Starting this week, you can tune into Vancouver Art Gallery live stream curators’ talks as a part of their new Art Connect series. Follow a virtual tour around current exhibitions and hear from guests from local and international arts communities.
Art Connects: Vancouver Art Gallery Live Stream Curators’ Talks
When: Tuesday and Fridays (starting March 31, 2020) Where: Vancouver Art Gallery’s Zoom channel Admission: Free, register online for the Zoom details. Upon registration, attendees can submit questions and chat directly with fellow attendees during the live stream.
In response to temporary closure of the exhibition spaces due to the current global health pandemic, Arts Connect online gatherings encourage dialogue and connection during this new age of physical distancing. They are free for everyone to join and the weekly conversations will be interactive in nature.
For the first talk on Tuesday, March 31 at 1:30pm, join a special preview of the exhibition, The Tin Man Was A Dreamer: Allegories, Poetics and Performances of Power, with curators Grant Arnold and Mandy Ginson. Together, the curators will walk through the exhibition and speak to the importance of bringing together recent acquisitions from Gallery’s permanent collection to make exciting exhibitions that deal with contemporary issues of our time. Register here »
On Friday, April 3 at 4:30pm, join Afro Van Connect founders Dae Shields and Buni Kor to discuss freestyling, power and exchange in music. Joined by artist Quentin VerCetty, they will share their thoughts on Black spaces, speculative futures and Afrofuturism, before presenting a live freestyle performance. The discussion will be moderated by Stephanie Bokenfohr, Adult Programs Coordinator. Register here »
Art has the power to connect individuals, communities and cultures. No matter its form, art encourages communication, broadens perspectives, enriches the mind and renews the spirit. During challenging times, art can uplift the community through enriching and culturally meaningful experiences. Stay tuned for next week’s schedule.
Extended Schedule
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at 1:30pm: Ashlee Conery and Tarah Hogue In conjunction with the exhibition lineages and land bases, Ashlee Conery, Curatorial Coordinator—Interpretation, and Tarah Hogue, Senior Curatorial Fellow, Indigenous Art, will reveal the curatorial decisions and interpretive lenses used in the exhibition to reframe understandings of Emily Carr’s paintings and bring to light the basketry made by her friend of 33 years, Sewiṉchelwet Sophie Frank.
Friday, April 10, 2020 at 4:30pm: Howie Tsui and Diana Freundl In conjunction with the exhibition Howie Tsui: Retainers of Anarchy artist Howie Tsui and Diana Freundl, Interim Chief Curator / Associate Director, will reveal, for the first time, the artistic and curatorial decisions reached to commission a twenty-five-metre, hand-drawn animation that threads together the social and political realities of past and present-day Hong Kong.
Tuesday, April 14, 2020 at 1:30pm:Matilda Aslizadeh with Grant Arnold Matilda Aslizadeh’s sculptural video installation Moly and Kassandra (2018) addresses the relationship between culture and resource extraction by precisely interweaving statistical charts with images of monumental excavations into the surface of the earth and scenes of operatic divination. Join the artist, in conversation with Grant Arnold, Audain Curator of British Columbia Art, to discuss themes of economic policy, divination and agency in her work and the upcoming exhibition NEXT Matilda Aslizadeh: Moly and Kassandra.
Friday, April 17, 2020 at 4:30pm:Spring Reading with Indigenous Brilliance In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Vancouver Art Gallery is pleased to virtually host Indigenous Brilliance’s Spring Reading Session, presented in conversation with the exhibition Shuvinai Ashoona: Mapping Worlds.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at 1:30pm:Panel: How Can Museums be Spaces for Healing? Abby Chen is the Head of Contemporary Art and Senior Associate Curator at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Regan Pro is the Kayla Skinner Deputy Director of Education & Public Engagement at the Seattle Art Museum, where she develops arts learning opportunities centered on equity, relevancy and curiosity. Melissa Lee is the Director of Education and Public Programs at the Vancouver Art Gallery, where she oversees public programs designed for diverse audiences of all ages to enhance the understanding of the Gallery’s over 12,000-piece art collection and of travelling contemporary and modern exhibitions.
