Has Black History Month lost its meaning?
The trouble with Black History Month isn’t over the fact that it happens to be the shortest month of the year. It’s the word “black.” Does it mean African, and if so what part of Africa? It’s a big continent. It could mean Caribbean or American, descendents of American slaves. And what about black people […]
Colleen Brown to reveal alter ego at Rip Roarin’ Refinery
Singer-songwriter Colleen Brown has long relished the idea of creating an alter-ego – and now, as the creative director of the Art Gallery of Alberta’s “Rip Roarin’ Refinery” party happening Saturday, June 1, she gets her chance. “Gilda Brass” will be making her stage debut at the arty party celebrating AGA’s new exhibit The Piano. […]
ART: Nothing Earth shattering at Biennial exhibition
As amusing and sometimes inspiring as it is, don’t expect breakthroughs in “new” art at the 2013 Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art. It tries to be contemporary. As soon as you enter the foyer of the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA), you’re served the message: “This isn’t going to be your parents’ art exhibition.” The […]
ART: Every day was Halloween for medieval monster makers
Zombies want your brains and vampires want your blood, but the modern pop monsters have nothing on the creepy creatures lurking in the Art Gallery of Alberta – they want your souls. The macabre exhibition “Beautiful Monster: Beasts and Fantastic Creatures in Early European Prints” opened just in time for Halloween and is up until […]
ART: Talent overcomes cultural supression in Alex Janvier at the AGA
The superb collection of some 90 artworks making up the Alex Janvier exhibit at the Art Gallery of Alberta touches on many levels. Primarily abstractionist, Janvier’s colourful, curvilinear assemblies inspired by traditional themes are well represented at the AGA, from their exploratory beginnings in the 1960s through the ‘70s when they became his most familiar […]
ARCHITECTURE: Douglas Cardinal vs. the soulless city of glass
Architect Douglas Cardinal has always sought to incorporate both history and natural surroundings into his designs, which range from the Telus World of Science here in Edmonton and the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, to the Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. So how will the Calgary-born, award-winning aboriginal designer be received when […]
QUILTING ROCKS: It’s all about the grannies at AGA Refinery Party
Quilting with granny is not usually on the itinerary for your average hip party – but no average party is a Refinery Party. Saturday night at the Art Gallery of Alberta, the conversational topic over drinks, rock ‘n’ roll singalongs and various good times shall be the merits of “textile art.” Consider the obvious: Textile […]
5 Artists 1 Love to showcase black artists, music at the AGA
Every time Black History Month comes along, we hear the same questions: Why do we even need a Black History Month, and if we do, why is it in the shortest and coldest month of the year? Dismissing the latter as coincidence, we trot out that now famous Morgan Freeman quote: “I don’t want a […]
Edmonton visual artists debut shows at Latitude 53, AGA
It’s hard not to be amazed – or sometimes amused — by the manner in which visual artists try to convey their intent. After all, many of them are typical introverted artsy types at heart, as Ursula K. Le Guin once accurately noted, and not prone to self –promotion. So sometimes the descriptions are as […]
