The Ottawa Black Arts Kollective presents 7 Ottawa-based artists working in various media in the show “The Stranger Among Us.”
WHEN: Vernissage today, Sunday, February 12 from 1-3 pm show runs to March 14
WHERE: AOE Gallery, Shenkman Arts Centre, 245 Centrum Boulevard, Ottawa, Ontario
Featured Artists:
Below work by artist Ojo Agi from the “Daughters of Diaspora” series.
Images by Leah Snyder for Mixed Bag Mag.
Asinabka, one of Ottawa’s favourite summer film festivals, along with the Ottawa Art Gallery is presenting Unikkaaqtuarniq: Stories from the North just in time to celebrate Ottawa’s favourite season – winter! On Friday an outdoor screening will highlight Indigenous filmmaking from the Arctic and will include “a continuous looping program of short films by Inuit and Sámi filmmakers projected in a theatre made of snow.”
The Orphan and the Polar Bear – Trailer from Taqqut Productions on Vimeo.
WHEN: Friday February 3 @ 5:30 – 8 pm & Saturday, February 4 @ 6 – 8 pm
WHERE: Lansdowne Park, 450 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Ottawa
FREE EVENT
More info on the Facebook Event Page.
**ADDITIONAL SCREENING ADDED**
WHEN: Saturday, February 18 @ 2 – 5 pm
WHERE: Gallery 101, 51 B Young Street, Ottawa
FREE EVENT
More info here.
Presented in partnership with Skábmagovat film festival (Inari, Finland), the City of Ottawa, the Embassy of Finland, Gallery 101, the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre and Winterlude.
Also, part of the programming is award-winning filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s Angry Inuk
“In her film Angry Inuk, Inuit director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril joins a new tech-savvy generation of Inuit as they campaign to challenge long-established perceptions of seal hunting. Though most commercial sealing is conducted by Inuit in the Arctic, anti-sealing activism has created a perception of the industry that denies their central role in the sealskin market.”
Angry Inuk (Trailer) from NFB/marketing on Vimeo.
WHEN: Sunday, February 5 @ 1:30 pm & Monday, February 6 @ 9:20 pm
WHERE: Bytowne Cinema, 325 Rideau Street, Ottawa
FREE EVENT
More info on the Facebook Event Page
Presented in partnership with Asinabka Film & Media Arts Festival, Ottawa Art Gallery & Bytowne Cinema.
Other highlights include:
Image: Andrew Alexander. Provided by The Ghomeshi Effect.
WHEN: Friday, February 27 @ 7:30 pm & Saturday, February 28 @ 2:30 pm / 7:30 pm
WHERE: The Gladstone Theatre, 910 Gladstone Avenue, Ottawa
TICKETS: $17.47/$28.09/$31.63 Purchase Here
So many of us felt impacted when the news broke about CBC Q host Jian Ghomeshi. It brought up a lot of mixed emotions for me. When I heard and read the descriptions of his behaviour, they were all too familiar. As the trial started then proceeded many of us felt raw as we witnessed how the proceedings went down. Social media became the public commons where we could work out what was happening and perhaps contribute to some kind of change in policy. The conversation continues with productions like The Ghomeshi Effect.
Words from the Team:
The Ghomeshi Effect’s script uses transcriptions of interviews Jessica Ruano (Director) conducted with local Ottawa residents about their lived experiences in dealing with sexual violence and the justice system. The interviews range from confessional first-person accounts to expert analyses of how the law is constructed to handle these cases.
“Through this process we found that many people have become disillusioned by the court system and do not always see it as the best means for seeking justice,” says Ruano. “In this play we explore why this is and discuss potential alternatives.”
Bringing these stories to life is a broad group of multidisciplinary and bilingual performers: Leah Archambault, Marc-André Charette, Gabrielle Lalonde, Annie Lefebvre, Emmanuel Simon, and Mekdes Teshome. Setting the scene are lighting designer Benoît Brunet-Poirier, sound designer Martin Dawagne, and Métis mixed-media artist Mique Michelle, who will be creating a graffiti-inspired floor design for the stage.
“Ever since we began this project we have known that this conversation was bigger than us,” says Griffin. “Whenever we talk to people about the play, there’s always someone who has a story to share or an opinion to contribute. This performance is about our community and we made a point of including a diverse group of individuals and stories in the script, and opening up the conversation to our audiences.”
