Archive for the ‘Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre’ Category
Two Thought-Provoking Exhibitions by Medicine Hat Artists Open Saturday at the Esplanade Art Gallery
The Esplanade Art Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of two new exhibitions on display until Apr. 11.
Laara Cassells: e·strange
What does the generation dubbed ‘the intentionally disengaged’ have to do with the long-established tradition of the equestrian (a.k.a. horse) portrait? Artist Laara Cassells is surrounded in her daily life by young people and horses, and in this new and insightful body of work, she brings both together to muse on popular culture and its intersection with the values of tradition and the natural world. Curator of art Joanne Marion comments: “Laara Cassells poses intriguing questions with flashes of humour in these elegant double portraits: about the directions in which today’s digital communications are taking us, about the fate of the natural world, about the meaning of our cultural traditions… and she generously leaves the answers up to the viewer.”
Laara Cassells’ practice as an artist spans painting, sculpture, installation and multi-media performances. Her work has been presented in numerous exhibitions and performances around the world, including Canada, the United States, Hungary, Korea, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Italy. Cassells divides her time between Medicine Hat, where she is a faculty member of the Visual Communications Program at Medicine Hat College, and Sundre, Alberta.
Dana Shukster: Pre-Flight –Trace
Dana Shukster’s recent explorations of the fleeting aspects of light have led to the creation of a series of large scale, sepia-toned inkjet prints on paper. These mysterious images are derived from projected shadows of magpies in flight, and are accompanied in the gallery by video and direct shadow projections. “Dana Shukster’s process is almost scientific in its rationality, and yet the results are certainly poetic and even eerie. Her works give us pause to wonder at the arbitrary nature of our perception of our transitory world,” says curator of art Joanne Marion.
Dana Shukster is based in Medicine Hat, Alberta and has exhibited her work across Canada and in the United States and Europe. Her work has been supported by grants and awards from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and is held in numerous public and private collections in Alberta and British Columbia.
e·strange and Pre-Flight –Trace are on display in the Esplanade Art Gallery until Apr. 11, 2010. The opening reception is Thursday, Mar. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Gallery Foyer. The artists will be present and will give a brief tour of their work. There is no charge to attend the reception and everyone is welcome.
Two Local Dancers Select to Perform Onstage with Ballet Jörgen Canada This Friday
Company also to lead Master Classes for local dancers on Thursday
Toronto-based dance company Ballet Jörgen Canada will give two local Medicine Hat dancers the opportunity of a lifetime this Friday when they perform Cinderella at the Esplanade.
Local dancers Jaimie Kopeck from the Hanson School of Dance and Kelsey Pocsik from the Medicine Hat College Conservatory of Music and Dance will play the roles of ballroom attendants, dancing alongside 15 professional Ballet Jörgen Canada dancers, including Artistic Director and CEO Bengt Jörgen.
Kopeck and Pocsik were selected from a number of local dance students who were nominated by their instructors to submit a short application to Ballet Jörgen Canada. The application asked: what the dancer loved most about dancing, and what the dancer hoped to gain from sharing the stage with Ballet Jörgen Canada. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »
The Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre is pleased to announce that the artists’ proposals for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts competition for the commission of a public work of art are on display until January 28th.
On Alberta Arts Day, September 6th, 2008, the Honourable Lindsay Blackett, Minister of Culture and Community Spirit, announced a partnership between the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) and the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre to commission a work of art in Medicine Hat. The partnership was accepted on behalf of the City of Medicine Hat by Mayor Norm Boucher.
The AFA collection committee has approved a three-year grant totaling $150,000 in support of this commission. The work of art will be part of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts collection but will be located as a long-term installation in front of the north face of the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre. The commissioned artwork will be for the enjoyment of the downtown community, the Medicine Hat public and visitors alike.
Five well-established, professional artists from across Alberta were selected, in consultation with the Alberta Foundation for the Arts staff, to submit proposals for this commission. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »
The Esplanade Education program just announced it is offering another group of art classes for children beginning in the New Year. Children who attend the Winter Art Sessions are given the chance to develop their artistic talent, explore a variety of different art techniques and have fun.
“Along with our regular programming, part of our commitment to meeting the needs of our community is to expose preschool and school-aged children to relevant, fun and practical art and cultural classes,” says Neil Sarjeant-Jenkins, Education Coordinator at the Esplanade.
There are three separate classes for different age groups:
- Preschool session for children 3-5 years on Wednesday afternoons from 1 p.m.to 2 p.m.
- First session on Saturdays for children 6-8 years from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Second session on Saturdays for children 9-12 years from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Registration fees include all materials. Some materials used in the classroom could stain clothing, so students should wear old clothes or bring an apron or paint shirt.
In the Esplanauts Preschool classes, children will have fun playing, exploring their imaginations and creating a variety of art projects. Using story-time, music and the artwork in the Esplanade Art Gallery as inspiration, instructor Stephanie Dalla-Longa will lead the students through their art projects. They will begin to learn about colour, how to paint, sculpt with clay, make prints and draw with a different focus each week.
