We had a fantastic time this weekend at the Parka Patio, and we hope you did too. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported Latitude 53, and to those who donated or purchased artworks. You may have run into our team of three photographers at the party—we’ll have images and video from them soon right here on the blog so you can relive your favourite moments.
Thanks again for making it such a great time—we hope to see all of you again soon. This Friday we’ve got a new show opening by Korapin Chaotakoongite, and it will be joined in March by Unstable Natures, and of course we have lots more exciting programming to look forward to through 2012.
It’s almost here! Today is your last chance to grab advance tickets to the Parka Patio at www.latitude53.org/parka—but tomorrow we’ll have more at the door for $15. The patio can hold quite a crowd!
Today the gallery is full of volunteers and installation artists putting the place together: as well as lots of artwork (most of which you’ll be able to buy in the silent auction), we’ve got trees and winter decor from and a great set-up from Special Event Rentals for the patio.
We’ve got an incredible feeling that tomorrow night another Edmonton legend will be made. Make sure that you’re there from the start.
Hailing from Pigeon Lake, Gatineau and Calgary, Carol Neuman is an Edmonton writer, community organizer and winter-lover.
Welcome to Cold City Cool: An alliterative slogan that invokes our collective chutzpah.
Do you like it? How it sounds? Can you see it emblazoned on a button or scarf or carved in ice?
Cold City Cool is the idea that, in a universe of cities climbing over each other to earn Richard Florida’s Creative Class merit badges, Edmonton needs to stop, opt out, and create a new race to the top – one where the cards are stacked in our favor.
Instead of scoring points for neighborhood walkability, population density and gay-friendliness, (important for any self-respecting metro centre no doubt, but we’ll never beat out an Austin or Seattle or Toronto), we will push the fact that Edmonton is unique and lovely and charming because it’s so damn cold all the time. (Note: Winter 2011-12 is excised from this missive.)
There’s only one problem.
We don’t really think our cold city is all that cool. Yet.
We’re changing that. With celebrations like the Parka Patio, our fantastic winter festivals and an earnest city-led think tank pushing for a seasonal strategy, we are slowly nudging our attitudes of winter in a more Florida-worthy direction.
One of the resources fueling this culture shift is memory. Do you remember what winter was like when you were little?
I do.
Continue reading...
Latitude 53 Video Podcast
Mackenzy Albright and Rachelle Liette Bowen took a break from working on their installation in the gallery to talk to us about their work and what it’s like to be an emerging artist in Edmonton.
See their installation at our new winter fundraiser, the Parka Patio, on February 18. Get your tickets at www.latitude53.org/parka.
Our Parka Patio installation artists have been busy the last few days getting ready, and Rob Harpin and our volunteers have been hanging the auction work too. It’s so close!
We’re just putting the finishing touches on our video with Rachelle Liette Bowen and Mackenzy Albright, who’ve been working on this piece—look for it here on the blog tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, Jes McCoy’s tunnel also looks pretty sweet—but you’ll have to wait and come journey through it on Saturday. No peeking!
Latitude 53 Video Podcast
We talked to the DJs of Easy Love about their First Times: getting started in Edmonton, finding new directions, and working with Latitude 53 for the first time. See them this Saturday closing out the party at the Parka Patio.
“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.
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.
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!