Important supplemental programming
Along with the play, there has been auxiliary programming to provide more opportunities for reflection and dialogue. The opening night included a keynote address by Glen Canning, the father of Rehtaeh Parsons, the young girl who took her life in 2013 after she was sexually assaulted and then bullied online. Glen has become an activist against rape culture and how it most often re-victimizes survivors as they move through the ‘justice’ system. He speaks about “youth, consent and the way mixed messages about definitions of rape affected Rehtaeh’s case.”
“Beginning these conversations with our kids when they are teenagers is essential,” says Canning, “because in so many cases we are willing to believe anything about women in order to excuse anything about a man.”
This night was also in partnership with MANifest Change “a program to engage men in the prevention of violence run by the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women(OCTEVAW).“
Last Saturday, a fundraiser was held with local pop-band The PepTides.
“It has always been part of our mandate as a band and members of the community to promote equality and human rights. The stories in the script hit close to home and there was no doubt that we wanted to be part of this important conversation,” says band member Scottie Irving.
This is the final weekend for The Ghomeshi Effect at The Gladstone Theatre but there will be one final performance at The Shenkman Centre on Thursday, February 2.
Tickets for this weekend can be purchased here. More info on The Shenkman Centre performance here.
Follow along with The Ghomeshi Effect on their website www.theghomehsieffect.com, on Facebook and twitter @GhomeshiEffect as well as hashtag #TheGhomeshiEffect.
Shaun Beyale, The Time Traveler, ink, gray Copic marker, and white Gellyroll pen on paper, 2015, courtesy Ottawa Art Gallery.
From the Ottawa Art Gallery:
“Taking its title from a Sonny Assu button blanket depicting Spiderman in a traditional Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw style, When Raven Became Spider is guest curated by Vancouver-based Gitxaala/British, curator, artist and writer Leena Minifie. Minifie’s research examines supernatural characters in Indigenous art and modern comic superheroes. She notes that traditional stories often highlight figures with superheroic traits, but that these figures maintain complexity as they are fallible, and capable of making mistakes. Most pop comic icons lean towards the archetypal, exhibiting simplified ways of being; they are good or evil. This generation of Indigenous artists and storytellers are increasingly depicting modern super-beings and using pop icon images within their work, blurring the line between oral stories and modern comics. Their aesthetics, style, and composition flow between both worlds.
Does the use of these modern-day images generate a space for oral narratives related to super beings? Or does it reduce these characters into one-dimensional archetypes? Does this work make stories more accessible and palatable to audiences and listeners, who may not be familiar with storytelling traditions? Do modernized forms sacrifice a certain degree of the three-dimensionality and nuance of the characters they depict? Can these characters still transmit old-world, oratory tales and teach us something about the frail human condition, as they were intended?
When Raven Became Spider grapples with such questions.”
ARTISTS:
WHEN: Vernissage is Thursday, February 26 @ 5:30
WHERE: OAG Annex, City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa
The OAG Annex gallery is open daily from 9 am to 8 pm.
Free admission. Wheelchair accessible. Parking available.
For more information: 613-233-8699 x234, info@ottawaartgallery.ca
Organized by: Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina Public Library
This week NFB documentary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin will be visiting Ottawa as part of the CANADIAN MASTERS series presented by the Canadian Film Institute in collaboration with Carleton University’s School For Studies In Art and Culture: Film Studies.
The Canadian Film Institute’s Canadian Masters series is an annual celebration of excellence in Canadian filmmaking, featuring extensive onstage interviews, special screenings, and audience discussions with some of the greatest names in Canadian film history. In our 2016-2017 inaugural season, we are honoured to present three extraordinary Canadian masters of the moving image: Atom Egoyan (November), Alanis Obomsawin (January), and Guy Maddin (March). more about the CFI
Alanis Obomsawin, OC, is filmmaker, singer, artist, storyteller of Abenaki descent (born 31 August 1932 near Lebanon, New Hampshire). One of Canada’s most distinguished documentary filmmakers, Alanis Obomsawin began her career as a professional singer and storyteller before joining the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) in 1967.
