ARTSOE.CA JUNE 2011

Inspiring Collaborations

ORléANS FESTivAl • ART TAkES FlighT NEw BOOkS By AOE MEMBERS Plus:

2 ARTSOE.CA

ISSN 1195-2229 | Volume 24 no.2

AOE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Heather Jamieson, President Michael Curran, Vice-President / Director, Business OutreachMicheline Joanisse, Vice-President, Public AffairsÉric Robineau, Treasurer Marlene Hoff, Director, Membership Francis Kenny, Director, Human Resources Denis St-Jules, Director at Large Marc Ouimet-McPherson, Director, Legal Affairs Don Roy, Director, Outreach Kathy MacLellan, AOE Director at Large

AOE ADMINISTRATION: Christine Tremblay, Executive Director Chantal Rodier, Director of the ARTicipate Endowment Fund Chantal Hackett, Communications Coordinator Louise Michaud, Program DirectorJocelyne Garbutt, Member Services Administrator Heather Jamieson, ARTnews Editor in chiefMercedes Déziel-Hupé, ARTnews EditorCassandra Olsthoorn, ARTicipate Coordinator Jacquie Embleton, Bookeeper Rachel Crossan, Office Administrator

AOE THANKS ITS GENEROUS DONORS:Stephen Adler • Jean-Pierre Allaire • Jacqueline Ballhorn • Elizabeth Bertoldi • Brian Brown • Nancy Burke • Canada Helps • Jacquie Embleton • Claudette Gionet • Roxanna Gregoire • Maria Guevremont • Marion Hall • Marlene Hoff • Heather Jamieson • Ted Johnston • Olaf Krassnitsky • Susan Pitt • Jason Pope • John Stevenson • Asoka Weerasinghe • Christine Tremblay

Cover Photo: Jacqueline Ethier performs Ludvine, photo by Lisa Hébert.Contributors to this issue: Evan Clark, Patrick Holloway, Bridget Redmond, Charles-Étienne Renaud, Denis St-Jules, Alberte Villeneuve, Anita Utas

ORGANIzATIONS: A Company of Fools • Arteast • Artswell • ARTour Prescott-Russell • 360 Art Zone • Les Ateliers de l’Élan • Bytown Beat Chorus • CAMMAC Ottawa/Gatineau • Cantata Singers of Ottawa • Capital Chordettes • Carivibe Ltd • Cercle des conteurs de l’Est de l’Ontario (CCEO) • Les Chansonniers d’Ottawa • Coalition of New Canadians for Arts & Culture • Common Thread Quilt Guild • Coro Vivo Ottawa • Crichton Cultural Community Centre • Cross Town Youth Chorus • Cumberland Arts & Crafts Guild • Cumberland Community Singers • Cumberland Heritage Village Museum • The Cumbrae School of Dancing • Do More Canada • East End Theatre • École secondaire catholique Béatrice Desloges • École secondaire catholique Garneau • Empower Kids Canada • Foyer Gallery Artist Association • Galerie de la Rive • Gloucester Community Concert Band • Gloucester Historical Society • Gloucester Music Club • Gloucester Music Teachers’ Association • Gloucester Pottery School • Goya Theatre Productions • Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) • Harmonia Choir of Ottawa • Healthcare Food Services • La Nouvelle Scène • Leadership Ottawa • Loch Murray Dancers • MacCulloch Dancers • MASC • MIFO • Music and Beyond Performing Arts • National Capital Network of Sculptors • National Capital Suzuki School of Music • Navan Arts & Crafts Guild • Nepean Fine Arts League • ORMTA - Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association • Odyssey Showcase • Orléans Photo Club • Orléans Festival d’Orléans • Orléans Studio Tour • OYP – Orléans Young Players Theatre School • Ottawa Artisans Guild • Ottawa Choral Society • Ottawa International Children’s Festival • Ottawa Jazz Festival • Ottawa Jazz Orchestra • Ottawa Little Theatre • OMMA - Ottawa Mixed Media Artists • Ottawa School of Art • Ottawa School of Speech & Drama • The Ottawa Story Tellers • Ottawa Symphony Orchestra • Ottawa West Arts Association • Out of the Box Fibre Art Group • Rag and Bone Puppet Theatre • Rothwell Gallery • SAW Video • School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa • Sinfonia Ottawa • Step Into Motion • Strings of St. John’s Chamber Orchestra • Tara Luz Danse • Swing Dynamite • Tale Wagging Theatre • Théâtre du Village Orléans • Thirteen Strings Baroque Ensemble of Ottawa • Vintage Stock Theatre

BUSINESS MEMBERS:Artech Camps-Imagination in Motion! • Beva Global Management Inc. • Business Club d’Orléans • Colours Jewellery • Christine Landry Jewellery • Design DanceR Studio • Foreign Service Community Association • Irene’s Pub and Restaurant • Maiden Star • Marc Poirier, Keller Williams Ottawa Realty Brokerage • Orléans Chamber of Commerce • OR DESIGN Glassworks • Le Regroupement des gens d’affaires • The Studio at GRAYROCK • Transcontinental Media • Wool N’ Things

AOE MEMBERS: Join AOE today to start enjoying the many benefits already valued by our long list of current members. With AOE, you or your organization will have a louder voice on art matters. Membership forms are available at www.artsoe.ca or by calling our office at 613-580-2767.

AOE SPONSORS:

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ARTnews is an official publication of AOE. It is published four times a year. The deadline for the next issue is June 30, 2011.

