s Arctic Sea is my favourite track from the record, which can also be streamed online at http://www.canadianfolkways.com/.
   
I think this song would be perfect paired with Pierre Bismuth’s madcap, tinkling piano composition included on the CONTOUR/Plug In Editions record, Sound and Vision: Beyond Reason, available at Plug In ICA. While Penner’s song is mournful, Bismuth’s gives me the giggles and reminds me of a small child pretending to play an intricate piano composition. The CONTOUR/Plug In Editions  album is adorned with various non-reflecting images of mirrors — a troubling metaphor for the messages of contemporary art. Inscrutable but awesome!
   
Although I have traded the wintery chill of Winnipeg’s autumn for West Coast drizzle, it’s still the perfect season to trade dressing up to go out to a gallery for unwinding of yarns and spinning of giddy melodies from a record that brings worlds together — the CONTOUR/Plug In Editions record includes everything from Chicks on Speed’s fantastic electroclash to metal and archival spoken word by Brion Gysin; Manitoba Folkways Collection Volume 1 ranges from string-pickin' country to rez rap.
   
Sandee Moore is an intermedia artist, a former director of Video Pool and occasional arts writer. She has returned to the mild climes of her B.C. home and this will be her final column for Uptown.
 

http://www.pekintimes.com/features/x1696634400/Stretching-photography-to-the-limits

Hard work & research helps with challenging creative process

By Gene Still

Updated 7 hours ago

For Carman-born author Craig Russell, the creative process involves hard work and research.

Russell, the son of Harold & Lillian Russell of Carman, is the author of the book Black Bottle Man. The novel is one of five finalists selected for the Canadian 2011 Prix Aurora Award for Best English novel.

The creation was the culmination of two years of work for Russell who is also a lawyer and resides in Brandon.

Black Bottle Man focuses on the main character Rembrandt, the only child in the tiny community of Three Farms. After seeing his aunts are desperate for babies of their own, he wants to help.

And help arrives in the form of a magic bottle and a sinister deal with the Black Bottle Man. Determined to undo the wager, Rembrandt, Pa and Uncle Thompson head out on the journey of a lifetime. If they stay in one place more than 12 days terrible things happen. And it leaves them wondering where and when will they find someone to defeat the Black Bottle Man.

"I'm really happy with the story," Russell said.

He also said that while Rembrandt made a questionable deal, it wasn't for selfish reasons. It was to help his aunts but he is left paying the consequences.

And that's unlike other novels where the main character enters into similar deals but usually for selfish reasons. But in this story, Rembrandt just wants to help his family.

"They're just regular people other than these fantastical elements they're dealing with," he said.

Hobo Sub-culture

Russell, who graduated from Carman Collegiate in 1973, studied the hobo sub-culture as part of his research.

He got some inspiration after learning about hobos and their signs they would communicate with by leaving marks - for example - on a tree of a property to send a message to other hobos.

"I read a lot of history about the hobos and hobo signs," Russell said. "There's a real appeal to try and express things in an interesting way."

And when it came to the writing process the formula was simple – hard work.

"Certainly the discipline side is important," he said. "It's very meticulous, detailed work and you need to be very focused and pay attention to details."

The author also made sure he was ready to record ideas, regardless of where he was.

"I had to keep a pen and paper handy and scribble notes," Russell said. "I would often write for three hours straight and out of that I would get something for the book.

"It was quite a challenge. I would take a week off as holidays and treated it like a 'writing week'."

He also was creative in helping his book's characters come to life for the reader.

'Steel Ribbed Pen'

"It was an interesting combination. The story was on computer, but I had an old steel ribbed pen dipped in ink and wrote things they [characters] may write," he explained.

Russell has also been an active participant as an actor and director, in what he calls a "strong Brandon theatre community".

"The theatre was quite a help to me," Russell said. "I prefer directing. Acting is a lot of fun, but directing is what I enjoy the most.

"When you say a line, you know from the audience's response if it works or not. And that helps when you're writing [a book] and telling the story."

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"Patterns of change: the art of conservation"

"Patterns of Change: The Art of Conservation"

Updated 1 day ago

Quilting and conservation are topics not usually linked together, but they are beautifully connected in "Patterns of Change: The Art of Conservation."

The art exhibit organized by A Rocha Prairie Canada is featured at the Pembina Hills Art Gallery in Morden during February.

Made up of 25 eighteen-inch squares, the quilt was originally crafted for display at the Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference in Winnipeg last February.

