Art attack
Affordable theatre, fine art and music are right on campus
Jeanne Fronda, Staff
A talented artist could be sitting next to you in class and you may never know it. Unless, of course, you check out some of the affordable or free — yeah, that’s right, free — art that can be found on our campus.
So if you’re getting tired of the quad — you know, that noisy, beer-smelling, crowded grassy area where all the live acts, movies and whatever else UMSU has concocted for orientation week are going on — then here’s a rundown of where you can experience some affordable entertainment.
MUSIC
This year, the U of M’s faculty of music — and it is ‘faculty’ and not ‘school’, even though the sign outside the building still reads that way — will offer many different concerts located at different venues.
Caroline Ksiazek, the acting business manager for the faculty of music, said one of the year’s highlights is free noon hour concerts held at Eva Clare Hall, which is located in the school of music building.
“Our Music at Midday concerts are very important to our students’ professional development as artists. Actually, I cannot think of a better way for anyone on campus to spend a lunch hour than to attend a free concert featuring students, faculty and guest artists,” said Ksiazek.
And, of course, faculty of music staff and students will have recitals held at Eva Clare Hall throughout the year that will feature piano, strings, voice and winds.
To whet your appetite the first two months during the school year, there is a performance by the U of M Wind Ensemble at the Great Hall in University College on Oct. 14, and a performance by the U of M Jazz Orchestra featuring Byron Stipling at the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitoban on Oct. 20. (Admission is $10 for these two shows.)
Photo by David Lipnowski
FINE ART
If you crave fine art, then there are two galleries that will satisfy your appetite.
Gallery One One One
Gallery One One One director Cliff Eyland said one of the aims for the gallery this season is to make sure things stay interesting.
“We’re trying to introduce different media and different ages. We don’t want to get bored,” said Eyland. “What I like is the age range [of the artists in upcoming shows]. You can show various ages of people together, so it’s an all-ages theme.”
The gallery’s current show is a presentation of drawings and paintings by artist Richard Williams, who is a former director of the U of M School of Art.
Other programming featured during the gallery’s upcoming season includes installation art by Vibeke Sorensen, drawings, paintings and 3-D pieces by Gordon Lebredt, and an exhibit by “26” — pronounced two-six — which is a group of young artists that create CDs, videos, zines, drawings and paintings.
The gallery, which is located on the main floor of the Fitzgerald Building, is open from Monday to Friday between 12 and 4 p.m. Admission is free.
GOSA
Another campus gallery, the Gallery of Student Art (GOSA), which is located at 105A University Centre, is in its second year. The gallery showcases student art; however, pieces are chosen by a selections committee composed of individuals who have experience or training in fine art.
The first show of the school year, an exhibit by artist Agnes Neufeld, features eight colour prints; this show runs until Sept. 23.
The gallery is open from Monday to Friday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Admission is free.
THEATRE
Bag lunches seem to be a thing of the past, but not at the Black Hole Theatre. The Black Hole Theatre Company offers a series of non-mainstage shows known as the Lunch B.H.A.G.G. (Black Hole Anarchist Group — someone typed an extra “g” by mistake and it remained in the name).
These periodic shows are on Tuesday and Thursday at noon and on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. All the Lunch B.H.A.G.G. shows are free except for the 7:30 show, which costs $1.
Black Hole Theatre publicist Megan Peters said that the BHTC’s offerings are going to make for a splendid year.
“This year is going to be a good year. It’s neat because most of the plays involve students who are actors or directors,” said Peters.
The mainstage shows of the 2005-06 season include four plays. The first is a double bill that includes Jean Paul Sartre’s morality play No Exit and Eugene Ionesco’s drama The Bald Soprano (The Bald Prima Donna). Ah, Wilderness by Eugene O’Neill, the second performance of the year, will run in January and is the U of M’s contribution to the upcoming O’Neill Fest; it will be performed at the Gas Station Theatre. The year will be finished off with William Shakespeare’s romance/tragicomedy The Winter’s Tale, which will run in March.
Admission for shows at the Black Hole Theatre is $9 for students and seniors and $11 for adults. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or in advance to take advantage of a group discount. All seats are rush seating.
For more information visit:
www.umanitoba.ca/schools/music
www.umanitoba.ca/schools/arts/content/galleryoneoneone/info111.html
www.umanitoba.ca/theatre
