All in Arts Commons Presents
Our provincial government is lifting all Covid-19 restrictions as part of “Alberta’s Open for Summer Plan”, on July 1. And while some may be ready to jump into a no-restrictions summer with both feet, others are still feeling a little tentative and only ready to dip a toe in. We’ve rounded up a few ideas for both the jumpers and the toe-dippers to safely enjoy the arts this summer.
When I graduated from SAIT with a Diploma of Journalism in 2013, my parents gave me a book, Flight of the Hummingbird. It tells a story of a raging fire threatening a forest, where animals of all shapes and sizes flee the wall of flames. Every animal, from the bear to the eagle, lamented on their helplessness in the face of such a tragedy and each proclaimed why it was hopeless to try and fight the fire. Throughout this, a single hummingbird flew from the river, carrying a bead of water in its tiny beak and dropped it on the towering inferno. The bird repeated this until the other animals asked why the hummingbird was doing this, to which it replied. “I’m doing what I can”.
When Peter Moller was a little kid, he went to The Grand theatre to watch his very first movie along with his parents and his brother. The Danish family of four was sitting in the iconic Calgary landmark, built in 1912, feeling comfortable on those green leather seats housed in the same space where audiences had seen The Marx Brothers perform, Nelly McClung speak, and crowds rally for both the Liberal and Conservative parties.
Ready to see something new? Want to stretch your theatrical boundaries? Maybe learn a bit about yourself? You need to stop by and check out the TD Amplify Cabaret series. These free no-holds-barred cabaret style performances celebrate a groundswell of Calgarian artistic talent from outside the ‘mainstream’ and you’ll be able to watch it virtually, from the comfort of your own home.
In June 2020 we caught up with artistic duo NASARIMBA, the muralists who’ve been making their mark all throughout Calgary. Since then, Rachel Ziriada and Mikhail Miller have been busy developing their practice and finding new ways to create and interact with their audience, including collaborating with Edmonton-based artist Jill Stanton last summer for the Beltline Urban Murals Project (BUMP) festival and taking part in the RBC Emerging Visual Artists Program. Originally scheduled to work in the Ledge Gallery at Arts Commons, they’ve alternatively migrated their work to a home studio in order to adapt to current restrictions. Needless to say, a pandemic has not meant stagnation in their work.
As we near the final presentation of National Geographic Live Virtual, Mysterious Seas with Diva Amon and David Gruber, we are grateful to Calgarians for wholeheartedly embracing these virtual events. Since its premiere in February, 18,175 households have signed up—approximately 46,000 people—to experience these live presentations.
When Braving Beauty Cabaret co-curators Toyin Lamas and Marshall Vielle came together to conceptualize the show, they knew that they wanted to share stories: stories from Indigenous artists from Treaty 7, the First Peoples of this land, and stories from members of the African diaspora in Calgary, many of whom have arrived recently by comparison. Between these two groups there are more commonalities than you might think, woven deep into their ancestral traditions and culture – commonalities of storytelling and dance, colour and vibrancy.
When you “step” into the virtual Lightbox Studio at Arts Commons, you will notice a large shape greeting you at the door and oversized fabric limbs hanging from the walls of the studio. Soon Darryl Sinclair, multidisciplinary artist, designer, and current resident artist at the Lightbox Studio, will turn that giant shape into a stuffed monster – one that doesn’t feed on typical monster fare, but the messages of stress and anxiety from visitors like you. It’s all part of Darryl’s project Stress is a Monster that Eats me Alive.
