Posts Tagged ‘Medalta’
From 11:00am – 3:00pm on Saturday, September 18, the Historic Clay District is holding a fundraiser while making the museum, Squared Gallery and Shaw Centre open to the public at no charge. All proceeds from this event will go directly to Friends of Medalta Society. Food and refreshments will also be available.
For Alberta Arts Days 2010, some of Medicine Hat’s potters have come together to create bowls and figurines which visitors will be able to glaze before being fired in a raku kiln. Raku is a historical pottery technique that originated in Japan. The pots are heated up to 1,000 degrees celsius relatively quickly (45 minutes). Once the pots reach this temperature they are taken from the kiln and plunged into combustible material such as sawdust. This produces smoke that reacts with the glaze to create truly unique surfaces that highlight the mysterious marks of the fire.
The costs of this event have been generously covered by Cancarb Ltd. and Crescent Heights Safeway. Historic Clay District Marketing & Fundraising Coordinator is pleased with the community support. “Events like this really showcase the support we have in the community. Whether it is Medicine Hat’s potters coming together to volunteer their time to create pots or organizations like Cancarb and Safeway who are happy to help us with our fundraisers, we have a strong network of people dedicated to seeing the Historic Clay District come to life.” THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »
The Medicine Hat Photography Club is presenting “The Road Less Taken”, a gallery showing of photography from club members, taking place at the Medalta. The full show is running from July 5th through until the 30th, but the gala opening is taking place tonight (July 6th) at 7PM.
There will be snacks, drinks and a live performance by Poet Lark. A table will be set up with a guest book and a chance to win a print of your choice.
If you don’t know, the Medalta is located at 713 Medalta Avenue SE and the work will be shown in the Medalta Squared Gallery.
The First Year students in the Visual Communication program at The Medicine Hat College are holding an exhibition at the Medalta Squared Gallery to showcase their best work so far in their career as artists.
The show runs from January 21st to February 1st and the opening reception is on Friday, January 29th at 8:00PM.
There will, as usual, be snacks and drinks for guests to partake in. Go have a looksee.
Last week I came up with the idea to try to expose Hatters to the wide world of media by doing more than merely reporting on the current media happenings in Southeastern Alberta. So, I present to you, Art Exposure, a semimonthly post that will attempt to bring attention to local media focusing on art, and also media that has either historic significance or that we think is just really cool. Feedback would be greatly appreciated, let us know if you think this is an awesome idea, or something better left in the recesses of my brain.
Tour at The Medalta from Medalta.org
To kick things off I wanted to bring a focus to a part of Medicine Hat’s history that I think is under appreciated: the Historic Clay District. Once home to one of the most important clay factories in Canada, this 150 acre area is now home to a museum aimed at informing Hatters of their industrial heritage. Medalta Potteries, Hycroft China, National Porcelain and Alberta Clay Products were once responsible for producing 75% of Canada’s clay products and now aim to educate visitors through interactive tours displaying the main implements used to create clay products.
The success of the Clay District is due in part to the easy access to both natural gas to fuel the kilns, and the clay, which was taken from the hills directly behind the factory. The expansive railway lines that have connected the Gas City to the rest of Canada since the late 1800’s also triggered the success of Medicine Hat’s industry. This “perfect storm” of resources allowed for a booming and prosperous industry to take hold. Rudyard Kipling even said Medicine Hat had “all Hell for a basement” when he witnessed the city’s immense success and the industrious people that made it happen.
Throughout the months of September to May the museum is open from 10:00 to 4:00 from Tuesday through Saturday. However, they will be closed for the holidays from December 18 to January 4. Admission fees can be found on the website listed below, as well as information regarding booking guided tours. Although it has been years since I have been on a museum tour, I remember enjoying my visits as a kid. I highly recommend supporting this fascinating historic site and learning about the city we call home.
The Historic Clay District’s Transportation Committee is hosting an information session on Thursday, October 4 from 7:30 – 8:30pm at the Medalta Potteries National Historic Site.
The Transportation Committee is responsible for the restoration of the 1912 CPR caboose that is currently situated in the Medalta Potteries’ courtyard and all other aspects of transportation related to the Historic Clay District. The session is designed to educate interested individuals on the scope of the project and suggest areas where help is needed.
Everyone interested is welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served.
The Historic Clay District is one of eight attractors in the Canadian Badlands, is featured in AMA’s “Alberta 100 Journeys” and is Western Canada’s largest National Historic Site. The District museum – in the Medalta Potteries National Historic Site – provides visitors a unique opportunity to visit a restored 1912 pottery factory, which once produced three-quarters of all stoneware in Canada. It is operated under the stewardship of the Friends of Medalta Society.
Robert Harrison, the man behind the Historic Clay District’s easily-recognizable sculpture – the Medaltarch – will be speaking at the Medalta Potteries National Historic Site at 5:30pm on Saturday, September 19, as part of Medicine Hat’s celebration of Alberta Arts Days.
Harrison’s sculpture at the Medalta Potteries National Historic Site was created during his time as an artist in the Medalta International Artists in Residence (MIAIR) program in 1999 and is an example of his site-specific sculptures that can be found in Hungary, Italy, Taiwan and other locations around the world.
In addition to Harrison’s talk, the Historic Clay District is also offering two free, two-hour pottery classes and a museum open house with hourly demonstrations in the Working Pottery. Anyone interested in hearing Harrison speak or participating in the classes are encouraged to contact the Historic Clay District at 403.529.1070.
This is a great opportunity for everyone interested in meeting an internationally recognized artist and understanding how he fits into Medicine Hat. There is an exceptional amount of artistic talent in our community and it is wonderful to be able to showcase it for all Hatters.
Thank you for supporting arts in Medicine Hat.
Contrast is an upcoming photography exhibition brought to you by the Medicine Hat Photography Club. The exhibition will be in the Medalta Squared Gallery which is located inside the Medalta Clay Museum building (713 Medalta Ave SE). The opening reception will take place on Tuesday, May 19th from 7:00PM-9:00PM; however, the photography will be up until June 30th.
Contrast Invite/Poster
All the information I received is from a poster I seen and from the website invite. Judging by the name of the show, there will be a lot of “Contrast” going on in the subject matter of the photography. I will keep this post updated with any new information and images if they arrive.
On Friday, December 5, 2008, Medalta’s Squared Gallery will be hosting the Four 9t (490) & Video Night art opening. 490 (or Four 9t as it’s referred to in the poster) is the Directed Study class while the videos are presented by the Video class within the Visual Communications program at the Medicine Hat College. The 490 portion of the show will be opened for the public until January 10, 2009.
Four 9t Show & Video Night Poster
Come down for free wines and foods and see some student made videos and artwork. Showtime starts at 8PM at the Medalta Squared Gallery. Artwork displayed will include video, print material, photography, performance art, and more!
Medalta Historic Clay District is located at 713 Medalta Ave SE. The Squared Gallery itself is located inside the building (go left once you enter the building).