All in Behind the Scenes
When Andy Curtis began capturing photographs of his friends and One Yellow Rabbit colleagues in 1984, he never intended to create a time capsule.
Now, those photos take on a new life as Curtis exhibits his curated collection of photographs and inside stories on One Yellow Rabbit’s Instagram page. His digital exhibition pulls back the curtain and invites audiences to a behind-the-scenes look at the history of One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre.
As we prepare to welcome you back through the doors of Arts Commons, we thought we’d check in with our staff artists, our Artists of Arts Commons, who practice art in their personal time – whether it’s an active hobby or even a secondary career. We’ve been excited to be able to share a wide range of artistic pursuits with you, from painting to dancing, to felting and script writing. In part six of this series, we introduce you to a photographer, a digital artist, and a sculptor.
With the end of closed galleries and dark stages in sight, Arts Commons is moving full speed ahead into the future of Calgary’s artistic life with Arts Commons Incubator, a first-of-its-kind professional artist development program at the city’s largest performing arts centre. Designed deliberately to support Calgary-based artists who reflect the diversity and vibrancy of Treaty 7 territory, Arts Commons Incubator is now accepting applications until August 31, 2021 from multidisciplinary artists whose work defies categorization and is in active conversation with the world around them.
The seed of the Incubator program at Arts Commons had a slow cultivation – it was important to move with measured intentionality and match the best individuals possible to bring the concept to reality. While there have been numerous mentorship programs in the performing arts, few have provided support to a group as broad and interdisciplinary as the one the Incubator program at Arts Commons has committed to; a year-long performance, exhibition, and professional development opportunity that creates a space safe enough for artists who move between disciplines to thrive.
When Peter Moller was a little kid, he went to The Grand theatre to watch his very first movie along with his parents and his brother. The Danish family of four was sitting in the iconic Calgary landmark, built in 1912, feeling comfortable on those green leather seats housed in the same space where audiences had seen The Marx Brothers perform, Nelly McClung speak, and crowds rally for both the Liberal and Conservative parties.
In June 2020 we caught up with artistic duo NASARIMBA, the muralists who’ve been making their mark all throughout Calgary. Since then, Rachel Ziriada and Mikhail Miller have been busy developing their practice and finding new ways to create and interact with their audience, including collaborating with Edmonton-based artist Jill Stanton last summer for the Beltline Urban Murals Project (BUMP) festival and taking part in the RBC Emerging Visual Artists Program. Originally scheduled to work in the Ledge Gallery at Arts Commons, they’ve alternatively migrated their work to a home studio in order to adapt to current restrictions. Needless to say, a pandemic has not meant stagnation in their work.
As we near the final presentation of National Geographic Live Virtual, Mysterious Seas with Diva Amon and David Gruber, we are grateful to Calgarians for wholeheartedly embracing these virtual events. Since its premiere in February, 18,175 households have signed up—approximately 46,000 people—to experience these live presentations.
When Braving Beauty Cabaret co-curators Toyin Lamas and Marshall Vielle came together to conceptualize the show, they knew that they wanted to share stories: stories from Indigenous artists from Treaty 7, the First Peoples of this land, and stories from members of the African diaspora in Calgary, many of whom have arrived recently by comparison. Between these two groups there are more commonalities than you might think, woven deep into their ancestral traditions and culture – commonalities of storytelling and dance, colour and vibrancy.