Please address all submissions to:

AOE Arts CouncilShenkman Arts Centre245 Centrum Blvd., Suite 260Ottawa, ON K1E 0A1

Tel: 613-580-2767Fax: 613-580-2768Email: info@artsoe.ca www.artsoe.ca

ARTNEWS JUNE 2011 3

AOE’S BOARd Of diREcTORSFollowing the April 6, Annual General Meeting, I am delighted to report that all of AOE’s directors have agreed to continue to serve for another term. In addition, award-winning journalist Denis St-Jules has joined our dedicated group. (You can read more about Denis on page 4.)

The AOE Board is a diverse mix of professionals, with a lawyer, an accountant, a retired school principal, a few journalists and a puppeteer. Other directors bring extensive experience in the military, communications and administration; all are committed to strengthening the arts council and the arts community.

We often tell you about our members and what’s happening in the local arts community. What you don’t usually hear about, is the incredibly important work carried out by AOE’s committed board of directors.

They give generously of their time and individual areas of expertise to collaborate with staff on developing policies, planning events, seeking funding, advocating for the arts, talking with local politicians, developing member services, supporting Orléans Festival, writing, editing and proofing for AOE’s publications and the list goes on . . .

In particular, I would like to thank our president Heather Jamieson. Whether it’s chairing meetings, motivating people, promoting our members or supporting staff in so many different ways, she is a dedicated leader with a strong work ethic, deep commitment to AOE and infectious enthusiasm. With the sudden departure of our Communications Coordinator at the end of April, Heather jumped in with both feet as Editor in chief for ARTnews, putting her journalism skills to good use. We all benefit from her enormous contribution.

Thank you AOE directors for your commitment and for leading by example – each one of you is making a difference!

Au-REvOiR ANd gOOd luck!Mercedes Déziel-Hupé, AOE’s Communications Coordinator replacing Cristiane Doherty during her maternity leave, has found a permanent position with the Ottawa Art Gallery. We wish her well in this new job and are pleased that she is working for one of our member organizations.

Matthew Gale who was hired in December on a short-term contract as our Communications and Design Officer has also bid AOE farewell. With the experience gained at AOE he was hired as a full-time

graphic designer with the firm Hilton & Knowlton.

Good luck Matt and Mercedes, keep in touch.

A WORd Of WElcOmEI would like to introduce Chantal

Hackett as AOE’s new Communications Coordinator. A graduate of Communications at the University of Ottawa, Chantal is also an accomplished singer, songwriter, vocal coach and events coordinator. We welcome Chantal’s energy and enthusiasm. Her experience as an artist promoter and artistic director of various musical productions gives her an insider’s view of the needs of artists which will no doubt be beneficial in her new role at AOE.

We look forward to you meeting the newest member of our team!

NOTE fROm THE EdiTOR

It’s been both exciting and eye-opening to return to my journalism roots and help Mercedes with this issue of ARTnews.

There have been many technological changes in the field of information gathering and reporting since I was editor of The Orléans Star in the early 90s and even more since I worked as a reporter for The London Free Press in the 1970s. The big upgrade at that time was the switch from manual typewriters to electric ones, and there was no such thing as Spell Check! I recall at The Star being introduced to Free Net, an early e-mail service offered through Carleton University. It was intriguing, but had little impact on the process of gathering news and producing an issue of the newspaper.

Jump forward to 2011, where e-mail and the Internet have become an integral part of the journalistic process. One can now research, verify facts, interview artists and, with a quick press of the Send button,

ship stories to translation without leaving one’s laptop.

While journalism itself isn’t considered an art form, good writing is, and strong communication skills are necessary in any organization; another reason we are pleased to welcome Denis to our board. Last November, Denis was honoured with an honourary degree from his alma mater, the University of Sudbury.

In his Convocation Address, the long-time Radio-Canada host advised the gathered graduates to never underestimate the value of strong communication skills.

“I know e-mailing, texting, twittering or tweeting seems to be the dominant means by which we communicate today. However, nothing will ever replace our ability to use our voice to pronounce words, to form sentences, to communicate facts and emotions, to express our talent, our skills, and our competence.”

Several stories in this issue speak of successes that have sprung from

collaborations and in each case, effective communication was essential. The breaking down of barriers between art forms and between artists of all disciplines is an exciting trend in our arts community and for which AOE can provide essential leadership.

A few days from now, will be perhaps the greatest collaboration Orléans has ever seen, as the second annual Orléans Festival unites artists, bakers, businessmen, politicians, community workers, students and architects – an endless list of collaborators and volunteers who will give our community an amazing event! Enjoy it!

Have a safe and happy summer.

mESSAgE fROm THE ExEcuTivE diREcTOR: lEAdiNg By ExAmplE!

Heather Jamieson, AOE Board President

Christine Tremblay, AOE Executive Director

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BuSiNESS cOmBiNEd WiTH plEASuRE ON April 6, 2011 as AOE Arts Council held its 2010 Annual General Meeting in the Shenkman Arts Centre’s Richcraft Theatre.

More than 60 AOE members, staff and volunteers attended the meeting which was opened with an a capella performance by students from the Ottawa School of Speech and Drama and concluded with an original theatre piece by OYP Theatre School students. Between the well-received performances, an efficient business meeting took place which was highlighted by reports

from the president, executive director, treasurer and ARTicipate director.

Retired journalist Denis St-Jules was welcomed as a new member of the AOE Arts Council Board of Directors.

The Council took advantage of the evening to celebrate the contribution of its many volunteers with the presentation of a small gift and words of appreciation from AOE’s program coordinator Louise Michaud.

The evening concluded with a reception, accompanied by the jazz piano sounds of AOE member Sean Chhangur.

Copies of AOE’s 2010 Annual Report are available online at www.artsoe.ca or from the Council office.

