Cafes serving java with Artsweek sleeves
Poetry, fine art, dance, theatre and even ninjas - annual arts event has something for everyone
Artist Laura Rook Gaughan, left, and Artsweek co-ordinator Laurel Paluck check out coffee sleeves for #eCityLit pop-up arts created with poetry and literature written by contributing artists Janette Platana, Matthew Hayes, Angela Semple, Wes Ryan, Devon Code, Jon Hedderwick and Michelle Berry on Tuesday at Black Honey on Hunter St. The coffee sleeves will be distributed to cafes throughout the city. The 10-day event runs from Friday to Sept. 27.
The week to come is all about art.
Artsweek Peterborough returns Friday and runs until Sept. 27 for 10 days of arts-related activities, exhibitions and events across the city.
These include porch concerts, storefront art, writers’ studios, dancing, poetry, pop-up performances in downtown alleyways and live art happening in Jackson Park.
Artsweek, presented by the Electric City Culture Council (EC3), has four major components this year: Blink, Alleywaltz, Pop-Up Arts and the Jackson Creek Project.
Things get underway Friday with a gallery hop and launch party. The galleries open at 6 p.m., and the party starts at 9 p.m. Participating sites include Artspace (378 Aylmer St N.), Christensen Fine Art (432 George N.), Gallery in the Attic (140 1/2 Hunter St W.), Evan’s Contemporary (129½ Hunter St. W. 3rd Floor_ and the Art Gallery of Peterborough on Crescent St.
Here’s a rundown on what to expect over the 10 days, as provided by EC3’s Artsweek coordinator, Laurel Paluck.
BLINK
This show, subtitled Exhibitions for Storefront Windows, happens Sept. 17-28 at several locations across town. Walking tours of this downtown exhibition with co-curators Elizabeth Fennell and Victoria Mohr-Blakeney will take place Friday at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Sept. 26, 1 p.m. Tours meet at Market Hall.
Nine commisioned artists are working in a variety of mediums and styles to create visually stunning installations including largescale bold and beautiful paintings, landscapes, streetscapes; slowmotion film, wood-cut screens, photography installations and more.
Featured Artists and Storefronts include:
Joe Stable/St. Veronus Café and Tap Room
Patrick Moore/Catalina’s Hair Salon
Andrew MacDonald/Hi Ho Silver Tara Azzopardi/Dolce Vita Matthew Hayes/Custom Copy
The Graphic History Collective/Peterborough Public Library
John Climenhage/ Peterborough Square
Elizabeth Sullivan/ Peterborough Square
Paul Oldham/Pammetts Flowers
Artist profiles are available at http://artsweekptbo.com/blinkartist-profiles/
Sponsored by Galerie Q and The D.B.I.A.
ALLEYWALTZ
The Alleywaltz is a performance series for all ages, running Sept. 26 and 27 with tours starting at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Tours begin at Victoria Park.
This family-friendly adventures sees the audience walk through the downtown to discover secret stages with a variety of performers, including aerial artists, ninjas, puppets, clowns and more. Performances include:
Lepidoptery by Opal Elchuk and Kayla Stanistreet: Witness the magic of metamorphosis as aerial dancers dangle from the treetops and traverse Victoria park to tell the butterfly’s cyclical story of growth, transformation and infinite new beginnings.
Hero by Kenn Gibb: Without A Scratch Company: Combining martial arts, stage combat and theatre arts into high-energy performance for the whole family to enjoy.
No Strings Attached by Sarah and Andy McNeilly: A puppet show without puppets. Sarah and Andy are brother and sister team who created this game over 20 years ago. Now that the two are grown-ups, they’ve decided to re-visit this movement experiment and their sense of play. You might find yourself playing it too!
Tales from a Fly on the Wall by Shelley King and Naomi Duvall: Shoo-ella shares her stories of the secret happenings hidden behind the places of our everyday worlds. Through a variety of puppetry styles, a vignette of delightful and poignant tales will be revealed for story-lovers of all ages.
A Couple of Clowns by Hilary Wear and Patricia Thorne: It’s International Elders Appreciation Day and Granny would really love some company. Zupies is going to Granny’s house to celebrate with her.
Artist Profiles are available at http://artsweekptbo.com/ alleywaltz-artist-profiles/
POP-UP ARTS
The Pop-Up Arts series includes seven events taking place all around the city between Sept. 18 and 27.
POP-UP 1: Trent Radio broadcasting Live and Local – Drop in on the Trent Radio House lawn or tune into the airwaves at 92.7 FM for a day of eclectic live radio creation.
