If you walk by the Arts Learning Centre at Art Commons, you may see students smiling while playing with puppets or using funny voices to bring a sock alive. One may assume that the students are just playing around. While this might be true, there’s so much more happening beneath the surface.
In a world where our origins are integral to our expression, TD Incubator Fellow, Migguel Anggelo, invites both artists and audiences to delve into deeply personal questions of identity and belonging. With the first show of the 2024-25 TD Amplify series coming up on November 22, we asked Migguel for a peek behind the curtain of Origins: Mind, uncovering an exploration of artistic reflection and introspection that will guide the performers on a journey into their inner worlds.
Felipe Jasso is a Mexican Canadian photographer and graduate of the Alberta University of the Arts. His work is influenced by the magical realism found in Latin literature, surrealism, classical art, and symbolism. He investigates the subconscious, memory, and his inner desires. Using symbolism and complex tableaux, Jasso brings to the forefront fragments of his experiences as a kid growing up in Mexico, an immigrant, a queer artist, and his negotiations with the Canadian landscape.
Arts Commons continues to build awareness of the past and understand the impacts of colonialism. It requires a long-term commitment to listen and learn, an acceptance of the discomfort of not knowing the answers, and the humility and strength to make mistakes. So, while the TRC reports are a good start, reconciliation requires a paradigm shift in how we think and engage with each other and with Indigenous peoples.
When Canadian virtuoso violinist James Ehnes steps on to the stage with the Calgary Philharmonic on November 30 to perform Johannes Brahms Violin Concerto, he’ll be setting bow to string on a piece that he has played for over three decades. Yet, despite his familiarity with this staple of the violin repertoire, he says he still feels a great ‘responsibility’ in how he conveys the work to audiences.
It’s the time of year when changes make themselves known, from the falling leaves to the crisp air to the sweaters bundled around your neighbours. It’s an invitation to explore the neighbourhood your school is in –– an opportunity to look closely, to listen, to ask questions.
I landed in Auckland, New Zealand with three other Calgary-based teaching artists to flags flying at half-mast and the news that the Māori King, Tūheitia had passed away. We weren’t sure what this meant, but we knew we were witnessing history.
Have you ever looked up at the towering trees in Calgary's parks or forests and wondered what secrets they hold? What hidden world thrives amidst the branches, bathed in sunlight and teeming with life? This November, Arts Commons Presents whisks you away on an unforgettable journey into the canopy – a world unseen by most, yet vital to our planet's health.
