Culture Days made easy!

FYI: The Manitoba Museum’s Nuit Blanche party is Mad Men-themed!

• A Victorian Afternoon and Late Night Scavenger Hunt, Dalnavert Museum, 61 Carlton St., Sunday, 12-4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight. Open house at Sir Hugh John Macdonald’s former residence featuring tours and croquet with a scavenger hunt at night.
• Wordplay with the Manitoba Writers’ Guild, Artspace, 218-100 Arthur St., Saturday, 1-4 a.m. Add to an ongoing story, make a custom notebook, pull a poem out of a band and more word fun.
• MTC Warehouse Tour, 140 Rupert Ave., Sunday 1-4 p.m. Self-guided tours of the Tom Hendry Theatre.
• Nuit Blanche at the WAG, Winnipeg Art Gallery, 300 Memorial Blvd., Saturday and Sunday, 6 p.m.-6 a.m. All-night party featuring live bands, exhibition openings, films, Jolene Baillie dance work, flash mob, video games and more.
• Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers Variety Show, Rachel Brown Theatre, Crocus Building, Saturday, 7:30-11 p.m. Dance, music and poetry.
• Art Tours of Manitoba Hydro Place, Manitoba Hydro building, Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tours of the new Hydro building and the art within. Advance registration required.
• Landscape Dancing, The Forks, Friday, 1-2 p.m. Dancing moves from studio to outdoor setting.
• Nuit Blanche at Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art, Plug In ICA, 1-460 Portage Ave., Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m.-6 a.m. All-night party featuring exhibitions and a new installation by Sandee Moore.
• Dance Downtown, 380 Graham Ave., Sunday 1-4 p.m. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet throws block party with live performances, lectures, creative movement classes for children and open house.
• The Culture of Knitting and Crochet, Ram Wools, 989 Portage Ave., Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Showcase of local fibre artists, info about history of knitting and crochet and advice about your projects.
• Big Animation Station, The Forks, Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Animation workshop with opportunity to try your hand at stop-motion animation.
• Art / Sound project with Pixel, Gas Station Theatre, Saturday and Sunday, 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Project exploring improvisation music inspired by colours and projected imagery by artists known as Pixel.
• DIY DJ — Community Radio Open House, CKUW, University of Winnipeg, Room 4CM11, Friday, 4-8 p.m. The public is invited to play their favourite music and tour the campus/community station. Advance registration required.
• Soirée musicale à la Cathédrale, Saint-Boniface Cathedral, 190 Avenue de la Cathedrale, Saturday, 6-11 p.m. Live entertainment including choirs and classical music.
• Nuit Blanche at the Manitoba Museum, 190 Rupert Ave., Saturday and Sunday, 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Mad Men-inspired “mocktail” party with live jazz bands, vintage 1960s decor and bar. Tours included.
• Graphic design and screen printing, Jumbo Show Posters, 419 Graham Ave., Unit D, Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Demonstration of techniques used to design and create concert posters and T-shirts.
• Mike’s Bloody Saturday film première, City Hall courtyard, 510 Main St., Saturday 7-8 p.m. Danny Schur (Strike!) shows his new documentary about the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike.
• Aboriginal Art Exhibition, Urban Shaman gallery, 203-290 McDermot Ave., Friday and Saturday, 12- 5 p.m. Showcase of works by aboriginal artists.
• Engaging Connections: Exhibition at Buhler Gallery, St. Boniface Hospital, Friday to Sunday, 10 a.m.- 8 p.m., Friday, 12-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The first public art gallery to open in a Canadian hospital shows off new exhibition by three Manitoba artists.
• Stained Glass and Fused Glass Basics, Prairie Stained Glass, 587 Sargent Ave., Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free glass-cutting demonstrations and hands on workshops in techniques used to make stained glass.