Friday Sept. 18, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 715 George St. N. On air 92.7 F.M. Online trentradio.ca
POP-UP 2: #eCityLit Created by Laura Rock Gaughan and JC Sutcliffe – Get a daily jolt of microlit with your hot beverage as local cafes provide micro-fictions and poems printed on cup sleeves. Be sure to collect the whole series created by six commissioned local writers. Cafes include: Nutshell Next Door, The Silver Bean, Dreams of Beans, Hasseltons and The Spill.
POP-UP 3: Write on the Street – Walk by the writer’s studio and see living writers from Peterborough and beyond as they write in the storefront window. Sign up for a one-to-one writing class, and find out when creative writing workshops will be offered. Watch for collaborations between makers of the work-of-art-in-language and artists working in other disciplines. Visit your host on-line too at JanettePlatana.com
Opens each day of Artsweek at 8:30 a.m. 386 George Street N.
POP-UP 4: Porchapalooza – The neighborhood of Stewart and Simcoe streets will ring with live music in this series of five porch concert with Strict Father (Chaperoned Country), Catfish Willy and the Bucklebusters (Western Swing), Swoboda and Son (Classical), Joe Hall (Folk Nonsense), Al Black and Gary Peeples (blues). Wednesday Sept. 23. Musical tours begin at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. 265 Hunter St. W.
POP-UP 5: KIDVISION – The students of King George Public School will be working with artists Ben Hodson and Meg O’Sullivan to explore their vision of the ideal school environment. The students will be producing a mural as well as a theatrical performance for the public to enjoy.
King George P.S. Noon-1 p.m. 220 Hunter St E.
POP-UP 6: The Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre -The Healing Art of Kintsugi – Experience the ancient Japense technique of pottery repair and its philosophy of transforming the broken into a work of art in this artist led workshop for all to experience. Friday, Sept. 25, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Millennium Park Display Room
POP-UP 7: Mysterious EntityQueen of the Kawarthas – a poetic musical seriocomic drag tour of the Peterborough Lift Lock, unraveling the ramifications of this key landmark of Peterborough’s colonizing history. Written and performed by David Bateman and Em Glasspool
Friday, Sept. 25, 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26, 6 p.m., Sunday Sept. 27, 6 p.m.
Peterbrough Lift Lock, 353 Hunter St E. Mature content.
JACKSON CREEK PROJECT
This is a special day to celebrate the park, the creek and the city on Sunday, Sept. 20.
Celebrate and explore Jackson Creek through the eyes of artists creating new works on the lawn, in the creek, from the woods and along the shores. With dance, music, installations, photography, and more through four special projects:
JC1: Sunday in the Park, Sept. 20: Enjoy an afternoon in the park as new artworks unfurl on the lawns,through the woods and in the creek. With Fossils by Bill James; Stone Soup by Jessica Rowland, Classical music with The Ancient Airs, Katherine Carleton, Justin Hiscox and others; Nature Creations with Shelley King; Poetry Gifting with Daphne Molson; Weaving Our Stories at the Water’s Edge – A Community Ceremony with Deb Reynolds and Jovanna Soligo; and other hidden gems. 2-4 p.m. Hamilton Park 575 Bonnacord – adjacent to Jackson Park.
JC2: Walking History Tour of Jackson Creek, Sept. 20: Join Otonabee Conservation staff for a stroll along Jackson Creek to learn about the natural and cultural history of this watercourse including its industrial past and current condition. The walk will begin at Fleming Park and will follow the path of Jackson Creek to Sherbrooke Street. Duration approx 1 hour. Accessible and suitable for all ages. Sponsored by the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority. Noon meet at Fleming Park (Brock and Aylmer Sts.)
JC 3: Uncovering an Ecological Relic: Lett Architects seek to discover the potential of an exposed Jackson Creek in downtown Peterborough through a sculptural installation, as well as a series of perspective vignettes. Display at 171 King St. and at the Creek throughout Artsweek.
JC 4: Video Projections- Look up, down and all around town for photographic and video projections appearing in mysterious places throughout Artsweek.
Going Down to Jackson by Esther Vincent celebrates Jackson Creek and its place in the community. This exhibition will feature photos of people from all over Peterborough wearing rubber boots and standing in their favourite part of the creek.
Lost and Found in Jackson Creek by Lester Alfonso happened after the filmmaker and his daughter walked the entire distance of Jackson Creek, cataloguing all the man-made objects they could find. This short film tells the story of their trip down the creek and the stuff they find along the way.