Jun 23 Hummingbirds

Arts Commons Presents, Artist Perspectives, Inspiring Stories, Visual and Media Arts, Guest Writer series

When I graduated from SAIT with a Diploma of Journalism in 2013, my parents gave me a book, Flight of the Hummingbird. It tells a story of a raging fire threatening a forest, where animals of all shapes and sizes flee the wall of flames. Every animal, from the bear to the eagle, lamented on their helplessness in the face of such a tragedy and each proclaimed why it was hopeless to try and fight the fire. Throughout this, a single hummingbird flew from the river, carrying a bead of water in its tiny beak and dropped it on the towering inferno. The bird repeated this until the other animals asked why the hummingbird was doing this, to which it replied. “I’m doing what I can”.

Jun 22

Jun 22 +15 Soundscape: Peter Moller’s 1958 is a journey through time and memory

Celina Vides

Artist Perspectives, Arts Commons Presents, Behind the Scenes, Inspiring Stories, Visual and Media Arts

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.

Jun 8

Jun 8 NASARIMBA: One Year Later

Kiani Evans

Visual and Media Arts, Artist Perspectives, Inspiring Stories, AC@Home, Arts Commons Presents, Behind the Scenes

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.

May 31

May 31 Braving Beauty – The Strength and Power of Authenticity

Alex Bonyun

Arts Commons Presents, Artist Perspectives, Behind the Scenes, Inspiring Stories

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.

May 31

May 31 How Can I Be Myself When Strangers Are Watching? Performing Blackness and Black Joy

Sue-shane Tsomondo

Inspiring Stories, Artist Perspectives

During a conversation with a friend, who is also an artist and a photographer, he said, “What is it with you writers, why are you always writing sad stuff?” The most honest answer would be I haven’t experienced enough joy to write about it at any length, but I can’t speak for anyone else. Secondly, when the joyful moments seem so few and far between, I want to enjoy them; I cannot be bothered to intellectualize them.

May 26

May 26 Stress is a monster that eats Darryl Sinclair alive

Celina Vides

Artist Perspectives, Arts Commons Presents, Visual and Media Arts, Inspiring Stories

When you “step” into the virtual Lightbox Studio at Arts Commons, you will notice a large shape greeting you at the door and oversized fabric limbs hanging from the walls of the studio. Soon Darryl Sinclair, multidisciplinary artist, designer, and current resident artist at the Lightbox Studio, will turn that giant shape into a stuffed monster – one that doesn’t feed on typical monster fare, but the messages of stress and anxiety from visitors like you. It’s all part of Darryl’s project Stress is a Monster that Eats me Alive.

May 13

May 13 Environmental Intersections of Arts and Conservation

Alex Bonyun

Inspiring Stories, National Geographic Live

Calgarians are passionate about our parks and natural spaces. You can see it in the enthusiasm for learning about the world around us – just look at the success of Arts Commons Presents: National Geographic Live! For ten years, ConocoPhillips Canada has been supporting National Geographic Live, which is a key part of Arts Commons Presents programming.

Headquartered in Calgary, ConocoPhillips Canada can trace its roots back over 110 years, from the earliest discoveries of oil in our province. Over the years, the company has shown support for many programs and initiatives that support our communities.

Apr 22

Apr 22 FLEX AVE - The Calgary-New York Edge Effect

Alex Bonyun

AC@Home, Inspiring Stories

Yo-Yo Ma is famously cited for elevating the idea of The Edge Effect, a scientific term for when two ecosystems combine and, as a result, create an area of increased biodiversity. An example of this would be a coral reef, where land and sea come together as a unique, biodiverse habitat. Yo-Yo Ma posed the idea that The Edge Effect could pertain to the Arts as well, and that if you took two very different artforms and performed them side –by side, something new and more powerful than both would be born.

To illustrate this point, Yo-Yo Ma performed Camille Saint-Saens' The Swan with street dancer Charles Riley, aka Lil' Buck, at China's National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.