Artists of Arts Commons - Part four

Time to read: under 6 minutes

On stage at Arts Commons there’s no doubt that you’ll see amazingly talented people. Whether they’re bringing a script to life on stage, making you laugh till your sides ache, or energizing you with a night of amazing music, Arts Commons is a building filled to the brim with talent. Few people think about the individuals behind the scenes that make it all happen.

In part four of this multi-part series, we’ll introduce you to some of our staff who have been secretly (some much less secretively) practicing their art in their off-hours. For some it’s a hobby, and for others it’s a separate career fueled by their passion. In this installment, you’ll meet a dancer who founded her own dance company to inspire babies and toddlers (and their families) with a love of the arts, as well as a felt artist (who also sings in a band), and a painter who has exhibited in the galleries of Arts Commons.

JENNY PETERS
Inspiring youth through the arts has been Jenny’s lifelong passion, whether she’s inspiring students through her work as Education Associate at Arts Commons, or introducing the arts to babies and toddlers through her dance company Bach Tots. Founded by Jenny in 2011, Bach Tots gives access to the arts for families with babies and very young children so that they can experience the arts in a welcoming and "fuss-friendly" setting.

When I became a new mom, I dreaded the thought of being in a place where me and my baby may not be welcome. I spent many wintery afternoons at the mall pondering my re-entry back into the arts in a way that would include an active growing baby but on baby’s terms. Daytime programming conducive to nap schedules, fuss-friendly relaxed environments, and noise – yes… an expected noisy audience in the theatre!

When my daughter was just 6 months old, we saw our first show together at the Calgary International Children’s Festival. It wasn’t so much of a show as an interactive installation that drew children into a theatrical world of a butterfly garden. It was mesmerizing. I fell in love most with watching the young children interact with the live performance, including my own little one who had her eyes fixed on the stage. It was that moment that I decided to take my previous life as a theatre & dance practitioner, and arts educator, and focus on creating work for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers. Thus was born Bach Tots.

12 years later I preach one key thing about creating performances for the early years – the most interesting thing in the room IS the children. Sorry artists. You are a vehicle for creating magical moments for these wonderful tiny humans so that us parents can watch our children watching you!

Bach Tots to date is known for creating relaxed interactive performances, that ensures families know that they belong there – no matter how terrible of a sleep they had the night before, no matter how noisy their infants may be, no matter how late they may arrive! And as much as I love creating work that is full of whimsy and charm with the artists, the moments that shine most in a Bach Tots performance are the ones the children create when they interact with the experience. Maybe it was all an elaborate scheme to grow my own family into the arts, in a place where arts for “early years” (0-6) is sparse. But nonetheless I got hooked into creating art for this most exciting, fun, NOISY audience.

Jenny Peters, Photo by Trudie Lee

While my kids were still little ones themselves, it was easy to keep it fresh as they provided constant input as they grew. But now, my kids are tweens! And life with toddlers seems a distant phase of life. But, through the years in my work with Bach Tots, I have become part of a network of like-minded international artists who believe deeply in performing and visual arts developed specifically for the “early years”. What I notice in this group is a strong group of educators and practitioners who are dedicated specifically to this age. It is as much a specialization as being a contemporary dancer or a Shakespearean actor. And even as a parent of tweens, my fondness for arts for young audiences remains at the forefront.

In 2017 I had the opportunity to go to Bahrain for the Spring of Culture festival with one of our Bach Tots shows. It was an incredible experience. We performed for some school and family audiences. For our interactive, audience participation segments, we had a translator working alongside the artist translating to Arabic. But what was most incredible is that even though we were halfway across the world, there was a familiar energy in the audience as with any Bach Tots show. Parents taking pictures of their kids enjoying togetherness, kids excitedly engaging with the show. It really goes to show that the shared experience of the arts brings us together in a very universal way – whether your 6 or 64, at opposite ends of the world, gathering in the theatre to experience artful storytelling is undeniably in our human nature from the start.