Friday, April 24, 2020 at 4:30pm: Art and Humour: Ese Atawo and Courtenay Mayes Ese Atawo is a Nigerian-Canadian actor and comedian. Raised in Toronto, ON, Atawo’s love of live performance began through participation in local theatre and festivals. Courtenay Mayes (she/her) is an artist living on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish communities. Exploring the healing arts and other realms of consciousness, her performative sensory experiments are informed by dreams, writing, literature and psychotropic experiences.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 1:30pm:What is Live? With Stella Lochman In this edition of Art Connects, Stella Lochman, Manager of Public Engagement at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, will discuss this shift towards live, virtual programming. She will also share her current interest in online performative exercises, Happy Hours, Vogue Jams and quarantine dance parties.
Friday, May 1, 2020 at 4:30pm:An Introduction to Voguing and Ballroom Culture SPEAKERS: Ralph Escamillan, Founder of Van Vogue Jam and Kiki Mother Gvasalia, Vancouver, with Slim Xtravaganza, New York City; Isla Cheadle, Founder of Banjee Ball, House of Ebony, Los Angeles; Twysted Miyake-Mugler, Founder of Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance, Toronto
Tuesday, May 5, at 1:30pm:Preserving the Collection in Times of Crisis with Tara Fraser In this fascinating talk, Tara Fraser, Head Conservator, will discuss the complexities of preservation during this time of closure and quarantine as she continues to care for the more than 12,000 works of art in the Vancouver Art Gallery’s collection. The limitations of space, humidity and seismic upgrades will be discussed as key factors in her daily problem-solving routine of prolonging the lives of artworks and preserving the collection.
Friday, May 8, at 4:30pm:The Joy of Painting with Jean Paul Langlois After a brief introduction to his work with Art Rental & Sales Manager Zoe Mackoff de Miranda, Langlois will captivate audiences with a performative painting session in his studio. While he paints, Langlois will talk about the techniques he uses and answer questions from the audience.
Tuesday, May 26 at 1:30pm: Artist Talk: Ken Lum In this edition of Art Connects, the Gallery invites Ken Lum to speak about his artistic practice. The renowned Vancouver-born artist will take a look back at a selection of his works in the Gallery’s permanent collection and reflect on his first career retrospective, presented at the Gallery in 2011.
As Canadians do their part to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak, families and teachers are adjusting to the new reality and working to provide educational and diverse content to children at home. Starting today, the National Film Board of Canada (“NFB”), the country’s leader in audiovisual learning resources, is offering FREE online learning resourcesthat will give Canadian families and teachers new tools to keep young minds engaged.
Parents can access a special collection of acclaimed NFB films and learning resources at NFB.ca/education. All teachers across Canada, from now until June 30, 2020, have FREE access to CAMPUS, the NFB’s online media portal.
The NFB Education screening room will be featuring daily films and learning resources chosen by the NFB Education team for K–12 level children, including:
Films and playlists for primary and secondary-level students;
Educational interactive projects or apps;
Mini-lessons that are built around NFB films using curated film clips, paired with activities to encourage deep learning;
225 minutes of groundbreaking experiences from the NFB’s immersive and interactive Ocean School, transforming how we learn about and engage with the ocean. Ocean School is the result of a dynamic partnership between the National Film Board of Canada, Dalhousie University and the Ocean Frontier Institute.
Nearly 4 million Canadian K–12 and post-secondary students currently have access to CAMPUS, thanks to agreements with provincial education ministries and school boards. From now until June 30th, the NFB is opening CAMPUS to all educators who are looking for stimulating educational content for distance learning during the outbreak.
A rich collection of 1,300 exclusive documentaries, animated films, interactive productions and shorts;
Mini-lessons built around an NFB film using curated film clips, paired with activities, to encourage deep learning—written by teachers in the NFB’s educator network;
Study guides, a chaptering tool, and the ability to share chapters and create your own playlists;
Content organized around three key themes: the environment and sustainability; Indigenous voices and reconciliation; diversity and inclusion.
In order to register, teachers just need to contact NFB Customer Service at 1-800-267-7710 (from anywhere in Canada) or 514-287-9000 (Montreal region). Or by e-mail: [email protected]
A message from the NFB: “Your health and the health of your loved ones is the most important thing. As Canada’s public producer and distributor, the NFB has stood with Canadians for more than 80 years. Now, as families and teachers work to ensure that Canada’s children are safe, happy and well-cared-for during these long weeks at home, the NFB is proud to stand with them once again—with the best from its collection and its committed team of education specialists.”