Photos by Mercedes Déziel-Hupé

AOE News

dENiS ST-JulES JOiNS AOE BOARd Of diREcTORS

dENiS ST-JulES, AN AWARd-WiNNiNg JOuRNAliST with an extensive career in radio covering francophone arts and culture events in Northern Ontario, has joined the AOE Arts Council Board of Directors.

Denis’ background includes extensive experience as a volunteer, in particular as an advocate for Francophone education in Ontario and with arts and cultural organizations in Northern Ontario. He has personally explored many art forms, including poetry, music and theatre. Since retiring in Ottawa two year ago, he has generously donated his time to AOE as Master of Ceremonies for several events and with our publications.

In November 2010, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Sacred Letters from the University of Sudbury.

Musician and AOE member Sean Chhangur

OYP Theatre School presented an original theatre piece “A SAC full of ART” – a clever play-on-words for the acronym for the Shenkman Arts Centre. Left to right, OYPTS students Erin MacDonald, Sam MacDonald and Alexus White.

Master of Ceremonies for the AGM was

AOE board member Micheline Joanisse,

who has been elected to serve on the AOE

executive as vice-president of Public

Affairs.

AOE’S Agm mixEd BuSiNESS WiTH plEASuRE

ARTNEWS JUNE 2011 5

A uNiquE cOllABORATiON BETWEEN THE visual art of Reid McLachlan and the contemporary dance of Tara Luz Danse was staged in early spring at the Orléans Campus of the Ottawa School of Art.

Tara Luz Danse founder and choreographer Anik Bouvrette was inspired by McLachlan’s work in the creation of two choreographies, Ludivine and Sariana. While the former was a reprise of a 2008 collaboration, Sariana was created specifically for the latest exhibit.

The creation of Sariana was the first time the artists participated so intimately in each other’s creative process, explains McLachlan,

as previously Bouvrette took her inspiration from finished paintings. In preparation for this show, he attended a number of Sariana rehearsals with Bouvrette and dancer Julie Anne Ryan. Ludivine was performed by dancer Jacqueline Ethier.

“I had the opportunity to see their creative process and absorb the themes, ideas and objects the choreographer and dancer were working with,” he says. “This two-way interaction made it feel like a true collaboration for me.”

Bouvrette believes this encounter of artists in dance with those of other disciplines has the potential to enhance the

richness of a work, as well as the public’s experience.

“It challenged me to approach my work in a different way: in this case, I had to reflect on finding moments of connection between the characters in Reid’s works with the movement and the women in Ludivine and Sariana,” she explains. “I also deeply appreciated the intimacy of presenting dance in a gallery space and giving the audience the opportunity to be close to the dancers, allowing them to witness how the movement filled and transformed the space and the paintings.”

McLachlan finished the five large canvasses created specifically for Sariana in less than three months, with each “addressing in some way what I saw as the underlying themes expressed in the dance.” In all, about 25 paintings were included in the exhibit.

The next major performance project for Tara Luz Danse will be the transformation of the second phase of Bouvrette’s Les billes into a full-length piece for young people to be presented March 31, 2012 by the Mouvement d’implication francophone d’Orléans (MIFO) as part of its “Série jeunesse” in the Shenkman Art Centre’s Richcraft Theatre.

Chelsea resident McLachlan, who was raised in Rothwell Heights and found his passion for art at the former High School of Commerce, will spend his summer building and repairing canoes for Trailhead. That’s the “real money” that supports his art, he laughs. “But, when September rolls around, I’m out of there and back to the studio.”

By Mercedes Déziel-Hupé & Heather Jamieson

Arts News

mOviNg NARRATivES

AlTHOugH REid mclAcHlAN gREW up iN Ottawa’s East End, his recent exhibit at the Shenkman Arts Centre was the first time he had shown any of his work east of the ByWard Market. “To stretch things a bit, you could say it was a bit of a homecoming,” he says.

An award-winning graduate of the Ontario College of Art, McLachlan has spent the last 15 years living and painting in Chelsea, Quebec. His work has been exhibited in Canada, the United States and Europe and can be found in public and private collections throughout North America.

TARA luz dANSE, A RESidENT cOmpANy of the Shenkman Arts Centre, is a contemporary dance company founded in 2006 by its artistic director Anik Bouvrette.

As well as showcasing Bouvrette’s choreography, the company is devoted to undertaking artistic outreach projects at local schools and within the community, as well as presenting the work of other contemporary dance artists.

Anik Bouvrette

Reid McLachlan

viSuAl ARTS mEETS cONTEmpORARy dANcE iN mOviNg NARRATivES

6 ARTSOE.CA

“Timeless” by Monica Seidenbusch

By Bridget Redmond

mOdERN ciNEmA HAS cOmE A lONg WAy since the early days of film, yet a return to the past can sometimes be the best way to capture today.

My love for vintage film began when a friend asked me to film her wedding. I picked up a vintage film camera, and fell in love with the process as a unique and touching way to capture an event. That was the first kiss.

At First Kiss Films, we use vintage 16 mm and super 8 mm cameras to create touching, fine art films. Established filmmakers, with an artistic eye, are behind the lens as they craft short-form wedding and lifestyle films. As lead filmmaker, I am a professionally-trained media artist with more than 15 years experience capturing life and love on film.

First Kiss Films was recently invited to screen a vintage film in the 2011 Genies Celebrity Lounge. I created a custom, hand-processed black and white 16 mm film just for the event and projected it continuously on a film loop. The film was simply titled “31” and was inspired by the 31st Annual Genies Awards.

I continue to work as an independent artist and collaborate with other film artists in the community, including the Window’s Collective and members of the Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa. The Windows Collective, started in 2009, is a group of six film artists who produce work on film to play on loop for outdoor exhibition. We host free screenings at various locations, including a screening last year at the Shenkman Arts Centre.

