Matralab, Hexagram Concordia and the Sociéte des Arts Téchnologiques (SAT) will organize an artistic Vigil for Japan in response to the unfolding catastrophe triggered by the earthquake and tsuanami.

April 1, from 8pm to 3 am (a 7-hour vigil)

SAT, 1201, boul Saint-Laurent, Montreal

The vigil has three main intentions:

1) to show solidarity with the victims, the refugees, the many helpers and the anxious population of Japan

2) to provide a space for local artists and non-artists touched by these events to come to terms with the impact of what is happening

3) to mark the cusp of a new world situation: we believe that this catastrophe will have far-reaching consequences for contemporary thought and art, similar to the impact of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami that changed thought and art forever

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When -

Monday, June 27, 2011

6:00-10:00 pm

Where -

La Sala Rossa

4848, St-Laurent blv

Lots of collaborators will celebrate with us. La chorale de la Maison La Virevolte accompanied by its band, as well as nearly a dozen other artists  (Anita Mukundwa, Viviene Labrie, Johanne Chagnon, Eve Lamoureux, Dominique Malacort, Sara Bessin, Christine Braul,  Annie Gauvin, Lisa et Rosalie Ndejuru) including poets (Maria Rozas and Isabelle St Pierre), singers (André Fortin, Gabriela Nehmert and Hélène Engel), dancers (Reena Almoneda Chang), actors, musicians (Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble) and multi-media (cj fleury) will perform or speak about their experience with community or humanist activist art.

Free!!!

In the middle of November, I attended a round table discussion organized by Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) entitled Documentaries and Community Art: Experience and Results. Guests included a film director and teacher of Wapikoni Mobile who presented the documentary Ne le dis pas (Don’t Tell) ; a producer and teacher of EyeSteelFilm and Homeless Nation who presented an excerpt from the documentary Tickets and the website Homeless Nation; as well as a member, an artist and the coordinator of the project Agir par l’imaginaire (Engrenage Noir / LEVIER and Elizabeth Fry) who presented a documentary on the creative workshops of video and acting. These community initiatives collaborate with people of the First Nations, the homeless and the incarcerated, but specifically women inmates who are more often than not deprived of speech and expression. These projects which are defined as community art as understood by RIDM, put a particular emphasis on the creative process in order for the participants to explore and share different avenues through images and accounts while at the same time leaving a permanent message. “In this way a face is given to numbers and statistics,” affirms Alex Berthelot, teacher of the project Homeless Nation. The objective of this round table was notably to allow participants and members of the public to exchange on the different stakes in and approaches to community art which are far from homogenous. Sensitive to the content of the discussion and to the subjects of these projects, I nonetheless left the ONF theatre troubled by questions.

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Free Admission

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November 18th at 5:00 PM

At Cinéma ONF (1564 Saint-Denis, Montréal)

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Moderator: Devora Neumark, coordinator, Engrenage Noir / LEVIER

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Guests:

Meena Murugesan and Pascale, artist and participant, Agir par l’imaginaire

Halima Ouardiri and Alex Berthelot, producer and participant, EyeSteelFilm et Homeless Nation

Tobie Fraser and Janie Bellefleur-Kaltush, trainer and participant, Wapikoni Mobile

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From July 17 to October 2, 2010, the streets of Buenos Aires will be filled with puppet shows, produced by 18 different theater companies from Argentina, Russia, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Brazil and Colombia. The festival is an initiative of a community group theater - Grupo de Teatro Catalinas Sur - and results mostly from volonteer work. This event focuses on bringing theatre in the neighbourhoods and streets of children who are marginalized from cultural activity.

For more information about Titeres al Sur:

Official Website

Article in the Buenos Aires Herald

I’m writing this during the final hour of the last day of the Common Weal conference - “Connect - Towards a Socially Engaged Aesthetic” in Regina.

