The Esplanade Art Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of two new exhibitions, Z’otz* Collective and The Faculty Show, on display until December 18. There will be a reception with the artists on November 24 at 7 PM, part of the Downtown Artwalk and in conjunction with Midnight Madness.

Z’otz* Collective

“It is said that when bats arrive in a new place, they form clusters. This is a central premise for the members of Z’otz*, a Toronto-based art collective comprised of Nahúm Flores, Erik Jerezano and Ilyana Martínez, three artists who initially united because of a shared heritage — all have Latin American roots… Zotz is the Mayan word for bat, represented in pre-Columbian Maya hieroglyphics as the stylized head of a leaf-nosed bat. Rich in dualities, the bat was worshipped for both its dark and light qualities… For this ancient culture, bats were a symbol of dreaming, intuition and vision — of ideas taking flight.” Independent art curator, Mark Laliberte.

The art of Z’otz* tells stories where hybrid beasts and wild characters inhabit odd and imaginary lands. Z’otz*’s quirky and often outrageous work reflects a combined sense of humour that fills their drawing sessions with endless laughter and fun. This exhibition presents Z’otz*’s recent drawings and ceramics and is curated by Mark Laliberte. The exhibition is accompanied by a publication produced in partnership with the Thames Art Gallery, Chatham, Ontario, and the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery, SK.

On November 23-24 Nahúm, Erik and Ilyana will publicly create a 30 foot-long wall mural in the Esplanade Art Gallery, filled with beasts, fables, and humour.

The Faculty Show

Every two years the art and design instructors of Medicine Hat College’s Visual Communications Program show Medicine Hat their all-new paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, graphic design and projected video. The exhibition gives a snapshot of their current creative interests and the issues underlying their work, and showcases their impressive range of artistic techniques. It’s a big biannual show by artists of today, who teach artists of tomorrow.

Download the the full Alberta Art Days 2011 schedule here (.PDF).

The City of Medicine Hat Cultural Development Department and the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre are proud to join in the celebration for Alberta Arts Days from September 30 to October 2, 2011.

“With an array of cultural activities happening in every corner of Medicine Hat over the weekend, the community displays vibrancy like no other in Alberta. This is an occasion for everybody in Medicine Hat to take pride in who we are and what culturally shapes our identity,” says Tobie Laliberte, Marketing/Promotions for the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre (Cultural Development Department).

The weekend will kick off Friday evening with the Downtown Medicine Hat Artwalk putting together a roving art reception called pARTy!. All the galleries downtown will be open from 7 PM until 10 PM, with the exception of the Esplanade Art Gallery which is open until 9 PM. The Esplanade Art Gallery will hold the opening reception of the two latest exhibitions: Michael Campbell’s Field Recordings of Icebergs Melting and Craig Cote’s Surfacing: Metaphor and Meditation, joined by artist Blake Senini from Calgary, in celebration of the completion of Turn, Turn, Turn (AFA/Esplanade public art commission). Molly Johnson will be performing in the Esplanade Theatre at 8 PM.

On Saturday October 1, Medalta in the Historic Clay District, an official host site for Alberta Arts Days, will hold a Raku Festival from 10 AM to 4 PM. Visitors will be able to choose and glaze a piece of pottery, made by Medalta’s volunteers and watch it be fired in their raku kiln. They will also be serving pizza out of the new wood-fired pizza and bread oven. There will be kids’ activities and admission will be free to Medalta’s exhibits.

From noon until 5 PM, the Esplanade will host the City Centre Development Agency Artisan’s Fair where a wide variety of fine art and local craft will be on display and for sale by artists and artisans from our community. There will also be live music in the Studio Theatre with the Academy Orchestra from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM and Bill Wahl’s No Name Combo from 3 PM to 4 PM while Jake Lennox will provide ambient music in the main lobby. The Esplanade café will have an Ice Cream Social. Admission to our Galleries will be free. Take advantage of this day to visit the Esplanade Museum new exhibit, Pack Your Bags! A Kid’s Ticket to Travel. This is an interesting, engaging, informative and very enjoyable traveling exhibition from the Canadian Museum of Civilization. There will be a free shuttle between the Esplanade and Medalta from noon until 5 PM providing everybody with an environmentally friendly alternative to enjoy these two locations. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

CITY AND COLOUR
WITH THE LOW ANTHEM
TUESDAY JANUARY 24, 2012

ESPLANADE ARTS & HERITAGE CENTRE

401 FIRST STREET SW, MEDICINE HAT AB – WWW.ESPLANADE.CA

DOORS 7:00 PM – ALL AGES

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30 AT 10 AM

ADVANCE TICKETS $44.50 (+S/C), available at UnionEvents.com, Tixx.ca, Esplanade Box Office (M-F: 10 am – 5 pm / weekends & holidays: Noon – 5 pm), phone 403-502-8777

City and Colour has announced an extensive and much-anticipated cross-Canada tour. The tour kicks off in Vancouver on January 19, 2012 and wraps up in St. John’s, NL on February 25, 2012, with a few stops in USA border towns along the way. This is the first major national tour since 2008, which sold-out across the country and comes off the heels of an extensive international run, including several sold-out shows in the US, UK and Europe. The tour is in support of Little Hell, the 3rd studio album from City and Colour, currently out on Dine Alone Records.

Pre-sale began Tuesday September 27 at 10AM local time in each city and runs until Thursday, September 29, while pre-sale quantities last. Fans will be able to purchase tickets, during the pre-sale, directly from cityandcolour.ca/tour. Tickets will be available to purchase on their own or with added bonus items including an 18 x 24 screen-printed tour poster designed by Munk One (munkone.com), and a 10″ limited edition vinyl. The 10″ features a live version of “Sometimes (I Wish)” on side A and two unreleased covers on side B. The Canadian colour variant is purple and limited to a pressing of 700 copies. It is the 3rd and final colour in a three colour set (black, green, purple) which were also sold as part of the USA, UK and European tour presale. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

The Esplanade Museum and Archives, in partnership with more than 20 local organizations, celebrate Medicine Hat’s heritage with a public one-day festival on Saturday, August 6th.

This year’s theme is “Crafts of our Past” and is inspired by the current exhibition in the Esplanade Heritage Gallery: Handmade by Altaglass – an exhibit, which chronicles the development of one of Medicine Hat’s unique companies. Also, the theme is very fitting, and completes the Esplanade Glass Filled Summer, along with the Esplanade Art gallery two contemporary glass exhibitions: Natural Flow: Alberta Contemporary Glass and Susan Rankin: Valid Objects of Beauty.

“This year’s we are showcasing crafts of our past, such as glassmaking, and acknowledging how important these were in edifying our community, and how they are still very much important today ,” explains Philip Pype, Archivist.

More than 20 heritage groups and organizations are participating in this year’s festival, contributing to a full schedule of events throughout the day, including:

• Live music in the Studio Theatre
• Vintage toy making in the Discovery Centre
• Storytelling in the Galleries Foyer
• Tours of the Ewart-Duggan House
• Information on the Heritage Garden by Heritage Resources Committee members
• Solar Telescope presented by the Medicine Hat Astronomy Club
• Free Admission to the Esplanade galleries
• Community Showcase
• and more!

The Festival begins at 10 AM on Saturday, Aug. 6 and wraps up around 4:30 PM.

The Heritage Festival at the Esplanade is a free public event that will occur rain or shine. All are welcome to attend, though children must be accompanied by an adult. For more details, visit www.esplanade.ca.

The Esplanade Art Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of two new exhibitions, Les Manning’s Common/Opposites and the 2011 Group Exhibition of the Hat Art Club and the Medicine Hat Potters Association, on display until June 19. There will be a reception with the artists on May 5 at 7 PM.

Common/Opposites

Fresh, highly coloured and all new clay sculptures by Les Manning, the internationally recognized ceramist based in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Joanne Marion, Esplanade Curator of Art, says “For the past several decades, Les Manning has become internationally known for his elegant clay vessels based on the eroded forms of the Rockies. But in these new sculptures, he vaults way beyond into new territory, with brilliant colours, rich textures and powerful, sometimes playful shapes”.

Hat Art Club and Medicine Hat Potters’ Association 2011 Group Exhibition

A longstanding tradition at the Art Gallery, this exhibition gives a glimpse into the creative talents and imaginative interests of Medicine Hat’s own artists and artisans. Curator Joanne Marion comments that this year, “ the Hat Art Club and Potters’ Association are presenting a surprising array of works, from 21st century digital renderings to clay pots inspired by ancient vessels.”

For further information, interviews or images, please contact: THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

The Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre Museum is pleased to host an introductory presentation on our American roots by new Museum Curator, Robert Bruce Shepard, on Sunday April 17th 2011, beginning at 2 p.m in the Cutbanks room.

Issues surrounding the Canada/U.S. border are nothing new, but since the 9/11 attacks they have become more complex, emotional and costly. Many Canadians have experienced the effects of this new border climate and some have been reevaluating their personal as well as their country’s relationship with its huge southern neighbor. Such examinations have led to some surprising revelations for many western Canadians, particularly how many family connections extend south of the border.