AOE gAllERymAy 30TH – AuguST 26THpAiNTiNgS By ROlA BlEik ANd WOOd ART By NORmAN piROllO

fiRST kiSS filmS: viNTAgE ciNEmA WiTH lOvE

For more information please visit: www.firstkissfilms.com

First Kiss Films

AOE pOTluckS With the good weather and long evenings upon us, AOE has decided to postpone the Meet n’ Munch originally scheduled for June 22 until the fall. The date of the next member gathering will be announced in our September issue of ARTnews and on the website.

Have a wonderful summer and see you in September!

WElcOmE NEW mEmBERS: mARcH & ApRil 2011

Athena AdamopoulosLouise BarkerCholeena DiTullioAthena EfraimDanielle EfraimPatricia FishElaine GrantYvon Marc JosephRose Susan OrachSue Perley-RobertsonBridget RedmondManju SahAnne SwiderskiWayne TheoretLynda A. Turner

ARTNEWS JUNE 2011 7

SummER iS mAdE fOR plAyiNg . . muSic!

Do you dream of playing a musical instrument or of improving your current performance? Did you

know that MIFO includes a music school?This summer, learn to play the guitar,

piano or flute with highly qualified teachers.The MIFO music school is under the

competent supervision of Mme Joanne Lefebvre, who oversees quality control of the music curriculum and teaching. A graduate of the piano interpretation program at McGill University, Mme Lefebvre has 19 years experience at MIFO.

Courses are offered between July 6 and August 25, 2011 on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, both afternoons and evenings.Joanne Lefebvrewww.mifo.ca

STORiES cOmE AlivE WiTH Oyp THEATRE ScHOOl

Once upon a time, a partnership was created that provided free Sunday afternoon story readings for families.

The partners were OYP Theatre School and Rag and Bone Puppet Theatre and it was all made possible with a grant from the Ottawa Citizen Literacy Foundation. It was indeed a story with a “happily ever after” ending!

The first Stories Alive performance on September 26, 2010 coincided with Culture Days at the Shenkman Arts Centre. We rolled out our cosy pink carpet and set up risers and chairs. Rag and Bone puppet masters Kathy MacLellan and John Nolan erected their brightly-decorated set, and readied their puppets and props for the show.

The audience arrived into the OYPTS KTL Group studio, including 27 children who plopped down on the comfy carpet, while the adults seated themselves on chairs set upon convenient risers which had been purchased with a matching-fund grant from the City of Ottawa.

Between September and April, professional performers and special guests created magic with eight staged readings that were beautifully complement by Rag and Bone puppets, music, shadow plays and masks. The setting always remained informal, allowing plenty of interactive audience participation.

Our goal was to share our love of books and encourage literacy by creating a community event to celebrate books and reading. Our hope was that parents would be inspired to read more often to their children and take them to explore libraries and bookstores.

Audiences grew throughout the series, until we finally had to move out of our 50-seat studio to the Shenkman Arts Centre’s larger Orléans Star – L’Express Music Studio for our final show.

Thanks to the collaboration, talent and ingenuity of Rag and Bone Puppet Theatre, as well as the Ottawa Citizen Literacy Foundation, these readings were a huge success and we are already exploring ways to continue them in some form in the future. It is indeed a Happy Ending, as we hope there won’t be an ending at all!

By Kathi Langston, Artistic Director, OYPTS

dANcE ANd pOTTERy fiNd A pARTNERSHip AT THE glOucESTER pOTTERy ScHOOl

The success of last summer’s collaboration between the Gloucester Pottery School and City of Ottawa dance camps has led to double the number of sessions this year.

For eight weeks, participants can learn a variety of popular dance steps for half the day and pottery hand building techniques the other half, explains Rosemary Swan, director of the pottery school. Before and after care is provided for these camps at no charge.

The pottery school is also offering intensive adult and teen summer classes.

The Gloucester Pottery School, founded in 1991, has a fully-equipped studio, with 19 electric potters’ wheels, four electric kilns, a pugmill, slab roller, wall extruder, spray booth, and state-of-the-art cleaning facilities. www.gloucesterpotteryschool.com

Resident Arts Partner News

OSA ExHiBiTS

June 3 to July 10Bloom by Karina Kraenzle

July 18 to Aug 28OSA Instructor Exhibit

Ottawa School of Art-Orleans Campus

Gloucester Pottery School - Dust Evans Gallery

8 ARTSOE.CA

ARTNEWS BRiEfS. . .

Kathi Langston, Artistic Director of OYP Theatre School is a finalist in the Y Women of Distinction Awards, for the St. Joseph Media Arts and Culture Award. Winners will be announced May 31. Langston is being honoured for her dedication to providing a safe and nurturing artistic environment for youth in the community. Visit www.ywoda.ca

__________________________

A penny saved is a penny earned and AOE has raised close to $40 (and the occasional Euro) in its Penny Campaign, which asks AOE members and arts supporters to donate their pennies to AOE Arts Council. Donations of pennies are gratefully accepted in our Penny Mason Jar at the AOE office.

__________________________

No Culture, No Future, the English translation of Simon Brault’s Le Facteur C, originally published in September 2009, has been added to AOE’s Resource Library. Among other positions, Brault is CEO of the

National Theatre School and vice-chair of the Canada Council for the Arts. The thesis he puts forward in his highly-acclaimed books is that “arts and culture have resonance today that transcends aesthetic issues or special-interest discussions.”

The French version is also available in the AOE library.

__________________________

Artists find inspiration in any number of ways, including from the Declaration of 2011 as the Year of Forests by the United Nations General Assembly. The UN hopes to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development for all types of forests.