The conference attracted hundreds of participants from the prairie region including volunteer staff from A Rocha Prairie Canada—Paul Goossen, Nick Pharaoh and Larry Danielson. The three attended the opening ceremonies that introduced the "Patterns of Change" conference theme and showcased the quilt.

"I expected the conference would have good presentations and workshops dealing with the protection of species and preservation of habitat," Danielson recounts. "But I was surprised by the 'Patterns of Change' quilt. It provided an artistic focus and a personal warmth for the proceedings."

According to Marilena Kowalchuk, one of the conference planners, establishing such an emotional connection was a goal of the quilt project.

"We know the science, we know the problems, we know what needs to be done," she says. "Now how do we get people to care enough to change their destructive ways?"

That change-oriented goal remains the same for A Rocha organizers of the exhibit in Morden.

"We believe that art can convey a powerful conservation message," says Danielson, who approached Kowalchuk requesting Morden be included among the post-conference exhibition sites for the quilt.

Besides being presented by A Rocha Prairie Canada, the exhibit has another local connection: the quilting and binding was done by Katie Friesen, a well-known quilter in southern Manitoba.

"It's amazing to see," Friesen says. "The individual blocks are remarkable."

Among the squares that Friesen finds especially interesting is one called "Traditional Knowledge." It utilizes dyes from wild grape, dock root and acorn shells and also incorporates bison hide, deer hide and Wolf Willow seed.

As planners for the Prairie Conservation & Endangered Species Conference brainstormed for a theme, an aerial perspective of the prairie landscape came to mind with its grid pattern of roads and different land covers. From that emerged the "Patterns of Change" conference theme and the idea of a patchwork quilt as a perfect symbol to embody the spirit of the Canadian prairies.

"Everyone who attends the conservation conference cares about the prairie landscape and endangered species," says Kowalchuk, one of the planners. "But what every event like this needs is something to punctuate the experience, to make it more memorable. I think the quilt did just that."

Many women contributed to the creation of the "Patterns of Change" quilt. Squares came from all the three prairie provinces with contributors based in such large cities as Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon and small towns like Pierson, Carberry and Reston. Credits even include such agencies as Prairie Conservation Forum and Oldman Watershed Council - not familiar names in quilting circles.

The "Patterns of Change" images reflect a variety of themes: changing seasons; aspects of weather; plants, birds, animals and insects; grassland, wetland and woodland habitats and agriculture and industry.

One square, entitled "Homestead" honours pioneers who settled the prairies. It incorporates a piece of material made by Gertrude Leigh, the quilter's grandmother who farmed in southwestern Manitoba over 50 years ago.

The quilt front was assembled by four Winnipeg women - Peggy Westhorpe, Janet Moore, Mary Sylvester and Marilena Kowalchuk.

When she is not busy quilting, Kowalchuk works as riparian program co-ordinator for Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation. She presented a conservation / nature talk for A Rocha in Morden a year ago on managing the water's edge. She returned in July as one of the speakers at the riparian field day held along the Deadhorse Creek.

Visitors to the "Patterns of Change" exhibit will see her quilt square "River," depicting an aerial view of a river surrounded by the patchwork sections of prairie land.

A Rocha Prairie Canada, the local sponsor of the quilt exhibit, is a faith-based conservation organization active in this region with conservation projects and environmental educational.

It will host a public reception for the exhibit at the Pembina Hills Art Gallery Friday (February 4) at 7 p.m. The reception will include remarks by Ms. Kowalchuk, a nine-minute PowerPoint presentation documenting the creation of the quilt and special music by Susan Pharaoh (celtic harp) and Marg Kelso (cello).

- submitted by Larry Danielson

Sweet music and tantalizing desserts await community members at Carman Collegiate.

A fundraising event on Feb. 17 includes the area's best musicians as the Prairie Red Coats band joins local grade 7 to 12 students.

Carman senior high band teacher, Rian Cooper is excited about the event.

"The students are working hard for this as proceeds go towards the grade ten to twelve band trip," Cooper said.

Variety Of Styles

As practice notes drift down the school hallways, preparation is well underway. Selections played by the students will feature a variety of musical styles.

Clint Rivest directs the grade 7 and 8 groups.

"That includes a wonderful dessert as well as the entertainment," said Cooper. "Prairie Red Coats are a outstanding band which gets audiences toes tapping every performance. People know the name well." Directed by Miami teacher, Bernard Helfter, the band includes Cooper a trumpet player.

Tickets are available at the door for $5.