Her award-winning films address the struggles of Aboriginal peoples in Canada from their perspective, giving prominence to voices that have long fallen on deaf ears. An Officer of the Order of Canada, she has received multiple Governor General’s Awards, lifetime achievement awards and honorary degrees. (The Canadian Encyclopedia)
7:30 – 9:30 pm
Arts Court Theatre, 2nd Floor of Arts Court, 2 Daly Avenue, Ottawa
$15 (+HST) Tickets available at the door and on sale here
Seating for the interview on January 26th is limited. Get your tickets early!
More info here
7 – 10 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
Theatre at Richcraft Hall (Formerly the River Building)
FREE!
More info here
Michèle Pearson Clarke, “MJ and Louise” from the “It’s Good to be Needed” series, C-Print, 2013
An exhibit on how loss impacts life opens this weekend at Gallery 101
In viewing the political circus down south there is a concern that we are moving away from consideration of those deep emotions that make us human. The masses are reduced down to behaving with base emotions expressed either as primal rage or manic exhilaration. Initiatives that allow for reflection on what makes us complex as well as beautiful are increasingly important giving us a chance to flesh out what it means to be human.
WHEN: Saturday, January 21 @ 3 – 7pm with panel discussion at 4 pm
WHERE: Gallery 101, 51 B Young St, Ottawa
“Loss is the collateral damage of life. All of us, regardless of social status, cultural background, or ideological affiliation, experience a sense of loss, whether it is a state of bereavement at the death of a loved one, the disappearance of an old self, the expiry of childhood, etc., the state of loss permeates our experience and becomes a contrast that enables us to recognize the goodness, to savor the memories, and to keep going.
Universal Loss explores the ways in which artists with various practices, lifestyles, and backgrounds deal with the theme of loss within the context of the contemporary moment. In a world so rife with nationalistic tribalism, instability, uncertainty and conflict, working through (and embracing) this sense of the contingent, makes us better able to deal with the world, with ourselves, and our fellows: friends and strangers alike.”
Artists:
Curated by Ulysses Castellanos and soJin Chun.
Gretchen Sankey, “Dundas and Bellwoods bouquet,” Watercolour, 2016
Tweet #WMWCanada #WomensMarch & #WomensMarchOnWashington 2
@CdnWomenMarch @womensmarch
Manif Solidaire de la Marche des Femmes à Washington DC. La rencontre d’Ottawa est une de plusieurs événements ayant lieu au pays et sert aussi de lieu officiel de regroupement au Canada.
Parcours: Débute au Monument aux Droits de la personne, se poursuivra via Laurier pour se conclure àu Bronson Centre où auront lieu des présentations à l’intérieur.
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Le 21 janvier 2017, nous marcherons.
Nous marcherons en solidarité avec les centaines de milliers de femmes à Washington alors qu’elles investiront la rue de leurs buts communs et de leurs voix distinctes.
Nous exprimerons notre solidarité envers celles et ceux faisant partie de rassemblements semblables partout au Canada et dans le monde pour soutenir les droits des femmes en tant que partie intégrante du respect des droits de la personne. Nous nous unissons contre les paroles, les attitudes et les actions qui causent des clivages telles que nous avons observé au cours des événements de l’année dernière.
Nous affirmerons haut et fort notre soutien envers les droits des femmes de tous horizons.
**ESPRIT DE LA MARCHE & CONSIDÉRATIONS ÉTHIQUES**
Cette marche non-violente, inclusive et intersectionnelle a pour objectif de manifester en faveur des droits des femmes – toutes les femmes – peu importe leur appartenance ethnique, leur croyances religieuses, leur affiliations politiques, leur identité de genre cis/trans ou leur orientation sexuelle. La violence, qu’elle soit pour ou contre la droite, la gauche, le centre ou les indépendants, n’est pas la bienvenue et ne sera pas tolérée. Nous sommes résolument engagées envers le féminisme et l’inclusion sociale.
Cet événement a été mis sur pied suite à l’élection de Trump à la Maison Blanche en réponse aux attitudes, messages et actions discriminatoires, incitant à la haine, qui ont émergé pendant la campagne et qui continuent d’être véhiculés par les discours politiques partout au monde. Nous reconnaissons que même au Canada, il reste beaucoup de chemin à faire. La violence conjugale, l’harcèlement en milieu de travail, le sexisme à l’école et la dénégation des victimes d’agressions sexuelles représentent tous des réalités d’ici qu’il presse toujours de solutionner. Cette marche servira de plateforme où les femmes les plus marginalisées de notre pays pourront s’exprimer et se faire entendre.