Ottawa artist Nicole McGrath, who calls forests her favourite place, is a strong advocate of the preservation of South March Highlands. To rally the arts community, McGrath asked Ottawa arts

groups to create works on the South March Highlands; its origins based on Algonquin oral history; the Year of Forest or “on abstract expressions on the importance of such natural spaces to artists in the Ottawa area.”

The first exhibit to include such works was launched in March 2011 by the Ottawa West Art Association. An exhibit

“In Praise of Forests” was also held at the Tay Gallery in Kanata in April. Anita Utas, whose solo exhibit, Painting Landscapes for a Greener World, continues in the Trinity Gallery until June 28 (see page 12) is donating a portion of the proceeds from her exhibition to the cause.

Literary artists have also been inspired by The Year of the Forest with the publication of an anthology of poems, short stories and essays entitled Inspiration Planet Earth – Our Natural Environment is Life. Further events and projects by area artists are being planned for later in 2011 and 2012.

JAzziNg up yOuR SummER THROugH fESTivAlSdyNAmic JAzz cOmiNg TO cONfEdERATiON pARk

This summer’s TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival will host some of the jazz scene’s most dynamic artists. Running from June

23 to July 3 in the heart of downtown Ottawa’s beautiful onfederation Park, this year’s headliners are three very different performers, yet they share similar influences.

Robert Plant and the Band of Joy open

this year’s Festival on June 23. Best known as the front man for Led Zeppelin, Plant has repeatedly reinvented himself over his career. His latest effort, Band of Joy, is yet another departure and is considered by some to be an extension of his Grammy award winning collaboration with Alison Krauss.

Elvis Costello & the Imposters take centre stage the following night, June 24. Costello’s body of work, spanning more than three decades, speaks for itself. A genre-bending musician if ever there was one, it goes without saying a live show from Costello is sure to please all comers.

k.d. Lang and The Siss Boom Bang tops the bill June 25. Lang is perhaps the best-known Canadian songstress of her generation. Much like the two acts before her, Lang’s is an eclectic mix of country, jazz, soul, pop and much more. She is as versatile a talent as she is charismatic.

This is the 31st year for the TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival, which continues its original mission to celebrate the over-a-century-old conversation that is Jazz. www.ottawajazzfestival.com

A liTTlE mORE ABOuT OTTAWA fESTivAlS . . .

Ottawa Festivals is dedicated to making local events world-class and promoting Ottawa as an exciting tourist destination! The many Ottawa-area festivals have a significant impact on the local economy and greatly enhance our region’s image. Ottawa Festivals is a not-for-profit member-based organization, established in 1996 with a membership of more than 50 not-for-profit festivals, special events and fairs.

Ottawa Festivals www.Ottawafestivals.ca

AOE mEmBERS’ fESTivAlS . . .

Ottawa International Children’s Festival www.ottawachildrensfestival.ca June 1 – 5

Music and Beyond www.musicandbeyond.ca July 7 – 17

Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival www.chamberfest.com July 23 – August 6

Enjoy Festival Season! Musicians Elvis Costello & the

Imposters

ARTNEWS JUNE 2011 9

That Boy RedBy Rachna GilmoreHarperCollinsISBN: 978-1-55468-459-5

“The story behind Red is a long road that

winds back to my childhood,” explains author Rachna Gilmore of her most recent novel for children, That Boy Red, a coming-of-age story set in Prince Edward Island during the Depression.

To understand that winding road, one has to know the Governor-General Award winning author’s own story – born in India into an upper-middle class family, Rachna was first introduced to PEI when an elementary school teacher read Anne of Green Gables aloud to her class. The peaceful PEI fields and forests, with their violets and mayflowers, were so far removed from the world in which Rachna was living, she believed it was a place of fiction.

Entering the world of Anne, she recalls, she left behind her own world in Bombay (now known as Mumbai). It was, she recalls, “a sprawling city teeming with people; hot, dusty, vibrant, a cacophony of colour and sounds.” Rachna eventually learned that Prince Edward Island was indeed real and, after graduating with a degree in biology from the University of London, the memory of Anne of Green Gables was one of her motivations to move there. She married an Islander and listened avidly to her father-in-law’s stories of growing up on the Island during the Depression; stories that she later drew from to write her recently published novel for children, That Boy Red.

“I don’t think I ever dreamed or imagined when I was a girl in India . . . that one day I’d live on the Island, marry an Islander and, inspired by my father-in-law’s anecdotes, write a book about a boy growing up on the Island, set in the era following Anne’s time,” she writes on her popular blog. “Full circle.”

It was on PEI, as a 30-year-old mother of two, that Rachna decided if she wasn’t going to end up an old woman filled with regret for an unfulfilled dream, it was time to try to become a writer. Five years later her first book was published and she has gone on to publish dozens of novels, picture books, fiction and non-fiction; winning many awards and many fans along the way. In 1999, she was awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Literature for A Screaming Kind of Day.

That Boy Red continues Rachna’s tradition of creating strong, believable characters, filled with the authentic sights, sounds and smells of a bygone era. Publication of her new picture book, The Flute, is expected by late spring.

www.rachnagilmore.cawww.rachnagilmore.blogspot.com

Polka-Dot Troubles By Victor PavlovBaico Publishing Inc.ISBN: 978-1-926945-17-0

A delightful story whose genesis was 25 years ago in Bulgaria has come to life in Polka-Dot Troubles, written and illustrated by Victor Pavlov.

Pavlov first had the idea of writing a children’s book with the birth of his son Martin in 1984. Two years ago, the Gatineau resident returned to his native Bulgaria and while going through old books at his cottage, a few hand-written pages fell out of one of them. It was the unfinished manuscript for Polka-Dot Troubles, the heart-warming story of a little ladybug who loses her spots and turns to her friends for help.