The new Museum Curator at the Esplanade, Robert Bruce Shepard, has been investigating the American presence on the Canadian Plains for decades. One of his findings was that the United Farmers of Alberta, a significant agrarian organization, one time governing party of the province and still a major cooperative, had important American roots. He will be discussing this and related matters at the Sunday public event. Admission is by donation and refreshments will be served following the presentation. There will be time to meet the new Curator and discuss both the presentation and the Museum’s plans for the future.

The council voted against the city’s public services committees recommendation to host the 2015 Lieutenant Governer of Alberta Arts Awards, typically a 2-4 day celebration. This event would have coincided with the Esplanade’s 10th anniversary and promote Medicine Hat’s art community.

It’s an estimated cost of $100,000 which has been argued that it would not draw thousands of people to the city the way large sporting events do. However, there’s an opportunity for the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games, which they guess would draw thousands of people – but would also cost $1,000,000.

Ald. John Hamill said the birthday of the Esplanade is nothing to celebrate, as many people opposed building it in the first place and “Many people have never darkened its door, and they never will.” Ald. Graham Kelly said if they’re supporting sports they need to support the arts as well.

The art community in Medicine Hat has grown significantly over the years, and recently lost the Struck Gallery. Now there’s no support for the Esplanade, and despite having equal ratios (10 times the cost, 10 times the turn out)  they’re favoring the sporting event. I would just like to toss in that I, and other people I know, haven’t “darkened the door” of the arena, and when the events center is built I don’t plan on entering it either.

The Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre celebrates Midnight Madness on Thursday, Nov. 25 with a free craft workshop for kids, free admission to the galleries, guided tours, free hot chocolate, door prizes, a discount in the Gift Shop, Medicine Hat Musical Theatre is on the main stage with Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as The Clowns are in Town!, a free event put on by the Historical Society of Medicine Hat and District.

Free Admission to the Galleries Until 10:00 p.m.

Wander through the galleries for free during Midnight Madness or enjoy a guided tour from 6:30 p.m., exhibitions including:

• The Grand Old 76 – A photo and document exhibit about the 76 ranching company
• Edward Burtynsky: Making & Breaking – Dramatic photographs of the Alberta Oil Sands and other locales
• Medicine Hat Photography Club: Human Landscape – Photographs from local artists exploring our place in our environment

Gingerbread Folks Workshop

Discovery Centre – 6 p.m., 7 p.m. & 8 p.m.
The Esplanade Education Program will run a workshop making gingerbread-themed ornaments or cards in the Discovery Centre at 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. All materials are supplied and participants may take home what they make. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

The Esplanade Café is offering free hot chocolate while supplies last and a 10% discount while shopping in the Gift Shop. Both the Gift Shop and Box Office are open until 10 p.m.

The Clowns are in Town!
Studio Theatre – 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
The Historical Society of Medicine Hat and District bring you this event in the Esplanade Studio Theatre about the history of clowning in Medicine Hat, featuring Penny Jackson aka Gummee. This event is free and everyone is welcome.

Jesus Christ Superstar
Main Theatre – 8 p.m.
Medicine Hat Musical Theatre is back for a new year with their adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar. This show illuminates the transcendent power of the human spirit with a passion that goes straight to the heart. Medicine Hat Musical Theatre is on the main stage at the Esplanade with tickets still available at the Esplanade and Mall box offices or online at tixx.ca.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians are asked to pause in memory of the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives in military service. Doors will open at the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre (401 1st Street SE, across from the Library) at 9AM, followed by the service in the Main Theatre at 9:45AM. The Remembrance Day Parade will be commencing from the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre after the Service, and proceed to Riverside Veterans Memorial Park, across from city hall.

Come early for coffee and cookies and join in on Remembrance Day Ceremonies in Medicine Hat.

It’s been a longer than usual wait but One Book One Community (OBOC) 2010 is here at last. If you haven’t read Joseph Boyden’s acclaimed novel Three Day Road, there’s still time to borrow a library copy and immerse yourself in this gripping tale of two Cree snipers in World War I.

The OBOC festivities will begin with ‘An Evening with Joseph Boyden’ on Friday, October 22^nd at 7:00 pm in the Medicine Hat College Theater (refreshments and book signing to follow).

On Saturday, October 23^rd, the action moves to the Esplanade with guest speakers, a panel discussion, dramatic readings from the novel by FUT in the Hat, and facilitated book discussions. Everyone is invited to this book club! All events are free with the exception of Saturday’s lunch (tickets now available).

For more information about Three Day Road and One Book One Community, visit our new website at http://obocmh.ca.