À ce jour, aucun pays au monde n’a encore atteint l’égalité entre les sexes, mais cela ne signifie pas que nous devons y renoncer. Nous ne tolérerons aucune discrimination ni aucune victimisation des femmes, ni aucune violation des droits des femmes, que ce soit par des mots, des actions ou des politiques. Nous ne permettrons pas que nos droits durement gagnés soient floués et nous continuerons notre quête d’une égalité intersectionnelle et substantielle!
“Assez égales”, ça ne suffit pas!
Nous espérons que nos frères, pères, fils, maris et autres alliés masculins marcheront à nos côtés — les droits des femmes font partie intégrante des droits de la personne!
Cet événement n’est que le début. Unissons-nous. Soyez solidaires.
MARCHES LOCALES AU CANADA
Groupe canadien qui voyagera vers Washington D.C.
– Vancouver CB
– Vallée-de-l’Okanagan Valley/Kelowna CB
– Nanaimo CB
– Kamloops CB
– Edmonton AB
– Calgary AB
– Winnipeg MB
– Toronto ON
– Ottawa ON
– Montréal QC
– Halifax NÉ
– Gabriola CB
– Grand Forks CB
– Kingston ON
– Lethbridge AB
– Happy Valley/Goose Bay/North West River Beach LAB
– Niagara/St.Catharines ON
– St.John’s TN
– London ON
– Hamilton ON
– Île Bowen CB
– Fredericton NB
– Victoria CB
– Whitehorse YT
– Saskatoon SK
– Kootenay Bay CB @ Yasodhara Ashram
– Saint John NB
– Sutton QC
Coordination américaine des marches locales avec liens par État :http://www.facebook.com/events/2169332969958991/
Tweet #WMWCanada #WomensMarch & #WomensMarchOnWashington to @CdnWomenMarch @womensmarch
Solidarity/Sister March with Women’s March on Washington #WomensMarch. The Ottawa gathering @wmwottawawomenmarch is one of many local events taking place in Canada and also serves as the official Canadian Sister March #WMWCanada.
Route: Starts at the Human Rights Monument, proceeding via Lisgar to Laurier and then marching to the Bronson Centre at 211 Bronson ave for indoor rally!
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On January 21st, 2017, we will march.
We will march the same day as hundreds of thousands of women in Washington as they take to the streets – all with a common goal but each with a diverse voice.
We will stand in solidarity with people gathering all over Canada and the world that day in support of women’s rights as an integral part of recognizing human rights. We will rally against the divisive words, attitudes and actions sparked by the events of the last year.
We will take a stand and support the rights of ALL women.
**SPIRIT AND ETHOS OF THE MARCH**
The purpose of this *non-violent*, *inclusive* and *intersectional* protest is to take a stand for and support women’s rights — the rights of ALL women — with women from all races, all religious communities, all political affiliations, cis or transgender and all sexual orientations. Violence, whether from or against the right-wing, left-wing, centre or independents, is not welcome and will not be condoned. We are unabashedly committed to intersectional feminism and inclusion:
This North American event was sparked by Trump’s election to the White House and is a response to the hate-inciting, divisive, discriminatory attitudes, messages and actions that emerged and have been normalized in political discourse around the globe. We also recognize that even in Canada, we still have so much work to do. Domestic violence, workplace harassment, gender bias in education & derogatory attitudes towards sexual assault survivors are all real and pressing issues here at home. This march will serve as a platform for these women in our most marginalized communities to speak and be heard.
To date, there is no country in the world that has yet achieved gender equality, but that does not mean we should give up striving towards it. We will not tolerate any discrimination or victimization of women or any violation of women’s rights, whether through words, actions or policies. We will not allow our hard-won rights to be trampled on and we will not be stopped in our pursuit of intersectional, substantive equality for women rights and human rights that have yet to be recognized!
“Equal enough” is NOT enough!
We hope to see our brothers, fathers, sons, husbands and other male allies marching with us — women’s rights are a crucial part of human rights!
This event is just the beginning. Unite with us. Stand in solidarity.
