Wondering just what Mackenzy Albright and Rachelle Liette Bowen are going to be building for the Parka Patio? Here’s a little teaser—recently sighted in their studios, a lamp and a massive block of pink foam.
Look for video here on the blog next week during their installation process.
Advance tickets for Parka Patio available online at www.latitude53.org/parka and at the gallery for $12.
Latitude 53 members can get advance tickets in person at a discount—come down and visit us!
We talked with Avenue Edmonton’s Ana Maria de la Fuente about Parka Patio:
Executive director Todd Janes knows people may think having a party outside in minus -20°C weather is a little crazy, but he thinks it’s time to embrace the realities of the city’s climate and have some fun with it.
The party is “taking the idea of loving winter and mixing it with truly Latitude flair,” he says.
Read the preview on their blog, and join the conversation on twitter at #yegparka.
These works by Justin Wayne Shaw and Andrea Foht are just two of the pieces in the Parka Patio silent auction. We’ve just begun posting some images at www.latitude53.org/parka—go take a look!
“First Times” is a look at the pioneering spirit that animates the arts community in Edmonton, and provides our mission as an artist-run centre. We’re celebrating that spirit in the winter air on February 18 at our new annual fundraiser: the Parka Patio
Blair Brennan is an Edmonton artist and writer who’s been involved with Latitude 53 for a long time—he’s recently been on our Programming Committee. He’s also a familiar face as the manager of FAB Gallery at the University. We talked to him about beginning his career in Edmonton:
The first item on your CV, in 1980, is “Latitude Presents”—and you’re still involved with Latitude 53 today. Can you tell us about your memories of those early days, your first experience with the centre?
Back in 80’s there seemed less pressure to leave Edmonton. It seemed as good a place as any from which to base and art practice and people didn’t seem to go away to school as much either. When you left the U of A, you became involved with Latitude. That just seemed a natural progression—though I also felt rather “recruited” by the then president John Roberts. They were looking for people who could help with renovations in their location near the high-level bridge on the north side (they had just moved from downtown—the old workman’s comp building on Rice Howard way and there was a lot of work to turn an old house into a usable gallery space).
I worked on the renovation of the basement and to a lesser extent the gallery spaces. There was a real “you built it and you used it” sense. We finished the ceiling in the basement and went to a poetry reading there on the weekend. We painted the walls in the gallery, hung a show and had a party there on the Friday night.
The Parka Patio is less than two weeks away now. We’re very excited: it’s at once completely new and yet a continuation of our history.
Parka Patio about Edmonton’s pioneering spirit. We’re celebrating that despite our bitter winters and sleepy streets, what makes Edmonton special is the way that time and time again, we take on goals bigger than ourselves—we step out into the snow and make something new. At the Parka Patio we want to showcase young artists who are doing just that, from our silent auction to less-expected features like our two installation environments built by Jes McCoy, Rachelle Bowen, and Mackenzy Albright, to our DJs and video projections out on the patio. But we also want to connect these new trailblazers to the local traditions that paved the way for them.
Over this week and next—leading up to the event on the 18th—we’ll be telling some stories about new beginnings. We’ll have highlights about the up-and-coming artists and DJs who are helping us to put it on, but also stories from Edmonton’s past, about Latitude 53 and when some of the things we take for granted now were new too, in quotes and video. Stay tuned!
Parka Patio party tickets available now at www.latitude53.org/parka for $12.
Discounted tickets for Latitude 53 members will be available next week at the gallery.
The Parka Patio Party is coming.
If you’ve seen our winter newsletter you will have gotten the first hints—we’re planning a brand-new party for February, the successor to our long-running 53 Ways to Leave Your Lover. It’s an idea we’ve been talking about on and off for the last few years, following the success of our Summer Rooftop Patio Series. A winter patio!
Mark your calendars: on Saturday February 18, we’ll have a heated winter patio with cold and warm cocktails, DJs, food, and decor by Elemental Interiors. Inside, we’ll have a silent art auction, more DJs, and winter-themed installation environments by some local artists.
Tickets will be available soon for $12 at www.latitude53.org/parka. Be sure you know where your mittens are, and look forward to more information soon.
