Browsing “The Arts”

Vancouver Is Awesome is a proud media partner of this year’s Gallery Hop Vancouver! Watch this space over the coming days for previews and insight on the free tours and talks taking place during this year’s event!

Today’s Q&A focuses on the Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver and the Canadian Art Foundation, two established organisations that have joined forces to bring Vancouverites the Vancouver Gallery Hop (AKA VANHOP): a jam-packed day of art events, tours and talks. All events on the 27th of April are free and open to the public. Artist and CASV board member, Sunshine Frère, interviews Contemporary Art Society’s Director Rachel Rosenfield Lafo to find out more about the CASV, the CAF and the Vancouver Gallery Hop.

What is the CASV?
The Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1977 to promote an appreciation and understanding of Contemporary Art. The CASV operates entirely on memberships and donations. We receive no other funding and maintain an exciting program of events through the efforts of a very active volunteer board of directors. The CASV is dedicated to fostering awareness of contemporary art to a wide audience.

What type of activities does the CASV plan for their members?
What defines “contemporary” is a constantly shifting paradigm and we navigate the sometimes controversial, often enigmatic and forever fascinating topic by scheduling a program of studio visits with emerging and established artists, visits to private collections, lectures by prominent artists, critics, collectors, designers, architects and fine art professionals from North America and abroad to speak annually between September and June. We also organize art trips to visit collections, studios, and galleries and museums in Canadian and international cities. In 2011 we inaugurated the CASV Emerging Artist’s Prize open to all artists in the Lower Mainland within the first five years of their career. We received submissions from 147 artists; from that group 5 finalists were selected to have an exhibition at Access Gallery, and Nicole Ondre was chosen as the winner. The prize is a biennial competition with the next launch in the Fall of 2013.

What artists have contributed talks, studio visits, or lectures to the CASV?
Hundreds of artists have contributed: Donald Judd, Andy Warhol, Carl Andre, Lucy Lippard, Jack Shadbolt, Betty Goodwin, Dale Chihuly, Roni Horn, Guido Molinari, Gathie Falk, Douglas Coupland, Rebecca Belmore, Gordon Smith, Stan Douglas, Pierre Dorion, Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Lead Pencil Studio, Aurel Schmidt, Roy Arden, Marina Roy, Shary Boyle, Liz Magor, Alan Sekula to name a few.

Name three of your most memorable talks/tours or events during your time as a CASV member?
I joined CASV in September 2009 shortly after moving to Vancouver and was immediately impressed with the quality of the programs. It’s hard to choose only three events of the many I have attended, but I particularly enjoyed the studio visits with Babak Golkar, the talk by Brendan Tang, and the recent trip to Seattle where we visited private collections, two artists’ studios, and a special exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum.

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SCENE AND HEARD showcases the independent music scene here in Vancouver. We post weekly guest playlists comprised of Vancouver artists and ‘Last Week in Music’ highlights some of the best concerts happening around the city…

That was a fun and crazy 3 days of shows and an awesome Record Store Day. I hope you got out and supported your favourite one, and maybe saw some great music while you were at it!

THIS WEEK IN MUSIC: is stacked! Thursday you can see so much. start with a free show by Stars and My!Gay!Husband! at the Rocky Mountaineer station (click to sign up for your FREE ticket!). Then head down the block to the Electric Owl for Dominique Fricot w/ JP Hoe. OR if you’re so inclined, Deaner from FUBAR (yes, you read that correctly) is performing with his band Night Seeker at the Biltmore! Friday Hannah Georgas w/ The Belle Game will be performing the first of her two shows at the Rio Theatre. Saturday’s is sold out, so make sure you get your tickets for this show soon! If you have your Hannah tickets for Saturday already and are looking for something else to do on Friday, go check out the China Cloud for Chris Kelly’s album release show with Malcolm Jack or Towers & Trees at the Backstage Lounge! Saturday you have more choices too! At the Media Club we have Library, Mindil Beach, and Willhorse - while over at Zoo Zhop is Tough Lovers, Fine Times, and The Oceanographers. And if that isn’t enough, on Sunday there are a few Seattle bands in town (Mary Lamber, and Lemolo) with Badgerchild opening up at the Electric Owl.

Check out VIAindie’s Facebook page for more images from This Week In Music!

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WORDS: Polina Bachlakova

Real Estate. Development. Condos. Those are three terms that seem to constantly be on the tips of Vancouverites’ tongues – especially for those in the arts. Vancouver is small enough to have disparate elements of its identity and growth intertwine with each other in an unexpected and accelerated fashion; currently, we are faced with record breaking house prices in the midst of a struggling art economy. Where the relationship between art and real estate may seem intangible and unclear, there is much to be said about this relation and the factors driving each. How does foreign real estate investment influence a gallery’s life span or an artist’s career? Why did many of Vancouver’s top galleries evacuate the South Granville Gallery District and head east of Main? What’s stopping people from investing in art the same way they invest in condos? There are many questions about the curious relationship between art and real estate in the most expensive city on earth. Big Mouth No. 2 will showcase seven unique perspectives from some of Vancouver’s thought leaders to paint a bigger picture of the role of art in our rapidly developing city.

Throughout the evening, seven speakers will give the audience their insights and perspectives on art and real estate in Vancouver. The speakers are:

Michael Green – Principal, Michael Green Architecture Michael is Principal at Michael Green Architecture, and is recognized for his award winning buildings, public art, interiors, landscapes, and urban environments. He previously led design at mgb Architecture + Design for nine years. He recently co-authored a 200-page solution for sustainable building, “The Case for Tall Wood Buildings”, and presented it at TED2013. He teaches at SALA, the UBC School of Architecture, and is a fellow of the Royal Architectural Society of Canada.

Mark Shieh – Director, River Market at The Quay Mark is Director of River Market at The Quay, a community and food oriented development in New Westminster that aims to build, strengthen and enrich New Westminster by reimagining the old Quay. Mark’s career has included experiences as a Disney Imagineer and as the Director of User Research at ECCO Design in New York. He is a boardmember for both the Contemporary Art Gallery and Building Opportunities with Business. He currently serves on City of New Westminster’s Economic Development Advisory Committee, and is Vice-Principal of Strathcona’s community hub, School of Chalk.

Ron Burnett – President and Vice Chancellor, ECUAD Ron is President and Vice Chancellor of Emily Carr University of Art + Design. He has authored various respected publications, such as 2005’s “How Images Think”, and has published over 150 articles and book chapters. He is the Former Director of the Graduate Program in Communications at McGill University, and in 2010, he received the “Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres”, a knighthood from the French Government in recognition of his 40 years of work in culture. He has been Educator of the Year in Canada and is a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for service to Canada. He was the Chair of Knowledge Network for four years, and is one of the founders of film studies in Canada.

Heather Redfern – Executive Director, The Cultch Heather is Executive Director of The Cultch, Vancouver’s East Cultural Centre. She was previously the Executive Director for Vancouver’s Alliance for Art and Culture, an artistic producer for Catalyst Theatre in Edmonton, and a board chair of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival. She has served at the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and the Edmonton Arts council. She is a recipient of the Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award, and in 2010, was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Women in BC by The Vancouver Sun. Heather’s team at The Cultch recently acquired the historic York Theatre off of Commercial Drive.

Steven Cox – Principal, Cause+Affect & Producer, PechaKucha Vancouver Steven is Principal and Creative Director of Cause+Affect, one of Vancouver’s leading multidisciplinary creative agencies. He is also a former architect with twelve years of experience in Architecture and Design. Cause+Affect are the producers of PechaKucha Vancouver, so you may recognize Steven as the host of PechaKucha. Steven sits on the advisory board for the Vancouver Film School, and acts as an external consultant to many of Vancouver’s real estate developers.

Ernesto Gomez – Co-Owner, Nuba Restaurant + Founding Partner, Arrival Agency (formerly Waldorf Productions) Originally from Mexico but transplanted to Vancouver in 2006, Ernesto is a Michelin-trained chef and the Co-Owner of Nuba Restaurant. He is also a Founding Partner of Waldorf Productions, which has recently turned into Arrival Productions since The Waldorf’s closure. Arrival will be taking on numerous exciting projects such as Khatsahlano Festival, Food Cart Festival, and The Fox Cabaret – the transformation of Main Street’s Fox Theatre into a venue.

Donald Luxton – Heritage Consultant + President, Heritage Vancouver Donald Luxton is a Heritage Consultant and advocate. He is the Principal of Donald Luxton & Associates Incorporated, a cultural & heritage planning consulting firm. He is the President of Heritage Vancouver and a member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals. In 2009, he received the British Columbia Heritage Award. He is an honorary member of the BC Society of Landscape Architects and a Fellow of Architecture Canada.

WHERE: Macaulay Fine Art, 293 East 2nd Ave

WHEN: Thursday, April 25, 7:00-10:00

HOW MUCH: Free (SOLD OUT but limited tickets will be released at the door)

Facebook event: fb.com/events/144458722393954/

Curated by Polina Bachlakova

SCENE AND HEARD showcases the independent music scene here in Vancouver. With over 28,000+ artists, boasting more than 140,000+ tracks, the CBC Music/CBC Radio 3 web site is the absolute ultimate authority, and the home, of independent music in Canada. With that massive library along with tools for members (free to join!), we’re taking advantage of what they’ve set up by bringing you a fresh batch of music every week featuring local groups who have tracks (entire albums, even!) on the R3 site.

I’ve known Dominique Fricot for a long time now (seriously, check THIS out – from over 4 years ago) …and for some reason it’s taken me until now to get him to make us a playlist! Well, it’s finally arrived and it’s chock-full of Vancouver indie music deliciousness.

Click the photos below to hear Dom’s picks and then come out to his show at the Electric Owl on Thursday the 25th!!!

Vancouver Is Awesome is a proud media partner of this year’s Gallery Hop Vancouver! Watch this space over the coming days for previews and insight on the free tours and talks taking place during this year’s event!

Written by: Nives Hajdin

The Canadian Art Foundation’s annual Gallery Hop returns to Vancouver on April 27 with a day of free talks and tours around the city. The idea of “hopping” and movement is central to Vancouver’s geographic identity–the traversal between mainland and island, from the distant mountaintops to the downtown building tops, to the air, land, and water in between. With the steady output of new art, exhibitions and ideas, it is a city that is in constant cultural flux.

Presented in partnership with the Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver, VanHop kicks off with a morning panel discussion featuring artists Charles Stankievech and Kara Uzelman and curator Cate Rimmer as they speak to CAF Program and Outreach Manager Christine Shaw about air, land, and sea in relation to their respective practices. The day continues with various gallery tours around the city, including Main Street, Downtown, Great Northern Way, Gastown/Chinatown, and a look at the city’s public art. It is impossible to see absolutely everything on the tours, and as a result, the need to “hop” is of particular importance. One can follow the schedules accordingly, hopping from gallery-to-gallery, or one can develop his or her own “mix and match” schedule and hop from neighbourhood-to-neighbourhood to see and hear as many artists, curators, and gallery directors as possible.
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Vancouver has a brand spanking new outdoor, rooftop, patio – The Roof at Black + Blue! Glowbal Collection is launching the rooftop deck on April 25th and I got a sneak peak of the lounge and some of the food!

The Roof is raising the steaks (pun 100% intended) and offering the largest rooftop patio in Vancouver – with seats for 120 people ranging from booths, to tables, to bench and bar seats, with running fireplaces, and it’s own kitchen. …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>