NATIONAL AND LOCAL MARCHES IN CANADA
– Canadian Contingent going to Washington D.C
– Vancouver BC
– Okanagan Valley/Kelowna BC
– Nanaimo BC
– Kamloops BC
– Edmonton AB
– Calgary AB
– Winnipeg MB
– Toronto ON
– Ottawa ON
– Montreal QC
– Halifax NS
– Gabriola BC
– Grand Forks BC
– Kingston ON
– Lethbridge AB
– Happy Valley/Goose Bay/North West River Beach LAB
– Niagara/St.Catharines ON
– St.John’s NL
– London ON
– Hamilton ON
– Bowen Island BC
– Fredericton NB
– Victoria BC
– Whitehorse YT
– Saskatoon SK
– Kootenay Bay BC @ Yasodhara Ashram
– Saint John NB
– Sutton QC
US Page is here, with links to other States’ pages:https://www.facebook.com/events/2169332969958991/
Image: Oo Aqpik “Crown for Sedna” 2016. Provided by Studio Sixty Six.
Graduating just last year from Carleton University with a Masters in Art History, Rose Ekins has already made her mark on the Ottawa art scene with her ambitious programming at Studio Sixty Six, a commercial gallery located off of Bronson Avenue. Gallery owner Carrie Colton trusted Rose’s vision allowing her the opportunity to consider how a commercial gallery could also play a role in creating a space for art that wasn’t just about saleability but also about provoking tough questions. “I was able to carve out a mandate for myself” and that mandate includes diversity not only in the media that artists work in but more importantly cultural diversity and the stories that get communicated through the work.
In an effort to offer a counter-narrative to the stories of nationalism that will be getting lots of air time in the 2017 celebrations of Canada’s Sesquicentennial, Rose has curated KANATA 150? a show that questions what the celebrations are about and who the celebrations are for. Featuring predominantly Ottawa based artists, KANATA 150? is “a nod to the origin of the country’s name,” and “presents seven emerging Indigenous artists reflecting on the nature of “Canada 150”.”
Image: Barry Pottle “Creeping South.” Provided by Studio Sixty Six
One of these artists is Barry Pottle, whose work documenting the Urban Inuit experience has previously been featured on Mixed Bag Mag. Also, the work of fellow Inuk, artist Oo Aqpik, will be presented in this show that roots Studio Sixty Six’s 2017 provocative programming that will include emerging artists Florence Yee (Menu of Exoticism) and Kosi Nnebe (Coloured Conversations) later on in the year. Originally from Nunavut, Oo is “well known for her roles in the Inuit language programs in television, radio and recently a feature film documentary, Arctic Defenders.” Like Oo, the artists of KANATA 150 are working in the capacity of activists and ambassadors of culture. Their work is about communicating to Canadians that it is a great risk if Indigenous perspectives, on where this country is headed, are not moved to the centre of all national debates.
KANATA 150? opens tomorrow evening and promises to be an engaging way to start a critical year in Canada’s history. ARTISTS:
WHEN: Thursday, January 12 @ 6 – 9 pm
WHERE: Studio Sixty Six, 202-66 Muriel Street, K1S4E1
Free – Bar & Food
Physically accessible building
This event is taking place on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation
“The City of Ottawa and Government of Canada are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Dominion of Canada with events, promotions, and other ambitious goals to increase Canadian pride and patriotism. These festivities are promoting both the history and future of the nation state confederated in 1867. Canada is a country built from settler colonialism, which leaves the question of how the Indigenous peoples of this land are meant to participate in these celebrations. KANATA 150? (January 12 – February 18), a nod to the origin of the country’s name, presents seven emerging Indigenous artists reflecting on the nature of “Canada 150”.”
More info on the Facebook Event Page.
Follow Studio Sixty Six on Facebook, twitter and Instagram.
Image: Krystle Retieffe “Through the Looking Glass – 150 Years” 2016. Provided by Studio Sixty Six
Visual Arts created by our local Indigenous Artists.
Tonight starts the first of many art openings this month in Ottawa. SAW Gallery will host Mino Bimaadiiziwin (A Good Life) Art Show. The show is part of the Aboriginal Youth Arts Entrepreneurship Program.
WHEN: Friday, January 6, 2017 @ 7 – 10 pm
WHERE: SAW Gallery, 67 Nicholas Street, Ontario
Traditional appetizers will be served through the evening as well as entertainment by various talented singing artists throughout the event.
Entrance Fee by Donation.
Come on out!
The Parfleche by David Charette, 16″ x 20″, acrylic paint.