The school-aged Esplanauts classes will be based in our Discovery Centre and, drawing inspiration from the Esplanade galleries and our environment, instructor Candice Arnold will guide students in their exploration of drawing and sculpting techniques such as contour and shading. Esplanauts engage in a variety of projects during the eight week long session, including: drawing, painting with acrylic and watercolours, printmaking with the etching press as well as clay sculpting.
Winter Art Classes begin Jan. 13. Registration begins Jan. 2, 2010 for Children’s Winter Art Classes and registrations are accepted in person at the Esplanade Information Desk, or by phone with a Visa or MasterCard by calling 403.502.8793.
As an addendum to the Midnight Madness Downtown 2009 article recently posted, the Esplanade has a great line-up scheduled for Thursday:
Medicine Hat Tigers Add to the Madness at the Esplanade
The Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre celebrates Midnight Madness on Thursday, Nov. 26 with a free craft workshop for kids, free admission to the galleries, guided tours, free hot chocolate and popcorn, and an Xbox™ tournament against a Medicine Hat Tiger hockey player. Midnight Madness activities are free and open to the public.
“The Art Gallery and Museum are currently showcasing Hockey Culture at the Esplanade with three exhibitions related to hockey, so it was natural to invite the Medicine Hat Tigers downtown for Midnight Madness to continue the whole hockey theme,” says Joanne Marion, Curator of Art at the Esplanade. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »
The Esplanade Museum and Archives are proud to present Antique Appraisal day at the Esplanade this Saturday from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Two professional appraisers will be on hand to evaluate antiques and artwork.
“This is an ‘Antique Roadshow’-type event, just without the television cameras,” says Donny White, Curator of Cultural History at the Esplanade, referring to the popular CBC television series Canadian Antiques Roadshow and its counterparts in Britain and the United States.
Two types of appraisals will be offered on Saturday:
- Antiques/Collectibles – appraised by Mr. Sheldon Smithens from the Canadian Antiques Roadshow television series
- Art – appraised by Mr. Douglas N. Levis from Levis Fine Art Auctions in Calgary, AB
Tickets are $10 for EACH ITEM you wish to have evaluated and must be purchased in advance. Patrons are limited to having two items appraised per category.
Brad Spence
Ever Active Schools in partnership with Alberta Health Services and the Medicine Hat College Be Fit for Life Centre is proud to present the Second Annual Healthy Active Schools Symposia on Wednesday October 28, 2009 at the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre, 401 – First Street SE, Medicine Hat. The Symposia along with the Medicine Hat Torch Relay Committee and RBC will welcome 2010 Alpine Skier Olympian Mr. Brad Spence at 9:30 am in the Studio Theatre.
Brad Spence
Alpine Skiing
Calgary, AB
- Second place — Canadian
Championships, Slalom - Second place — Canadian
Championships, Super-G - Third place — US National
Championships, Slalom
A member of Canada’s National Alpine Ski Team since 2001, Brad Spence’s dream is to attain a podium finish for Canada in Alpine Skiing at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Competitive sport has taught Spence the values of commitment and dedication. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »
The Village People are discoing their way to Medicine Hat to “rock” The Esplanade on October 31, 2009 at 8PM.
The 6 member disco group needs no introduction as to who they are after being around since the late 1970’s. Their costumes and culturally iconic songs are immediately recognizable to the masses, even to people who do not commonly listen to the group. People are encouraged to wear their best costume (it’s Halloween, after all) as there will be lots of pre-show hi-jinx in the lobby with local band Mahoney and local magic man, Trevor Moore.
Tickets are $39 for regular admission ($44 for balcony) and can be purchased at www.tixx.ca
Joe Rogan is done his stop in Medicine Hat, but there is another huge name in comedy coming to the Esplanade. Mark your calendars – Wednesday, October 21 at 8pm, Deal or no Deal Host, Howie Mandel will be making his way into the Gas City.
The Canadian comedic icon from Kingston, Ontario has had much success in the last few years as he has stared in many Boston Pizza commercials, appeared many times on Live with Regis and Kelly, hosted Deal or No Deal and Deal or No Deal Canada, as well as his comedy show Howie Do It premiered on NBC and Global TV earlier this year. So this is a show you don’t want to miss.
The cost to see Howie is $56.00 + S/C, GST.
Monarch Theatre Grand Opening
After a year of renovations, The Monarch Theatre is ready to open its doors to the public once again. And to celebrate this momentous occasion, the Monarch Theatre and the City Centre Development Agency will be hosting a Grand Opening Gala on Saturday October 24th, 2009 starting at 7:00pm. The event is sponsored by The Lounge Radio Station and CHAT TV.
Guests attending this once-in-a-lifetime red carpet event will be treated to a special evening of opulence and indulgence, beginning with a stroll down the red carpet, into a screening of the classic black-and-white film Casablanca (1943), and then onto a very special, glamorous, 1940’s Hollywood themed after-party at the Esplande.
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