It is part of a busy year for the Carman students as they are also adding the Tempo Band Festival on April 19 and the Arts Appreciation Evening June 7 at 7 p.m. to their schedule. Both these events will be at Carman Collegiate as well.

For more information call the school at 745-2001.

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(Photo by Glen Hallick) Author Sonja Crawford with her second book, which like the first was illustrated by local artist Jacqueline Leyenhorst.

 

Local artist returns to illustrate second book

By Glen Hallick

  

Once a runaway girl Sam is all grown up, married, a mother and runs a dog shelter.

That's how Winnipeg author Sonja Crawford set up the second of three books: The Soul of Sarna: the Council.

The 142-page novel resumes the story of the Dog of Fate and explores the mysterious Council, to which Sarna is accountable to.

"The Dog of Fate helps people achieve their destiny," Crawford said.

Returning For Second Book

It was illustrated by Carman artist Jacqueline (Vanderpol) Leyenhorst, who did the artwork for the first book, The Soul of Sarna: a Shift in Fate.

As with the first book Leyenhorst based Sarna on Crawford's real dog Major.

"The other dogs are all different and Sonja gave me free reign on the other characters," Leyenhorst said.

The Soul of Sarna: A Shift in Fate was released about a year ago and chronicles the meeting of Sam and Sarna. As a young girl Sam ran away from her new home in Gilbert Plains, Man. yearning for her life in Kitchener, Ontario.

She decided to return to Gilbert Plains and on the way back she is in trouble and is befriended by Sarna.

The third book, due out this time next year, will further explore the Council and its leadership.

Positive Energy

Crawford said the purpose of the series, targeted for kids between eight and 14 years of age, is to explore positive energy and the 'better good' in people.

The book is available at Toew's Printing in Carman, McNally-Robinson in Winnipeg and online at Mikson Books (www.soulofsarna.com).

"This is a true Manitoba book," Crawford said. "It's written by a Manitoban, illustrated by a Manitoban, and printed in Manitoba."

 

Manitoba News Release
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November 19, 2010

MARCELINO ACKNOWLEDGES TALENT OF MANITOBA ARTISTS
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Province Announces $250,000 in Funding to Support National Arts Centre's Prairie Scene Festival


Culture, Heritage and Tourism Minister Flor Marcelino today announced funding of $250,000 to support Prairie Scene, a two-week festival in the nation's capital that will showcase Manitoba artists from April 26 to May 7, 2011.

"There are many talented artists located throughout Manitoba and I am certain the group chosen to represent Manitoba at the festival will do the province proud," said Marcelino. "Support for Prairie Scene reflects our government's ongoing commitment to the many artists living in Manitoba and our desire to provide opportunities for them."

Prairie Scene is the latest in a series of festivals produced by the National Arts Centre.  The festival will embrace the diversity of the arts and culture in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The festival will feature a comprehensive mix of theatre, dance, music, visual arts, film, literature and culinary arts.

The National Arts Centre began the festival in 2003 with the Atlantic Scene, then the Alberta Scene in 2005, Quebec Scene in 2007, B.C. Scene in 2009, and now the stage will be set for the prairies.

The National Arts Centre will present 80 different events over the 13-day festival in multiple venues across Ottawa.  Part of the goal is to propel the careers of young artists by introducing them to a group of well-known presenters.

The $250,000 in provincial funding will offset the fees, travel costs and expenses associated with the participation of Manitoba artists and arts organizations.


"By supporting Prairie Scene we are enhancing Manitoba artists' opportunities for exposure, both nationally and internationally," said Marcelino. "Everyone who attends the Prairie Scene will get a taste of the special talents Manitobans have come to enjoy. I am sure all the artists who participate will be great Manitoba ambassadors on the national stage."

Tragically Hip drummer part of group to perform in Sperling

Local News

Johnny Fay to be guest member of Sleddogs

By Glen Hallick

Updated 3 hours ago

The drummer from one of Canada's most famous bands will be playing in Sperling on Oct. 1.

Johnny Fay of the Tragically Hip will join singer/bassist Kenny Byrka and guitarist Michael Donley of the Sleddogs at Potter's Night Gallery.

Sleddogs' manager Kathy Lynn said the trio will perform an acoustic set beginning at 6 p.m. 

Lynn said Burka - who resides in Graysville - asked Fay if he was available.  With the Tragically Hip not currently touring, their drummer agreed to come to Sperling  to perform with his friends.