Pavlov brought the pages back to Canada, finished the story, translated it into English and drew the illustrations. The rhyming vocabulary of the story and colourful pictures are geared to children between six and 10 years of age.

It also contains an educational section with facts about ladybugs, their life cycle and anatomy, as well as pictures of the most common lady beetles in Ontario and North America.

Pavlov, who describes himself as “a civil engineer by education, computer specialist by trade, and artist, illustrator and writer by heart,” hopes the book will inspire children to observe and respect nature.

www.victorpavlov.com

lifE EvENTS iNSpiRE BOOkS fOR cHildREN

ONE STORy wAS iNSpiREd by A bOOk REAd AlOUd TO A fOURTh

gRAdE ClASS iN A bOmbAy ClASSROOm; ThE OThER by ThE biRTh Of

A Child A qUARTER Of A CENTURy AgO iN bUlgARiA. TwO AOE ARTS

COUNCil mEmbERS ShARE ThE pERSONAl STORiES bEhiNd ThEiR

NEw pUbliCATiONS; STORiES ThAT ARE AS COmpElliNg AS ThE TAlES

ThEmSElvES. By Heather Jamieson

10 ARTSOE.CA

Community News

mONTHly ARTS NigHTS: ARTiSTS SHARiNg THEiR pASSiON

EAcH mONTH, ART lOvERS mEET AT THE First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa’s church on Cleary Avenue for discussions with artists from the worlds of literature, music and visual arts.

I had the pleasure and honour to be one of the three guests invited to a recent Arts Nights evening. The world of visual arts was represented by Angela Verlaeckt Clark, who talked about her passion for sculpture and the satisfaction she gets from seeing a work of art emerge from a simple piece of marble.

Pianist Lori Lynn Penny talked about her love of music and her progression of learning; since 1990, she has been teaching piano based on the Kodaly Method. For my part, I talked about the art of writing and my need to tell, describe and narrate which is so essential to my nature.

These wonderful evenings are made possible thanks to the hard work of Jocelyn Loeffelholz. She opens each evening by

inviting interested members of the audience to make a five minute musical or literary presentation. This is followed by the presentations of the three invited guests and, after a coffee break, the evening ends with an open discussion.

Arts Nights, which take place at 7:30 p.m. on the last Friday of each month, eight months of the year, offer a unique opportunity to discover local talent. On June 24, writer Sigrid Macdonald, visual artist Arlette Francière and soprano Phyliss Knox will be the Arts Night special guests.

Macdonald has written three books, Getting Hip, D’Amour Road and Be Your Own Editor. Artist Francière discovered her passion for painting while studying art history at Concordia University and has developed as an expressionist landscape artist, known for her rich and vivid colours. Knox is a renowned soprano, performing with both chamber musicians and symphonic orchestras throughout Canada. By Alberte Villeneuve

STORy TElliNg fOR AdulTS: AN ART fORm

whOSE TimE hAS COmE AgAiN.

OTTAwA STORy TEllERS RETURN

TO ThE ShENkmAN ARTS CENTRE

STORyTElliNg iS ONE Of THE WORld’S oldest art forms and continues as a dynamic and vibrant art form in much of the world, including Newfoundland and in Canada’s aboriginal communities.

Regretfully, story-telling as an important art form for adults has been lost in much of Western culture. Ottawa Story Tellers believe that in these days when everything moves so fast and everyone seems to always need to be “plugged in,” that storytelling is an art form whose time has come again.

“It is indeed an art form that is simple, but profound, and requires just a teller and a listener,” says Caitlyn Paxson, the organization’s managing artistic director.

Ottawa Story Tellers will be bringing three of their most successful performances from their past season at the NAC’s Fourth Stage, to the Orleans Young Players Theatre School studio in the fall. While the Story Tellers have performed in the Richcraft Theatre in the past, they are looking forward to the “intimacy” of the smaller OYPTS studio, says Paxson.

The first performance will be September 17, 2011 with Jan Andrews and Mary Wiggin in To Say Nothing of the Dog: Stories about Man’s Best (?) Friend, a favourite with all dog lovers (and those who aren’t too sure).

On October 15, they reprise the very popular For the Love of Pete: Stories and Songs of Pete Seeger, with Gail Anglin, Tom Lips and musician Mary Gick. This evening of stories and song explores the life and times of Pete Seeger, a man who was at the forefront of the folk music revival and is a must-see for all activists and old hippies.

The final performance in the series will

be The Warrior Queen: Chasing Boudicca, with Nathan Bishop, Ruthanne Edward, Kathryn Hunt and Marie Bilodeau on November 19. This is the very dramatic and violent story of the woman who brought the mighty Roman Empire to its knees.

Performances start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $15/ $12 for students and seniors. Cash only at the door. www.ottawastorytellers.ca

By Patrick Holloway, Ottawa Story Tellers

“Matterhorn,” is an acrylic

painting by Arlette Francière.

The artist will be discussing her

work at the June 24 Arts Night at

the First Unitarian Congregation.

Author Alberte Villeneuve, left,

was joined by artist Angela Verlaeckt

Clark, centre, and pianist Lori Lynn

Penny to discuss their respective

artistic disciplines at a recent Arts Night.

ARTS NigHT JUNE 24, 2011

Literary artist Sigrid Macdonald

Visual artist Arlette Francière

Musical artistPhyllis Knox

ARTNEWS JUNE 2011 11

ORléANS fESTivAl

Anticipation builds for two day family-friendly, culturally-diverse celebration.

WHEN THE cHAiR Of THE upcOmiNg Orléans Festival says this year’s event has

“something for everyone,” he’s not kidding. Don Roy anticipates this year’s two-day Festival will be one of the largest events ever held in Orléans.