I’m leaving the experience with a sense of both intrigue and inquiry. Of all the works showcased, I found the video work of Terrence Houle especially interesting. There was such poignancy in his simplistic use of irony and wit to deconstruct the Aboriginal male. The work just resonated with me as an artist. I also really appreciated Cheryl D’Hirondelle’s tender song that gave me goose bumps and her innovative use of technology and sound - truly exciting! After learning of the Canada Council’s mentorship program I found myself fantasizing about having Houle as a mentor. Only later did I get the chance to converse with him and find what a truly genuine human being he is. I feel very inspired.

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Part I

Upon arrival in Regina my fabricated idea of Regina and the reality of it were completely different. I was impressed by the land and its serene beauty. The opening of the Common Weal conference commenced with Suzanne Lacy an interventionist from California who has been using art in the public sphere for over 30 years, one of which was the Oakland Projects. Her project allowed me to raise questions to myself in a number of ways. Their was a short film presentation by Suzanne Lacy in regards to a school for teenage mothers she had put together and integrated a childcare program and opportunity for the girls to complete their High-School diploma. This project hit close to home and had me instantaneously comparing and contrasting our project Raising Mom. The end result of Suzanne Lacy’s video made me smile; the teenage girls graduated. Throughout the film I could not help but notice I was not really attached to any part of it except for the fact that I can relate to being pregnant in high school. The project consisted of a museum presentation with artwork, however I did not feel compelled, I was actually more confused by it, I was unaware of the art process used and which creations exhibited were hers and which were the moms and moms to be.

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Levier recommends …

by Devora Neumark

Back in May 2009, I received the following invitation:

Hello Devora, My name is Joanne Shannon.  I am the Executive Director of Common Weal Community Arts in Regina, Saskatchewan. Our organization is planning a national conference in May of 2010 in Regina for individuals and groups involved in Community Arts.  As part of the research for the conference, we are traveling to centres in Canada to meet with persons involved in Community Arts. I will be in Montreal on June 10th and 11th and would be interested, if you are available, in meeting with you.

On behalf of LEVIER, I of course said yes. During our meeting, Joanne and I spoke about many things including the approach that LEVIER has taken when it comes to participating in public events: it is vital that the community group involved in any LEVIER-funded project is self-represented at conferences, round-tables, forums, etc.

Sara Bessin and Laea Morris, participants in the Raising Mom project were asked if they would be interested and available to be part of the LEVIER delegation attending the May 14-16, 2010 conference entitled Connect: Towards a Socially-Engaged Aesthetic. In addition to funding my own trip out west so that I could take part, Common Weal agreed to cover the costs for one of the community representatives. LEVIER decided to finance the trip of the second project member.

Following my brief introduction to LEVIER, we screened the 15-minute Raising Mom video documentary (produced within the context of the LEVIER-sponsored Documenting Collaboration video project). Sara and Laea then spoke about their experiences during the Raising Mom project - and since - and responded to the questions that were posed to each of the panelists on this particular roundtable, which were as follows:

Your topic will be ART IS NOT PEACE, and will address how art has had a long history of resistance and oppositionality around the world. We see contemporary artists intervening in the social processes and structures around them, responding to complex issues through multiple levels of interaction in the public. What aesthetic forms are current social critiques taking? What effects do these practices have within a community art framework?

Sara Bessin is currently in her 3rd year of the Art Education Specialization Program at Concordia University. Laea Morris is in her first year of undergraduate studies as Concordia University working towards a B.A. in human relations.

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Because it rained June 6th, we are rescheduling our little musical event/love-in/ happening in Parc Oxygène for next Sunday, June 13, 4pm - 6pm, fingers crossed and sun dances all week long. Still looking for singers/songwriters and musicians to come play short, 5 minute sets. Radio CKUT will be broadcasting live from the park.

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More information coming soon.

parcoxygene@gmail.com

http://miltonparc.org

http://www.facebook.com/parcoxygene

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