Mixing arts and music sounds good to GPAC

Features

By Gail Aubin, For The Valley Leader

Posted 21 days ago

(Submitted photo by GPAC) Jake's Gift, a play about a Second World War veteran who returns to the beaches of Normandy, is among the fall shows planned by the Golden Prairie Arts Council in Carman.

Golden Prairie Arts Council is known in the Carman area simply as "GPAC".

It is made up of a board of eleven arts orientated minds with two energetic employees, Jane McDonald and Brenda Kidd.

Many are often amazed to learn what GPAC organizes and sets in place.

Four main areas are covered with music classes, arts classes, exhibitions and performing arts. Special events are added as requests and needs arise.

McDonald and Kidd took time out from setting up the current art display to explain the upcoming year's activities.

"Our music classes offer piano and drum. Pianist Sherri Bergen has a full slate on Mondays but Francine Adelman on Wednesdays has some time yet," said Kidd.

And with many students signing up, there is a need for diversity.

"Our drummer is from Portage la Prairie and he is excellent. At this time we need a vocal, guitar and fiddle instructor," McDonald said. "There are many requests for those lessons. We will continue to offer dance classes, we were quite full last year. A ballet instructor is needed too."

McDonald noted that meeting the community's needs is a priority.

"We like requests; they are always good to have. In the visual arts area, we have had painting, finishing rug hooking and paper marbling (paper marbling is a method of aqueous surface design, which can produce patterns similar to smooth marble or other stone)," she said. "Also, clay classes and water colour have been very popular."

GPAC is hoping to have a darkroom set up and made available in the near future for photographers in that visual medium.

Exhibitions are from September to June (except in January).

Right now Dale Mackenzie from Dryden has an exhibit until Sept. 30 entitled "Fish Out of Water".

Often there will be group exhibits and art mentorships displays in the gallery.

"GPAC also helps coordinate art mentorship with the high school," said Kidd. "We also have other painting, photography, art and a local show and sale."

Performing arts is a huge area for GPAC, one that most people know about. Often people ask about Manitoba Theatre Centre's travelling show which is often the most popular event.

This year it is on Feb. 18, Wingfield On Ice.

GPAC enlists the help of local young people to help set up and take down which is a "very professional experience," added Kidd.

The concert series is also top notch.

The three fall shows include the famous Manitou yodelers Stew and Juanita Clayton, "Jake's Gift" a play about a WW2 veteran who returns to Normandy and the French Canadian group, "Labardasse" (to make a ruckus with a lot of musical fun and culture).

They run Sept. 24, Oct. 24 and Nov. 26, respectively.

An added bonus is Juno nominated, John Wort Hannam from Alberta.

Wort is a folk singer and songwriter.

"This Oct. 3 concert will be wonderful", said Kidd. "We had to have him back again. In fact, all our performers are so giving, so there for the audience. They love coming to Carman."

In the meantime, Kidd and McDonald and the GPAC council are busy getting ready for their many activities.

"We are here Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and the door is always open from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on those days," said McDonald.

With extra support from the provincial government, Canadian Heritage and Arts Stabilization and local councils and businesses, they said GPAC is on solid ground.

For more information e-mail gpac@mts.net or call GPAC at 745-6568. Their website is

www.gparts.ca

Article ID# 2741114

GPAC Unveils Outdoor Mural Project

On November 7th, 2009 Golden Prairie Arts Council of Carman was thrilled to unveil the first in a series of Railroad Murals at the GPAC courtyard (site of the old CN station) and home of Golden Prairie Arts Council. Last summer, the Arts Council undertook a project to create an outdoor meeting courtyard that would be welcoming, visually interesting and consistent with a railroad theme. The project was partially funded by a Hometown Manitoba Meeting Places grant.

The idea was to have regional artists take on the task of creating 4 X  4

paintings that would be a complement to the Railroad station and would capture some of the romance of Railroad stations and railroading. 8 Regional artists were selected for murals this year and another group of 6 to 8 artists will be selected for 2010. This year artists Janae Mackinnon-Carman, Justin Morrison Elm Creek, Pat Painchaud Carman, Justin Petkau Carman, Ken Potter Sperling, Christie Stone Carman, Jackie Vanderpol Carman and Debbie Watt of Carman contributed colorful interpretations of what railroads mean to them.  They are great to look at and have proven to be a very nice feature at Golden Prairie Arts Council.

Town Councillor Mr. Wayne Hiebert was on hand to unveil these first murals along with a crowd of about 100 people. If you are in Carman, be sure to come by the gallery and enjoy these fun murals.