Excitement is building as the Festival’s website countdown clock winds down to the noon, Friday, June 3rd launch of the Festival with the opening of the 2011 Cumberland Farmer’s Market. Activities and entertainment continue until the last downbeat in The Jazz Lounge closes the Festival at 11:30 p.m. Saturday night.

Organized by a volunteer committee, this year’s Festival is the sequel to last year’s inaugural shorter event which attracted more than 2,500 visitors. Building on last year’s success, organizers have put together a diverse and exciting program which includes performances for all tastes and all ages; culinary art demonstrations and competitions; a Jazz Lounge; and a Saturday morning community breakfast. Like last year, the Festival is part of Doors Open Ottawa.

And, perhaps best of all, says Roy “everything at the event is free.”

The nine-member organizing committee has had terrific support, Roy says, from the business community, the Business Improvement Association, political leaders and the City of Ottawa, as well as the arts community. He is particularly grateful for the support of AOE Arts Council.

Centrum Boulevard will be closed for the duration of the event from Prestone Drive to just west of the Shenkman Arts Centre. Activities, including a Rue des Artisans, will take place in and around the arts centre; there will be young people’s programming in coordination with the Ruddy Family YM/YWCA; a kids’ Play Zone on the street; Art Creation Activities, as well as various artistic and pottery demonstrations.

Great effort has gone into engaging young people in the event, explains the Festival’s Artistic Director Louise Michaud, with a Youth Talent Show and High School Showcase both on the Festival’s program.

The Orléans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre (OCCCRC) is offering face-painting, crafts and an Open House in its newly-opened Centrum Boulevard facility.

The Festival, in collaboration with the Ottawa Regional Society of Architects and the Society for Design Administration, is also giving back by to the community through a design/build competition, Canstruction® in which teams of design professionals will build colossal structures entirely from canned food. Canstruction® gets underway at the Shenkman Arts Centre on May 30 and continues through the Festival. All the canned goods used will be donated to the Ottawa Food Bank at the end of the event.

To support the OCCRC emergency food program, the public is encouraged to bring non-perishable food donations to the building’s entrances during the Festival.

Performers at the Festival run the gamut from Servantes, a Latin-flavoured classical guitar performance on Friday night, to the illusions of local magician Éric Leclerc, who will delight youngsters of all ages on Saturday afternoon and Franco-Ontarian hip-hop/pop artist ZPN on Saturday evening.

The full list of programming is available on the Orléans Festival website at www.orleansfestival.ca

By Heather Jamieson

“pERhApS bEST Of All, EvERyThiNg AT. ThE EvENT iS fREE.” Don Roy, Chair of the 2011 Orléans Festival Orléans Organizing Committee

Below: Dalhi Gonthier Quartet, left to right: (Paul Van Dyk, Pierre Haché and Dalhi Gonthier)

An exciting new addition to the Orléans Festival is a Jazz Club in the Orléans Star - L’Express Music Studio. Friday night the Search Engine Jazz Quartet take the stage. The Dalhi Gonthier Quartet, including Ottawa jazz guitarist Lucas Haneman, bring their jazz sounds on Saturday night.

Above: Éric Leclerc, A Magician and his Suitcase, Saturday, 1:30 p.m. in the Harold Shenkman Hall

12 ARTSOE.CA

Web Reviews

My collection of landscapes was inspired by a concern for our environment and the rapid dwindling of pristine places. I paint the calming forces of far off vistas; the enduring land that will be here long after we are gone. These paintings capture the primal elements of nature in order to evoke memories or feelings. Viewers will be drawn into the paintings and experience the serenity that nature provides us in our hectic, urban lives.

A portion of proceeds from this exhibition will be donated to the preservation of the South March Highlands and the Constance Creek Wildlife Refuge.

By Anita Utas

CANCuLture Check out CanCulture, a new online magazine featuring arts and culture events and issues in Ottawa and Toronto. The site was launched in March by two young Ottawa journalists who hope to stimulate their readers to have a deeper connection with their cities and to promote discussion on arts and culture issues. www.canculutre.com

COLLeCtiF 9: A website dediCAted tO COMiC striP Artists The Collectif 9 (also known as C9) is a website which features local comic strip artists. The C9 project was created in 2009 by Professor Marc Tessier from l’École Multidisciplinaire de l’Image at l’Université du Québec en Outaouais.

With more than 15 writers and using a Wordpress interface, the Collectif blogs and publishes both in “fanzine” and book format. The website promotes comic strip artists

and directs web surfers to publishers and other related websites. C9’s activities extend to printing through the creation of T-shirts and reusable bags.

As well as producing its own comic strips, the Collectif hopes to attract other artists and collaborators. Its editorial team is made up of three graduates of the UQO program, Jean-François Boulé, Émile Couture and Hélène Doré.

This is an interesting site for fans of illustration and comic strips.

Available only in French. www.collectif9.com

wOrK iN CuLture: A LeAdiNG web resOurCe FOr CAreers iN Arts ANd CuLtureCultural Careers Council Ontario (CCCO) is a not for profit organization dedicated to building a resilient cultural sector in Ontario through the delivery of business skills, training, services and resources for artists,

workers and organizations in the province’s arts, heritage and culture disciplines.

This sector is a leader in the creative economy with more than 250,000 workers and contributing $19.7 billion to the provincial GDP.

CCCO has developed one of the province’s most popular job boards on its website. In fact, the site is so popular the organization itself is often referred to by its name, Work in Culture. The job board specializes in jobs for artists, administrators and others, including full and part-time positions, internships and casual labour opportunities in the arts and cultural community.

