Tag Archive for: Saskatchewan

SaskScapes – The Rosebud Burlesque Club

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Saskatoon’s “Rosebud Burlesque Club” has been setting fire to the wheat fields and steaming up the landscape! Headmistress Cheripop Purr has been the driving force behind the neo-burlesque movement in Saskatchewan. A few members of the troupe join us in what an eye-opening, brave, and very fun look into this art form. The neo-burlesque movement is putting the “tease” back in striptease – making a bold statement, sometimes political, and is a unifying force between people of all genders.  A truly fun way to welcome in our 40th episode!

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Youth Mural Project in Shaunavon

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On a warm, sunny morning in July, about a dozen youth gathered in front of the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre to paint a mural. Over the next several weeks, youth from a variety of cultural backgrounds came together to transform a blank sheet of plywood on the side of a local building into a vibrant painting. While I was in Shaunavon this summer, I met up with some of the youth and organizers of this project, and produced this digital story.

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Pioneer Women Project

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A group of people in Weyburn is raising funds for a sculpture of a pioneer woman.

As part of this project, the Committee, made up of Jan Linnell, Mayvis Goranson and M. Isabelle Butters, is encouraging people to share stories of Saskatchewan pioneer women. Two schools in Weyburn invited me to help turn their students’ narratives into digital stories. Grade 5 students at Assiniboia Park Elementary School were given the assignment to write about a pioneer woman travelling through time to the present day or to imagine a person from the year 2014 traveling back in time to pioneer days. The students wrote scripts, collected photos and produced imaginative digital stories that included a lot of references to Wal-Mart, cell phones, girls wearing pants, electricity, melting snow for water and general stores.

Later in the week, I visited Souris School and worked with 11 grade 5 students. Each had been given the assignment to interview a woman at a seniors’ home. The students brainstormed questions as a class and took a day trip to one of the local seniors’ homes, where they met women “as young as 94 years old,” as one student put it. After finding out what life was like for some of the seniors, the students took photos, wrote scripts and produced digital stories.

On the day that I was at Souris School, a couple of women from the Pioneer Woman Sculpture Committee and interested seniors visited the school to see what the students were up to. The students explained their projects to the seniors, who were impressed with the students’ creativity, dedication to the project, and their technical skills.

For more information about the Pioneer Woman Sculpture Project, please contact:

Ross McMurtry: 306-848-0444 Stan Runne: 306-842-5864 or Leo Leydon: 306-842-2595

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Love and Apple Pie by Janice

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Janice took my digital storytelling workshop in Weyburn. She came to the workshop with several old photographs of her parents and ended up writing a beautiful story. Married in 1934, Janice’s parents were together for 62 years. They lived through the dirty thirties and the loss of a child, but despite this, the couple experienced many wonderful years together. Janice shares her parents’ love story.

SaskScapes – Tea at the Frenchman Butte Museum

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Continuing from episode 37, we visit the log cabin tea house at the Frenchman Butte Heritage Centre. Ten local residents gather as we talk about growing up in the area, humorous anecdotes, giant fish, student curators continuing traditions, yummy home baked goodies,  and more.

My Heritage by Jay

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Last week, I worked with 14 grade 5 and 6 students in Fillmore, SK. Jay’s story is about his Chinese Heritage. Do you know your Chinese Zodiac sign? I am a Monkey. Jay is a Ram. In this story, Jay shares some of his favourite Chinese traditions.

Sunday at the LMLCC

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I spent the Sunday of Culture Days Weekend at the Last Mountain Lake Cultural Centre (LMLCC), for a full day of Poetry Readings, an Artist Talk, a Gallery Reception, and a workshop on Paper Quilting.

The Paper Quilting Workshop I facilitated incorporated a Culture Days Activity that happened the previous Friday: A Photographic Scavenger Hunt.   From this activity, participants brought their photos of the Lake and surrounding area to the workshop.

We took those photos and adhered them to various types of paper, then layered other items around the photo (i.e., pieces of fabric, buttons, lace or ribbon). Once we were satisfied with our assemblage of tidbits, we then used a darning needle and thick crochet thread to quilt around the collage.  Although we didn’t have any experienced quilters in the group, you couldn’t tell.  Most of the ladies were very adept at stitching and in no time had a small Paper Quilt.

 

 

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Printmaking at Traditions

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Traditions Hand Craft Gallery, on 13th Ave in Regina, was one of nine Galleries that participated in an “ArtWalk” on the Saturday of of Culture Days Weekend. In essence, people were encouraged to engage in a self-guided tour, using the ArtWalk Map, and visit all nine Galleries: Assiniboia Gallery, Dunlop Art Gallery, Hague Gallery, Mysteria Gallery, Nouveau Gallery, Sakewewak Artists Collective, SLATE Fine Art Gallery, Singing Winds Gallery at Tatanka Boutique and Traditions Hand Craft Gallery.

In celebration of the ArtWalk, Traditions Hand Craft Gallery invited two Performance Artists and myself to add to the festivities.

While the two Performance Artists braved the cold, wet weather in front of the Gallery, I had the luxury of a little table set up inside the shop.  I gave brief tutorials on how to make a simple styrofoam print and then encouraged participants to make a few.

Again, despite the weather there was a constant stream of participants at my table for the afternoon.  People of all ages tried their hand at making prints of patterns, animals, and other inspirational images.

 

Artist Talk at Shurniak

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On the Friday night of Culture Days Weekend three artists (myself, Jay Kimball, and Patricia Holdsworth) spoke at the Shurniak Gallery in Assiniboia.  All three of us have current exhibitions at the Gallery so the Reception was perfect timing with Culture Days.

I spoke mostly about the process involved in my artwork.  Jay Kimball spoke about the theory and philosophy behind his ceramics. And Patricia Holdsworth addressed the composition and inspiration of her photography.

The Gallery provided two fun Culture Days cakes, and many other goodies, and attendance was good.

Although the Reception was brief (7 – 9 p.m.) the event passed quickly, as there was much conversation and visiting.

Thanks Shurniak Gallery.

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Mixed Media Sculpture Workshops at Shurniak Gallery

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The only instruction that the Grades Four and Five students of Assiniboia Elementary School received was to bring a non-sentimental toy from yesteryear that was no bigger than a lunch paper bag to the Shurniak Gallery on Thursday, September 25, for a Mixed Media Sculpture Workshop.

When they arrived at the Gallery they were then introduced to my art practice as well as the world of Mixed Media Sculpture.  After watching a slide show on mixed media sculptures that included toys they were then asked to emulate what they had just seen, but using the toys they had brought.

I had collected buckets of old mechanical tidbits (bolts, screws, washers, and more) from a couple of local farmers.  I had gathered what amounted to a box of miscut keys from the two Co-Ops. I had gone to the bank and got a few rolls of pennies (which is more challenging than I expected, now that they are out of circulation).  Plus, I had gone to the Dollar Store and bought marbles, puff bawls, and bags of buttons.

I put all this material in dishes on the table and told the students they could use as much as they wanted, just so long as their sculpture included their toy.

Wow.  What an incredible job they did.  Super heroes with penny surfboards and button shields.  Dinosaurs with penny armour.  Dolls emerging from a marble hill.  And so on, and so on.

After the workshop I gave the students a tour of the Shurniak Gallery, and explained my work (which is the current exhibition).  But, we also had some interesting discussions about Post Modern Art when we viewed paintings in other parts of the Gallery.

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