• Introduction to Bellydance, Au Set Bellydance Emporium, 1045 St James St., Unit N, Friday and Saturday, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Friday, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday. Zenobia shows off basic steps and simple choreography for people of all ages. Bring a scarf.
• The Burn Crew, Cre8ery Gallery & Studio, corner of William Avenue and Adelaide Street, Friday, 7-11 p.m. Exhibition of wood-fired clay works as part of an international exchange project.
• Madonny Exhibit, Ogniwo Polish Museum, 1417 Main St., Friday to Sunday. Madonny — Polish for Madonnas— is an interpretation of the Virgin Mary through photo manipulation.
• Carne Viva, Estudio Luna, 220 McDermot Ave., Saturday 8-11 p.m. Food-focused art exhibit by Alejadro Moras. There are several activities taking place at the artist-run gallery over the course of the weekend.
• Aboriginal Music Week’s Songs & Square Dancing, The Forks, Saturday 2-4 p.m. A preview of music scheduled for this year’s Aboriginal Music Week in November.
• Cyborg Cinema, Creswin Media Panel. 201 Portage Ave., Saturday, 9-10 p.m. Outdoor screening of performance art collaboration by Wafaa Bilal and Andrew Milne as they literally get attached to machines.
• Chocolatier Constance Popp open house, 1853 Portage Ave., Saturday 1:30-3:30 p.m. Popp will show how she makes concoctions from start to finish.
• Bruce-O-Rama, Aceart Inc., 2-290 McDermot Ave., Saturday, 12-11 p.m. An audiovisual interactive installation allowing you to be engaged in Bruce Lee fight footage from his movies via floor pressure sensors.
• Chinese Line Dance, Chinese Cultural Centre, 180 King St., Saturday 12-1:45 p.m. Workshop teaching you choreographed moves popular in China.
• Action: Directing Culture, The Forks, Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Film Training Manitoba workshop with camera, monitor, script and storyboards for hands on workshop about filmmaking.
• Performance Hive, 318 Ross Ave., Friday 8-11 p.m. Actors, musicians, photographers, dancers poets, painters and performance artists invited to create improvised live performance.
• Ladies of the’ 80s Sing-along, Cinematheque, 100 Arthur St., Saturday 9-10:30 p.m. Mass karaoke with a 1980s theme with lyrics to music by artists such as Cyndi Lauper, Tiffany, Bananarama and Madonna displayed on movie screen.
• Guy Maddin’s Hauntings, Platform Gallery, 100 Arthur St., Saturday, 11 p.m.-midnight. Closing party of Guy Maddin’s Hauntings film with performance by surf noir band This Hisses.
• An Afternoon in the Folk Exchange, Folk Exchange, 103-211 Bannatyne Ave., Saturday, 1- 5 p.m. Festival photo exhibit — The Festival Campground at Night — and live music by Demetra Penner, Sweet Alibi and Zoppa.
• Storytelling Day at Central Park, Central Park, Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Local storytellers and community organizations tell stories dealing with universal subject matter.
• Aerial Dance Class, Monica’s Danz Gym, 4-25 Scurfield Blvd., Saturday 1:45-3 p.m. Learn the basics of aerial dancing: spinning, floating and swinging above the ground on aerial fabric.
• Let’s Unite by Lantern Light, The Forks, Friday 6:30-7:30 p.m. Three community art centres collaborate to illuminate The Forks with homemade lanterns.
• Ask an Architect, The Forks, Saturday, 12- 5 p.m. Winnipeg architects offer to help the public with architectural assessments and advice on their projects.
• Southern Exposure: South Point Douglas tour, South Point Douglas Millionaires’ Club, 48 Annabella St., Sunday 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Walking tour of historic area of Winnipeg.
• Half Pints Brewery Tour & Open House, 550 Roseberry St., Saturday 9 a.m-5 p.m. Learn how local micro-brewery Half Pints makes beer. Mmmmm, beer.
• Colony Street Party, Saturday and Sunday 8 p.m.-2 a.m. CBC-organized street party on Colony Street between the Winnipeg Art Gallery and Plug-In.
• Culture Days Market, Old Market Square, Saturday, 11 a.m. -6 p.m. Arts and crafts market.