To learn more about Jenny’s work visit bachtots.org

JACLYN BARKER
Jaclyn Barker currently works as part of Arts Commons ticketing services team, but that’s just a small portion of her many endeavours, including needle felting. In 2015, she became a certified hypnotherapist and founded Light Path Therapy. She has also performed for Front Row Centre Players and keeps her love for music alive with her alt-folk band - Golden Dinosaurs.

I was looking for something fairly self-contained to do in-between clients at the clinic I work at (in my non-Arts Commons life, I’m a hypnotherapist.) I initially bought a felting kit to try it out, and then the pandemic hit and I was no longer at the clinic for a while. I ended up finally cracking open the kit in June and immediately fell in love with the medium.

Needle felting involves poking a piece of wool with a needle until it becomes so tangled that the wool holds shape. It’s really a form of sculpting with a medium that you would not expect to be able to sculpt with. I am a lover of all things cute and ‘kawaii’, so I’ve been making characters that fit within that category; from Pokémon to cartoony little Shiba inus that can fit in the palm of your hand.

The time I devote to it can vary from week to week depending on how busy I am, but I do love it as something I can literally poke away at when I have some downtime.

I have been sharing my work primarily through Instagram, and I have already completed a couple commissions, and just took on a few more.

I love that the medium keeps surprising me! The way the felt stiffens and really begins to take form and shape is a delight. I often think, “wow! Felt can do that?”

I have only been felting for a few months, but I’m already thrilled by the results and am excited to keep pushing and see where the medium takes me. I recently started my most complex project yet, and am attempting to make a little felt Sailor Moon figurine. I feel like I get a little braver with every character and keep pushing the limits of what I think I can accomplish.

Felting has certainly helped fill a creative void for me! Pre-pandemic, my bandmates came over to jam every Wednesday. We have not met since February of last year, and I miss making music with them deeply. I know I’m preaching to the choir when I say that it’s been so hard for folks in the live arts; my band released an EP in April and had to cancel the accompanying release concert and it has felt surreal almost as if that release didn’t really happen!

While felting is definitely not the same thing as belting it out with my band, I can still sing while I felt and it gives me a wonderful way to channel my creative energy while at home.

If you are interested in checking out my alt-folk band, we’re called Golden Dinosaurs and our EP Holocene is available on all major streaming platforms.

RAFAL LICHMAN
An essential member of the Arts Commons team, Rafal Lichman has managed millions of dollars worth of venue and facility replacements including, most recently, a massive replacement of all of the speakers both inside and in the lobby of the Jack Singer Concert Hall. When he isn't improving venues for the public, he's putting brush to canvas in his home studio, bringing landscapes, and portraits of people to life.

I’ve been interested in visual art since I was a kid in Poland. In school, I would spend time with my peers who had similar interests and we would spend our free time drawing and showing our work for evaluation and critique – this at a kid level – but it definitely was formative and competitive.

I paint in oils and acrylics, portraits and cityscapes/landscapes. I also draw in pencil and charcoal, mostly portraits and figure drawings during spare time that I have during evenings and weekends. I don’t have a method of showcasing my work, but a couple of paintings did make it to public displays. I enjoy conceptualizing and working through the process while the painting materializes. I seek enjoyment out of this artform by way of understanding techniques and trying to develop a personal style.

I’ve been interested in and practiced drawing and painting from a young age. I spend time evaluating and appreciating other artists’ works which drives inspiration to try their styles and maybe bring their techniques into my own.

I spent some summers with my grandparents when I was a kid. My grandfather would take me and my cousin to museums and art markets in our city. There was an art university, which had students sell their work on a medieval border wall in the old town. I enjoyed seeing their work and the lively/animated attempts at trying to draw in by-passers to buy one of their pieces. I’ve had two pieces in public arts shows, one in the ACAD Spotlight and one in the cSpace People’s Portrait Prize. My kids participate now by joining me with their own works and I hope they will take away an interest in visual art.