Don’t worry kids (and adults with a sweet tooth), the Easter Bunny hasn’t lost your address! In fact you can make specific requests for treats sent right to your front door with these delectable Vancouver Easter chocolate delivery options:
Vancouver Easter Chocolate Delivery During COVID-19 Isolation
Mon Paris Patisserie Easter Collection. Photo Credit Nora Hamade
Owner Elena Krasnova has developed an online ordering system for deliveries, as well as a pre-order by-phone service with curbside and in-store pickup options. In addition to a limited selection of breakfast pastries and special occasion cakes, the Mon Paris 2020 Easter Collection, featuring colourful chocolate eggs and adorable chocolate ducks and a do-it-yourself (DIY) Easter cookie decorating kit, is now available for takeout and delivery (free delivery on orders of $40 or more).
BETA5 marks the impending arrival of Easter with a blast of prism colours. Available now, chocolate lovers can indulge in edible rainbow art in the form of BETA5’s trademark polygon silhouette in chocolate eggs, mini eggs, chocolate bunnies, and chocolate lollipops.
Chez Christophe Take Out & Delivery (4717 Hastings St, Burnaby & 1558 Johnston Rd, White Rock)
Chez Christophe Easter Collection
Chez Christophe offers take-away at both of their locations and free home delivery within 10km of their Burnaby Heights store on orders over $35. They have a selection of care packages and Easter bundles including. The Egg-cellent Easter Care Package ($35.95) includes a Petit Poulet Showpiece, three Mini Milk Chocolate Hens, three Easter Bunny Lollipops and a tube of Dragee (assorted flavours).
Headgehogs, White Chocolate Wooly Lambs, Peanut Butter Eggs, Truffle Eggs, Dark or Milk Chocolate Whiskers Bunnies and more! Order by April 5th to guarantee delivery by Easter.
Charlie’s Chocolate Factory Order online for curb-side pickup at both locations: 3746 Canada Way, Burnaby and #2 – 1770 McLean Avenue, Port Coquitlam.
Chocolate bunny ears, chocolate carrot pops, the traditional hollow chocolate Easter bunny and more! Crispy crunch egg, flat egg candies, and jelly bean surprise.
I have reached out to some of my friends around the globe who are originally from the “604” area to see how they’re doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is the sixth in the Vancouverites in Isolation Elsewhere series:
Vancouverites in Isolation Elsewhere: Richard and Francesca in Singapore
Name: Richard and Francesca (Twitter) Hometown: West Vancouver Current City/Home: Singapore
What is your city like right now?
It’s a very strange time because while the rest of the world is shutting down Singapore remains open however, restriction are increasing. When I tell people this their first instinct is to tell me to stay at home with some form of expletive in there. The reality is we have been battling this since early/mid January when it broke out in China. When Singapore activated its response system to covid-19 it included incredibly strict (and impressive) tracing measures which have, until the last few days, meant that there was no community spread and that assertion could be backed up with evidence.
What this has meant is that hawker centers, malls, and most things have remained open and we’ve been encouraged to live life while practicing caution, hand-washing etc. Strict quarantine measures on all people entering the country were put in before there was evidence of community spread and that in turn has meant all imported cases were caught from point of entry and during mandatory quarantine periods. Apart from two separate incidents of panic buying things are available and there is a sense of calm. Local businesses are hurting and a lot of Grab divers (Singaporean Uber) tell me their business is down 40-60%. Small businesses are struggling.
I have reached out to some of my friends around the globe who are originally from the “604” area to see how they’re doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is the fourth in the Vancouverites in Isolation Elsewhere series:
Vancouverites in Isolation Elsewhere: Patricia on Salt Spring Island
Name: Patricia R. Hometown: Montreal (Vancouver from 1989 – 2013) Current City/Home: Salt Spring Island, BC
What is your city like right now?
Even for a rural place which is relatively quiet, it is QUIET now! I only go to the village once a week to shop and I see very few people walking about, but the big stores (Thrifty’s, Country Grocer) are busier.
The Gulf Islands have requested that visitors stay away during this time, as half the population here is over 55 and so more vulnerable. On Saltspring we are lucky enough to have a full-on hospital (Lady Minto Hospital), but it is small, and they would be quickly overwhelmed if both locals and visitors were being admitted with covid-19.
Even BC Ferries has asked people not use ferries unless it’s for essential travel. I never thought I would see the day when BC Ferries would discourage people from travelling!