(Source: winnipegfreepress.com)

It’s Manitoba’s second year participating in Culture Days, and we’ve really stepped up our game. I am impressed and again disappointed not to be in town. Check out the link for a full list of activities. 

Some of my top picks:

Friday, September 30, 2011

10-7 Graphic design and screen printing at Jumbo Show Posters
5:30-7:30 Introduction to Bellydance @ Au Set Bellydance Emporium

Saturday, October 1, 2011

10:30-11:30 Introduction to Bellydance @ Au Set Bellydance Emporium
12-5 Tile Making @ Monica de Jong’s
1:45-3 Aerial Dance Class @ Monica’s Danz Gym
2-4 Create a Ukrainian pysanka @ Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre
6-6 Nuit Blanche @ the WAG
7:30-11 WCD’s Nuit Blanche Variety Show
7-12 Raku firing workshop @ The Main Street Clay and Community Centre
8-12 Late Night Scavenger Hunt @ Dalnavert Museum
9-1:30 Nuit Blanche @ The Manitoba Museum
9-6 Nuit Blanche for Hoop Dancing @ Old Market Square

Sunday, October 2, 2011

1-4 Dance Downtown! @ RWB Building

Culture Days is a collaborative pan-Canadian volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility,participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. A national Steering Committee, together with provincial committees (known as Provincial Task Forces) self-mobilize at the grassroots level to implement concurrent, annual, province-wide public participation events that take place throughout the country over the last weekend of September. The first annual Culture Days event was held in September 2010 in over 700 Canadian cities and towns and, by all accounts, was a great success. The 2011 Culture Days weekend will take place September 30 to October 2, 2011. Annual, Canada-wide Culture Days events feature free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to participate “behind the scenes,” to discover the world of artists, creators, historians, architects, curators, and designers at work in their community.

I am terribly, terribly sad to be away from Winnipeg during Culture Days. My group’s block party on Saturday is the ONLY event within 75km (or more) of Quesnel, BC.

Below are some of the events that I would go to if I could.

Please. Go out and enjoy this doubly for me!

Free Event

Friday, September 24, 2010 @ 7 PM

Landscape Dancing // Bridging the Community from 4:30-5 PM @ Louis Riel Esplanade

National Kick-off in Winnipeg

Attesting to Manitoba’s reputation as a hotbed of creativity, the official National Kick-off of Culture Days will take place under the canopy at The Forks in Winnipeg on Friday, September 24th at 7:00 pm. 

Several other activities take place throughout the day on September 24th including author readings at Thin Air and the opportunity to attend the WSO’s dress rehearsal for their season opener.   

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Drawing and Mask-Making @ University of Winnipeg Gallery 1C03 from 1-4 PM

Modern Dance and Tea Party: Legacy @ Gas Station Theatre from 1:30-3:30 PM

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche

A featured event is the first ever Scotiabank Nuit Blanche that will take place Saturday, September 25th from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.  The event is a nightlong arts celebration that will include multi-disciplinary performances, artists’ talks and film screenings at various locations in downtown Winnipeg. The City of Winnipeg is offering a free shuttle bus service throughout Scotiabank Nuit Blanche so participants can move easily from St. Boniface to the Exchange District to the Manitoba Museum and the WAG.

Nuit Blanche @ Cinematheque

CHROMA-DANCE: ELEVEN EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS 8:30 PM @ The Cube

90 SECOND QUICKIE FILM CONTEST SCREENING 10:00 PM @ Portage & Main

MY WINNIPEG Midnight @ Portage & Main

WCD’s Nuit Blanche Cabaret

The cabaret will rotate 3 times throughout the evening so you can drop in/out of The Rachel Browne Theatre anytime but if you want to catch the beginning on the 75min cycle come for 8pm, 9:30pm or 11pm.

Showing Up, Speaking Out @ aceartinc.