As well, it includes free and easy to download resources such as booklets, tips and templates on business topics and research. The website is available only in English. www.workinculture.ca

pAiNTiNg lANdScApES fOR A gREENER WORld

“Ripped Tradition” by 16-year-old Colonel By High School student Danlynn Tang was the winner of the AOE Award at the Young at Art 2011 Exhibit held in the Trinity Art Gallery from April 29 to May 24.

ANiTA uTAS: “pOETiC lANdSCApES”A solo exhibition of abstract landscape paintings by Anita UtasMay 26 to June 28Trinity Art Gallery, Salon AShenkman Arts Centre, 245 Centrum Boulevard, Lower Levelwww.anitautas.com

ARTNEWS JUNE 2011 13

mANy dONATiONS TO THE 2011 ARTicipATE Endowment Fund campaign have been received and applications for 2011 grants are being reviewed. The 2011 grant recipients will be announced in the September issue of ARTnews.

ARTicipate launched its 2011 campaign in April with the presentation of its first ARTicipate Report. This comprehensive, bilingual publication covers ARTicipate activities and accomplishments since its inception in 2007 to 2010, including the 2010 grant recipients and the unveiling of the ARTicipate Donor Wall in May 2010.

2011 also saw the presentation at the Shenkman Arts Centre of the performances of two recipients of 2010 grants: the National Capital Suzuki School of Music and the Ottawa Theatre School.

“Thanks to its ARTicipate grant, the Suzuki Music Chamber and Ensembles Concert 2011 showcased various chamber music groups and senior ensembles in the Harold Shenkman Hall. It was a wonderful evening of classical music,” says ARTicipate Endowment Fund Director Chantal Rodier.

“The ARTicipate grant allowed these talented students to perform in a professional performance venue, providing a great experience for students and audience alike.”

The Ottawa Theatre School’s April production of Under Milkwood, by Dylan Thomas, was held in the Shenkman Art Centre’s Richcraft Theatre. “ARTicipate funding allowed the first graduates of the Ottawa Theatre’s School newly accredited Acting Conservatory Program to participate in a professional production and exposed audiences to new and emerging theatre talent in Ottawa,” explains Rodier. A number of OYP Theatre School students were also involved in the production.

“It is clear that the $53,000 in ARTicipate grants awarded in 2010 have had a tremendous impact on the quality and diversity of local arts,” she adds. “We want to make an even bigger impact in 2011 by having more money available from which to support our grant applicants. All donations will help bring innovative and dynamic projects to the Shenkman Arts Centre and

support the year-round programming and services of the resident arts partners.”

She added that cumulative lifetime donations are recognized on the ARTicipate website and on the distinctive Annual Donor Wall in the Shenkman Arts Centre’s upper lobby.

By Cassandra Olsthoorn, ARTicipate Coordinator

2011 ARTicipate Campaign Underway

upcOmiNg fROm 2010 gRANT REcipiENTS...

pROpEllER dANcE, “cROSS OvER,” JuNE 16TH ANd 17TH 2011, RicHcRAfT THEATRE

Cross Over will speak to the beauty and power of the body in all its diversity. Propeller Dance is Ottawa’s contemporary dance organization integrating dancers with and without disability.

BliNk cOllEcTivE, “THREAdEd: HOmAgE TO lOuiSE BOuRgEOiS,” SEpTEmBER 2011, lOWER lOBBy gAllERy

Eight artists will create diptychs that reflect the connecting threads between their works with that of Louise Bourgeois, bearing in mind the words of the artist, “I do, I undo, I redo.”

dONATiONS CAN bE mAdE ONliNE AT ARTiCipATE.CA OR by CAlliNg 613-580-2767.

ThE fUll ARTiCipATE REpORT iS AvAilAblE ONliNE AT WWW.ARTicipATE.cA

THE mORE iT gROWS, THE mORE iT givES

Propeller Dance

14 ARTSOE.CA

Artist Profile

Flight of the Imagination, an exhibition of works by sculptor Éric Tardif, is literally taking the Shenkman Art Centre’s Trinity Art Gallery, Salon B, to new heights.

Tardif’s wooden bird sculptures have little resemblance to traditional wood sculpture. Each is crafted from thin hardwood plates which are bent to give clean, delicate, elegant and graceful forms.

The Outaouais artist, a native of Kamouraska, Québec, discovered this technique while studying at L’École de sculpture de Québec in 1995. Since his first exhibit, his creations have sold very well and he has held successful exhibitions in France, Italy, the United States, Japan, Quebec and Ontario, including Ottawa and Gatineau.

It is not surprising that the artist devotes his creative energy to depicting the very essence of birds; long before becoming an artist he was a guide at the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, a world renowned site for the observation of Snow geese east of Québec City. That experience continues to influence his artistic expression. He is also influenced, he says, by Native and Inuit art, as well as Japanese aesthetics.

It is also not surprising that Tardif has chosen to express himself artistically with hardwood. He admits to being very much influenced by the various species of wood

with which he works, including maple, ash, elm, walnut and cherry. Through its singular colour or grain, he says each piece of wood will inspire a form and a way for it to “take flight.”

Tardif has become a master at choosing the individual planks which come primarily from the Bois Francs region of central Quebec, as well as from the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

This exhibit, which continues until June 28, is a rare opportunity to view a genuine

“artistic migration.”

By Denis St-Jules

éRic TARdif - HiS ART TAkES fligHT

SAvE THE dATE.

It is never too soon to tell people about a party!AOE Arts Council AnnouncesARTinis & Appetizers 2011Thursday, November 3Shenkman Arts Centre6:30 to 9:00 p.m.Early bird tickets on sale August 20, 2011www.artsoe.ca