All tagged Artists of Arts Commons
I’m Priscille Bukasa, a spoken word artist, teaching artist, and arts facilitator at Arts Commons. I’m also a full-time professional artist, and I’ve been reflecting a lot on the importance of rest lately. So, I wanted to share with you about how I’ve learned to be intentional about making time to rest and recoup over the past year.
What does performance mean to you? Is a live performance for everyone? Or does the nature of live shift depending on who is in the audience?
Rukhsar Ali is an arts journalist who is fascinated with how perceptions of race and culture intersect with popular media. In this piece, she shares how cultural factors impact the relationship between creator and audience.
Almost every immigrant has a "love at first sight story" with Canada. I'm not one of those.
When I landed here for the first time it was on one of those -30 degree weeks, cloudy, with dirt and snow-covered roads. For over a week the sky would stand white, the wind cutting through my flesh straight to the bones and all the layers of clothing gave me were rashes and muscle pain.
Why do people live here? That was all I could think.
As we prepare to welcome you back through the doors of Arts Commons, we thought we’d check in with our staff artists, our Artists of Arts Commons, who practice art in their personal time – whether it’s an active hobby or even a secondary career. We’ve been excited to be able to share a wide range of artistic pursuits with you, from painting to dancing, to felting and script writing. In part six of this series, we introduce you to a photographer, a digital artist, and a sculptor.
The Ledge Gallery at Arts Commons is the current home of Nurgül Rodriguez’ exhibition In the Vessel of my Skin, which delves into the coexistence of body and soul and the conflict that can arise from both sharing space––a concept born and exemplified to her during the pandemic. Immigration, gender disparity, and the desire to belong in a new country are all touched upon in a multitude of ways, each expressed using carefully molded porcelain.
Welcome to the fifth instalment of the Artists of Arts Commons, a series sharing the stories of our staff who practice art in their personal time – whether it’s an active hobby or as much as a secondary career. We’ve been excited to be able to share a wide range of artistic pursuits with you, from painting to dancing, to felting and script writing. In part five, we introduce you to a puppeteer, a sketch artist, and a full-time music teacher who are all part of our dedicated front-of-house team.
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 including a painter, a felt artist, and a dance instructor. For some it’s a hobby, and for others it’s a separate career fueled by their passion.
On stage at Arts Commons there’s no doubt that you’ll see amazingly talented people. In part three of this multi-part series, we’ll introduce you to a playwright, a make-up artist, and a miniature painter/ sketch artist 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.