“Showing Up, Speaking Out” explores the extent to which artists can motivate and facilitate civic participation by connecting local, national, and international artists with local community members through the co-production of temporary, action-based artworks presented in public spaces throughout Winnipeg.

Nuit Blanche @ The Manitoba Museum - Guided tours from 7 PM - Midnight

Nuit Blanche - Les sons, les saveurs, et les textures d’Afrique @ 190 Rupert Avenue from 7-10 PM

Introduction to Bellydance @ Au Set Bellydance Emporium from 12-5 PM

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Visit the Dalnavert House (61 Carlton Street) - 12-4 PM

Watch and Try English Folk Dancing @ The Forks - 3-5 PM

All Weekend

Nuit Blanche @ Winnipeg Art Gallery - starts Saturday at 6 PM

Osborne Street Dance Club Workshops @ 109 Pulford Street 

Nuit Blanche @ Winnipeg Art Gallery (300 Memorial Boulevard) - September 24-26, 2010 from 6 PM - 6 PM

Nuit Blanche is a three-day celebration of the arts, taking place throughout downtown Winnipeg, St. Boniface, and Osborne Village. The WAG is part of it with lots of stuff going on! Best of all—it’s all free!

6pm • Doors open

7pm • Public opening of Wanda Koop: On the Edge of Experience and premiere of Hybrid Human, a contemporary dance performance choreographed by Jolene Bailie.

12am-6pm

• add your own audio-video components in an inter-active installation created by VJ/media artist mrghosty
• dance to live bands and music by DJ Mama Cutsworth
• tap into your creative side making masks using found objects
• watch cult classic movies screened in the Murial Richardson Auditorium

Dance Downtown @ Royal Winnipeg Ballet (380 Graham Avenue) - September 26, 2010 from 1-4 PM

Join us on the Culture Days Weekend as we kick up our heels for a celebration of the joint anniversaries of our Company and School. We’re inviting the Winnipeg community to join us as we open our doors for an open house, block party extravaganza! This is a great event for all ages and admission is FREE!

Click Here for a list of Activities & Performances at Dance Downtown

Culture Days Kick-Off @ the WAG

(via Winnipeg Free Press)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 from 11 AM - 2 PM
Winnipeg Art Gallery (300 Memorial Boulevard)

Free Event

Manitoba’s thriving artistic and cultural community is showcasing some of its top talent at the inaugural Canada-wide Culture Days kick-off celebration today.

The Winnipeg Art Gallery will play host to the interactive event from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and it will feature musicians, actors, artists, dancers and short films produced and performed by Manitobans of all ages.

The concert will include the Summerbear Dance Troupe, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Eagle and Hawk and Daniel ROA.

The event is free and open to everyone.

(via Culture Days in Manitoba)

What is Culture Days?

Culture Days is a collaborative pan-Canadian initiative that aims to raise awareness, increase access, participation and engagement by all Canadians in the arts and culture. Culture Days includes all areas of professional, amateur and community cultural activity: the arts, heritage and the creative industries as expressed through all cultural communities including Aboriginal, Francophone and ethnocultural traditions. Beginning in 2010, during the third weekend of September, municipalities, artists and cultural organizations are invited to provide free interactive opportunities for the public to explore the arts and culture in their community as part of the national Culture Days initiative.

Get involved! I’m looking at you, Aqua Books.

Download the Manitoba call for participation.

Leaders from across the province and from all areas of the arts and cultural community have stepped up to guide Culture Days in Manitoba. The Task Force sees Culture Days in Manitoba as an opportunity to:

• Spark people’s interest by promoting Manitoba’s vibrant arts and culture sector;
• Motivate Manitoba residents to try a new cultural activity or visit a cultural attraction;
• Be inclusive of all areas of culture: the arts, heritage and the creative industries as expressed through all cultural communities including Aboriginal, Francophone and ethnocultural traditions.
• Encourage collaboration between arts and culture groups and community partners;
• Create strong connections between citizens, cultural workers, artists, organizations and their communities; and
• Highlight Manitoba’s dynamic arts and culture community to the rest of the country.