Hope you all had a glorious long weekend. We had a great one—lots of Heritage Day eats, picnicking and of course, Draw. Thanks to all who came out and made it such a good time.
Draw: it’s almost here!
We’re setting up today for tomorrow’s sixth annual Draw—and it’s going to be a great one.
With a vinyl collage wall, drawing games and a late-night party, it’s going to an awesome Saturday at Latitude 53, Harcourt House and SNAP.
On the roster of events:
A kite-making workshop hosted by SNAP, with access to their arsenal of printmaking tools and expertise from 12-5pm
Figure drawing—both clothed and au naturel—at Harcourt House, with a chance to contribute to two exquisite corpse drawing projects
A collage, vinyl and drawing party here at Latitude 53 from noon to midnight
Music at Latitude 53 from Stanley and The Extraterrestrials and DJ Sarah Patterson
A scratch-animation workshop by FAVA at Latitude 53 from 8-11pm
Also don’t miss the very special opening performance of Saturday Mornings, The Diner, with artists Sarah Fuller, Lia Rogers and Lindsay MacDonald serving coffee and reminiscence diner-style, clad in cafe costumes
So yes—it’s going to be a wonderful day celebrating art and community. As our program assistant Chelsea Boida stated in a recent interview about Draw in Vue Magazine :
“It really changes how you think about drawing: often it’s a private activity, you don’t feel that same sort of risk when you’re doing it in front of people. But here, I think it helps, because a lot of people are taking risks together, and hopefully it ends up working out collaboratively, and whether that’s a low level of collaboration—having a haphazard drawing next to somebody else’s—or if the drawings actually end up interacting.”
Hope to see you there!
Survey says
Hey friends!
It’s that time again. We’ve got a survey up and we’re looking forward to hearing from you about Edmonton, Latitude 53, and how we can make opportunities for contemporary art and culture in this city even better in the future.
Plus, if you fill out the survey you get a free drink for one of our opening receptions! Nice. Fill out this summer’s survey anytime from now through late August and tell us what you think.
Keep an eye out for updates about this week’s Incubator series and our In/stall/ed project later today and tomorrow on the blog, and enjoy the beautifully sunny Monday! Also, get a head start on your plans for the weekend and make space for this year’s DRAW, happening on Saturday from noon to midnight.
Next Up at Latitude 53
Our current shows are in their last days right now: you have until tomorrow to catch Spaces&Places:VisioningMcLuhan@100 and Barbara Prokop’s VITULAZIO, but don’t worry. Not only will we have our weekly Patio party and incubator show to keep you happy next week, but you can spend the days getting excited about our next batch of shows and events.
Head on over to our website and take a look at the details. Above is a sample image from Jason de Haan.
Hello summer staff, part 3.
Last week, we began introducing our summer staff, interview style. This week, meet Chelsea Boida, our new Programs Assistant.
What are you going to be doing at Latitude 53 this summer?
My main role will be with the Incubator Series, which is a weekly show in Latitude 53’s community gallery that features works in progress. Also, I will be assisting with coordinating the Draw event, the archives, programs and exhibitions, and rentals. It’s my first time being employed in an arts organization, although I have been interested in this kind of work for years.
What’s your favourite thing about Edmonton’s arts community, and specifically Latitude 53? What are you looking forward to this summer, festivities-wise?
The city of Edmonton is small enough and large enough that there are a lot of opportunities to contribute to the arts community and be supported. Along this line, I like how Latitude 53 takes on programming challenges and builds connections among artistic entities.
I am from Edmonton, and this summer I’m looking forward to visiting galleries, camping, and finding out what has changed over the last two years when I lived in Vancouver.
Where did you go to school? What did you study there?
I love being in school, and I imagine myself always taking some kind classes. Some topics I have dabbled in are web design and geography. As well I have finished a Bachelor of Fine Arts and an Office Administration diploma.
What kind of hobbies have you been entertaining recently?
Gardening, cooking and home brewing are my major excitements these days. I consider it witchcraft.
Summer staff introductions, part 2.
Meet our new summer staff and interns! Here’s a little q. and a. from Kimi Ahluwalia. She’s the new Engagement Assistant.
What are going to be working on at Latitude 53 this summer?
I’m acting as Latitude’s Summer Engagement Assistant. I will be working on DRAW 2011, a collaborative effort between Edmonton’s artist-run centers that culminates in a fun, creative event for the public. I will also be assisting in this year’s Patio Rooftop Series as well as volunteer coordination.
What are you looking forward to this summer at Latitude 53?
I’m really looking forward to working in the Patio Series, it looks like a lot of fun!
Where do you go to school? What do you study?
I’m a fourth year undergraduate at the University of Alberta majoring in Art History and Psychology.
Something zany about yourself?
I’m addicted to chocolate?
A couple of weeks back Vue Weekly was kind enough to feature Draw on the cover of their paper with this fun do-it-yourself template. Now they’ve posted submissions from their readers filling in the blank space. Check them out on Vue’s facebook page.
Latitude 53 Video Podcast
Our intern Annalise Prodor tells us all about Draw, which happens tomorrow at Harcourt House, SNAP and here at Latitude 53. For the rest of the details, check out our website. (Watch or download from Vimeo)
We’re getting excited for Draw coming up this Saturday—and so is David Berry, writing for Vue Weekly this week:
Although Latitude has partnered with other institutions before—include Metro Cinema and FAVA for the hand-made Anime-a-thon and the Art Gallery of Alberta for the cut-and-paste College-a-thon—this year’s Draw will not only bring together a wider group of allies but also mark the first time in a very long time indeed that Edmonton’s artist-run centres have collaborated on a major event, and should serve as much as a coming-out party for some of the city’s most vital institutions as a good time to be had by all. To help put you in the mood for the noon-to-midnight affair, Vue Weekly presents four reasons—one for each participating organization—why you should spend some of your Saturday making art.
We’ll have lots more on Draw here on the blog today and tomorrow, leading up to the event on Saturday. Watch this space!
The Community Building Pep Talk
This post is written by Latitude 53’s Writer In Residence, Carolyn Jervis. She will be writing critically about Latitude 53 programming, the community and more on a regular basis over a six month term. Read more about the Writer In Residence program.
This post comes to you after having numerous conversations over the past month about Edmonton’s arts community. So the following is a reflection on why I think it’s important to grow and nurture relationships in this scene, not just for the evolution of your own development, but for the good and betterment of the visual arts where we live. It’s hard to talk about the importance of community without falling into one of two types of platitudes:
