The Arts

An annual Alzheimer’s Society fundraiser is drawing on the community’s love of the arts.
   With a week remaining before the fourth Hearts & Arts for Alzheimer’s, the society’s Lethbridge and area chapter nearly sold all of its $125 tickets and collected far more donated artwork than expected.
“I probably have 30 pieces yet to get in here. It’s amazing,” said Conny Schipper, manager of client services and programs.
Watercolours, oil paintings and photographs sit on every available table and shelf at the Lethbridge office. Textiles pile high on a loveseat in a room. Framed artwork rest around the perimeter of the rooms, including Schipper’s own workspace.
Hearts & Arts for Alzheimer’s takes place March 3 at the Galt Museum & Archives. Proceeds benefits programs, services and research, she said. Ticketholders are treated to champagne and food, music by Musaeus, and a unique piece of art to take home.
“We do an art draw,” Schipper explained. “When people come in, they put their ticket in a box. Our MC Mike LeBlanc pulls out the ticket numbers and the people get to choose the art."
Because the number of donated items exceeds the number of tickets, extras are sold through a silent auction.
Many of the artists attend the event as the society’s guests, and meet other artists and the ticketholders who chose their artwork.
“The artists wear nametags and people do find the artists and thank them,” she said.
This marks the second year Jackie Shockey has donated her artwork to the fundraiser. Her father-in-law suffers from Alzheimer’s. “The Celestial Conjunction” is a mixed media work consisting of paper, plaster, paint and glue.
“Some of my work is collage. Others are spiritual to do with the universe and some are fluff. It depends on my mood,” she said. “This one started out as fluff but turned out to be a celestial conjunction.”
Schipper said many artists are repeat donors and several have been affected by the disease in some way. New donors use the event as an opportunity to gain exposure.
“I’ve had four pieces come in this week that I didn’t know that I was getting. It’s amazing the number of people who have come forward to help.”
This year’s offerings include watercolours, acrylics, mixed media, collage, unique textile projects, paintings on glass, limited edition prints complete with letters of authenticity, stained glass, a couple of carvings, photography and ammolite pendants. Items came from area artists as well as those in Calgary, Medicine Hat and Penticton, B.C.
One item of note is “A Windy Day at Waterton,” a 1965 oil painting by E.E. Reithman that was donated by the Lethbridge Artists Club. Reithman was the president of the Lethbridge Sketch Club from 1952-56, and a popular art instructor around southern Alberta.
Schipper said the idea for Hearts & Arts for Alzheimer’s was sparked by a similar event in Winnipeg.
“A few years ago, I met a lady who was a professional fundraiser from Winnipeg who moved to Lethbridge. She did a similar project for the cancer society and I asked if I could borrow the idea.”
The event has proven popular with nearly all of the tickets for the 2012 event selling before Schipper started advertising.
A handful of tickets remained after Family Day. To check on availability, contact Schipper at the Alzheimer Society office, #402 - 740 4 Ave. S., or phone 403-329-3766.

The Bowman Arts Centre has been enjoying exploring the intersection between art and ideas with its winter film series.
   The fourth annual film series features a variety of independent documentaries about contemporary artists, which are screened every Monday at 7 p.m. at the Bowman Arts Centre until March 5. There is no charge to attend.
Art is more than just about artists and their work and ideas, says Darcy Logan, the Bowman’s curator.
“There is an intersection between ideas and artists making something out of them.”
The films combine ideas such as history+art+romanticism, culture+art+politics, and performance+art+spectacle with the artist who incorporates those concepts into their works.
The final films of the series screen Feb. 27 and March 5.
The Feb. 27 film at 7 p.m. is “How Art Catches a Rabbit,” a documentary about the Kunstbroedplaats, an “art breeding place” in the Dutch wetlands of Weerribben. At film at 8 p.m., “Catchment Collective” explores the Australian artist collective of the same name.
The film on March 5 is a profile on pioneering feminist artist Annette Messager. It begins at 7 p.m.
Logan did extensive research into the series’ films and contacted some filmmakers directly.
“I started with a lot of the artists I felt were interesting. I did a lot of research on Google. Sometimes on the 40th page of Google, there would be a film about an artist that I never even knew existed,” he said.
He also chose films which covered as many mediums as possible including painters, performance artists, sculptors and multi-media artists. He watched most of them and narrowed the selections down to a shortlist of 18 films. Eight made the cut to screen. He omitted some of the ones he thought were too sensitive for the audiences.
“I chose the ones I thought illustrated the concepts the best and I saved the ones I really wanted to see for this event.”
He was most excited about the first two films in the series, “Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow” about Anselm Kiefer and “Ai Weiwei: Without Fear or Favour,” a portrait of the artist who was imprisoned by the Chinese government for three months.
All of the films in the series go into the Bowman Art Centre’s library.
“Not to toot my own horn, but after four years, I think I have a collection of movies that is the equivalent to most major institutions. Some of them aren’t available anywhere else other than Europe,” he said.
The series has created a lot of public interest, he added, and he’s already looking forward to next year’s event.
“We’ll be in the new building next year, so we may have a best of the past four years’ film festival.”

Scott Carpenter, one of the organizers and performers of “Old Folk Favourites 3,” has a personal reason for helping out at the joint fundraiser for the Nord-Bridge Centre and the Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization.
“All of our parents use the services of either Nord-Bridge Seniors Centre or the LSCO. And my dad, Don Carpenter, teaches carving at the LSCO. I go for lunch there every day,” he said, showing off a couple of his father’s carvings, which usually sit on his desk at City Hall, where he his responsible for booking city facilities such as hockey rinks and theatres.
“I’ve been performing in Lethbridge for 20 years, so I’ve personally been supported by Lethbridge’s seniors community and I’m always being stopped in the street by seniors who talk to me about it. So knowing the proceeds go back to the seniors community is very near and dear to my heart.”
The all-ages family show at Yates Theatre, Feb. 17-18, also stars Jeff Carlson, Jordana Kohn, Erica Hunt, Arlene Bedster, Andre Royer and Kelly Roberts, who have been “reuniting” for the past two years just for this event and to revisit some of their favourite moments on stage together. Fifty volunteers are involved in putting on the performances.
“The way it started is we were asked to do some entertainment for the Seniors Games and Jim Hahn from Nord-Bridge thought it would make a great fundraiser,” Carpenter said.
“These shows are a lot more intimate. A grand piano, a few chairs, and us and our instruments is the only set.”
Organizers decided to have some fun with the “old folk” theme. As most of the songs that will be fall into the folk or acoustic vein, they thought they’d throw the word “folk” in between the show’s title “Old Favourites” and have some fun with the double entendre. Selections include “Blowin’ In The Wind,” “California Dreaming,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “King of the Road,” “Landslide,” “Turn, Turn, Turn,” “Walk Right In,” and many others.
As in past years, all of the profit from this event will be shared equally by Lethbridge’s two senior centres.
“The first year we did two soldout shows; the next year we did three shows. Two sold out and one almost sold out. This year we hope there will be three sellouts,” Carpenter said.
Last year’s fundraiser brought in $23,000, which was split between the two centres.
Marcie Stork, volunteer co-ordinator at the LSCO, said the money helps keep membership and meal costs affordable.
“Any money we make through fundraising means less we have to charge our members,” she said.
“Just knowing we have such a group of very talented people who are willing to help us out means a lot to us.”
Tickets are available for $37.50 for the Feb. 17-18 shows, which begin at 8 p.m. There is also a 2 p.m. matinee on Feb. 18 for which tickets are $32.50. Purchase tickets at the Ticket Centre or by phoning 403-329-SEAT (7328).

The Galt Museum is going green for its latest exhibition, “Earth’s Climate in the Balance.”
Wendy Aitkens, Galt Museum curator, notes the purpose of hosting this travelling exhibit, which will be at the Galt until Earth Day on April 22, is to spark some discussion about environmental issues.
“There is a difference between weather and climate change. Weather is what you see when you step outside your door. Climate change is long term over millions of years,” she said.
She noted the museum plays an integral role in educating the public about issues like this through its exhibits.
“We have pretty serious environmental concerns. This exhibit tells you how to mitigate your environmental impact,” she continued.
The exhibition comes from the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre in Southampton, Ont. and explores the historical aspects of climate change. There are a variety of displays explaining the history of climate change as well as the materials and methods scientists utilize to study climate change.
Aitkens was interested in the display featuring extinct species.
“We had a number of extinct species here in North America,” she said.
Another interactive display examines how humans can reduce their eco-footprint. Activities include a test of environmental knowledge and a calculation of one’s environmental footprint.
A special activity allowed the Galt Museum to “recycle” leftovers on Jan. 21 for its Saturdays at 1:00 program — volunteers and staff helped make tiny terrariums, or mini-ecosytems, using rocks, charcoal, black dirt, a plant and a screen.
Former mayor Bob Tarleck, who attended the museum’s Community Day on Jan. 22 said this is another example of the Galt Museum “providing leadership for helping  us come to terms with issues that are going to be critical.”
Janet Youngdahl was also excited about opening day.
“This is a special exhibit because it is an important issue for the community. I think it is important that our children learn about them  when they’re young,” she said, while watching her six-year-old daughter Jasmine Mazidi build her terrarium.
On Feb. 15, the Wednesdays at the Galt program features “Greener Alberta Where No One is Left Behind” which sees Shannon Philips, economic policy analyst for the Alberta Federation of Labour, explore a practical plan for building a greener economy, keeping jobs in Alberta, and stablizing Alberta’s revenues to continue to deliver high-quality public services such as health care, education and children’s services. The programs runs from 2-3 p.m. Admission is free for annual pass holders; others pay admission for the week: $4 for seniors and $5 for adults. For more details, contact the Galt Museum at 403-320-3954.