There is a whole lot of art happening in Lethbridge. Arts Days is a great opportunity to check some of it out this week.
The first big event is Sunday, Sept.20, with Word on the Street taking over the streets around the library.
There will be a variety of music and lots of authors speaking about their works and reading from them.
“ It’s a perfect way to kick off Arts Days,” said Allied Arts Council communications co-ordinator Ashley Markus, noting they used to be independent events, but when Arts Days expanded to a week, they included Word on the Street as a way to promote the literary arts.
“Arts Days is a chance for people to see what arts are happening all over Lethbridge. It’s also a chance for artists to showcase their work,” she said adding Arts Days is about supporting all of the arts in Lethbridge including music, visual arts and dramatic arts as well as literary arts.
“ I like seeing all of the different people at all of the events,” Markus said.
“ You’d expect to same all the same faces but it’s always different. Someone will always come up to us and tell us ‘ I had no idea there was so much going on here,” she continued.
There are events every day all over the city every day except Tuesday.“ That’s our break day,” she said adding many of the events are free to attend.
On Monday, Visual Arts Alberta / CARFAC present a free workshop at CASA for artists interested in learning how to photograph and document their works. it is at 7:30 p.m.in the ATB Financial community room.
Wednesday begins at 9:30 a.m. at the U of L Art Gallery will the coffee will be brewing and the public a can see Jeff Thomas’s new exhibit “A Necessary Fiction — The Portrait,” which is curated by Josephine Mills. Wednesday is also movie night as the Allied Arts Council presents a series of short films from Alberta media artists — Prairie Tales 17 at CASA 7 p.m.
The U of L Faculty of Fine Arts is also presenting a movie — the Valley Below, is four intertwining stories of Alberta's badlands including a pregnant teenager, a hard drinking musician, a reclusive taxidermist and an ambition RCMP officer. U of L New Media professor Deric Olsen will be your host for the night.
The film, nominated for two 2014 Canadian Screen awards, screens at 7 p.m. in the Lethbridge Public Library Theatre at 7 p.m. There is no charge to attend either film.
Thursday will be a lot of fun. The University of Lethbridge Art Gallery hosts The Drawing Bar from 7-9 p.m.
“There will be snacks, there will be a bar so you can bring your drawing materials or knitting materials and hang out in the gallery and check out the new exhibit,” Markus said.
One of Arts Days’ highlights take place at CASA at the same time.
Live in Lethbridge Community Cabaret is a variety show hosted by Lethbridge improv group the Drama Nutz. It will begin at 8 p.m., Sept. 24. There is a five dollar cover.
There is another big concert on Sept. 25 if you love classical music.
The University of Lethbridge Faculty Artists and Friends concert features clarinetist Margaret Mezei, horn player Thomas Staples, pianist Glen Montgomery and the Musaeus String Quartet performing Carl Reinecke's Trio For Clarinet as well as Mozart’s Clarinet quintet. Tickets are $20 regular and $15 for students/seniors.
But the big event of the day is Free as Artwalk begins Sept. 25 and will continue Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It pairs 40 local artists with 40 local businesses. They will have their works on display and some of them will be doing demonstrations of their craft.
“This is the eleventh annual Art Walk,” Markus observed.
“There are 40 different artists including everything from painting, pottery, photography and sculpture,” she said.
It’s only September and too early to think of Christmas, but if you want to get a head start on Christmas shopping and support local artists in the process, check out the artisans market on Saturday where numerous artisans and craftsmen will be displaying and selling their wares.
“There will be a real broad variety. There's paintings and glass and textiles,” she said.
the market runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The other big event on Saturday, Sept. 26 is the gallery stroll where you will be able to check out the exhibits at CASA , SAAG and The Trianon beginning at 7 p.m. and finishing back at CASA at 10 p.m.
Arts Days ends on Sunday, Sept. 27 with a Family Affair on the Square from noon to 4 p.m..
“Most of the events are family friendly, but this one is for families,” Markus said, adding there will be a variety of family targeted activities including chalk drawing, live music, the Troyanda Ukrainian Dancers, a community painting which anybody can add to, the Lethbridge artists club and food trucks.
More information about Arts Days events is available at http://www.artsdayslethbridge.org/
