To kick off Alberta Arts Days, which run Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, the Town of Canmore is inviting the community to celebrate several local artists who will be ‘spotlighted’ during the Mayor’s Spotlight on the Arts celebration.
The event, which focuses on the diversity and variety of artistic talent in Canmore, will be held at the Canmore Miners’ Union Hall on Friday (Sept. 30) at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets are available for $15 through the arts and culture department at the Canmore Civic Centre either in person or by phone at 403-678-1878.
The event will be a wine and appetizer evening with the spotlight turned on three local artists, Dana Roman, Michelle Todd and Stephen Bown; while at the same time, recognizing Bob Alexander for a lifetime contribution to the arts; Shari Bishop Bowes for his recognition as a significant community builder; Roger Vernon, an internationally recognized keynote speaker, and an emerging artist’s bursary being awarded.
Roman is an award-winning artist who originally trained as an architect. For 20 years she designed and manufactured painted silk fabric and art wear. Her production and one of a kind pieces were sold through her Toronto-based business, Artacious Inc. Since moving to Canmore in 1997, Roman became a studio artist and now works in acrylics, pastels, watercolours, monoprints, mixed media and textiles (specifically painted silk).
Award-winning soprano and actress Michelle Todd immigrated to Canada in 1988 and moved to Canmore in 1990. She has represented Canada twice at the Cantai Festival in Taiwan as performer, adjudicator and master class voice teacher and presented more than 40 Canadian world premieres. Locally she has appeared with Calgary’s leading musical ensembles and the Canmore-based duo Amata. Her latest recording with Ensemble Resonance has been nominated for Best Classical Recording in the 2011 Western Canadian Music Awards.
Stephen Bown has been writing about adventurers, travellers and explorers for many years. His book Scurvy: How a Surgeon, a Mariner and a Gentleman Solved the Greatest Medical Mystery of the Age of Sail was an international critical success and was selected as one of the Globe and Mail’s Top 100 books of 2004. His most recent book, Merchant Kings was also shortlisted for the Wilfred Eggleston Award for Non-Fiction. His latest book 1494: How a Family Feud in Medieval Span Divided the World in Half is the true story of a corrupt pope, the patriarch of the family fictionalized in the hit Showtime series The Borgias, in an explosive feud between monarchs and the church that divided the world in half.
“In addition to spotlighting these three talented local artists, we will also be recognizing Bob Alexander for his lifetime contribution to the arts,” said Bartolomie. “The Community Public Art Committee (CPAC) developed this category to recognize an individual who has dedicated their life to the arts through personal or professional practice and has contributed significantly to the arts in Canmore.
Alexander came to Canmore in 1971 to teach at the Banff Centre. From 1963 to 1971 he taught photography during the summer at The Banff Centre and in 1971 designed the Visual Communications program for the Centre and began to teach there full-time. Alexander retired from the Centre as Manager of Visual Arts in 1980. He still makes the Bow Valley his home. Alexander continually hears from and sees the work or past students now spread around the world working as documentary, travel, adventure, studio, film and artistic photographers, including this year’s keynote speaker Roger Vernon.
The Mayor’s Spotlight on the Arts event will also feature Vernon as the keynote speaker. For over 37 years, he has applied his skills throughout the genres in motion picture photography. Among his areas of expertise he is internationally recognized for his mountain- and adventure-related subjects, which have taken him into the most remote corners of the globe. Among the high points of his career has been the recognition afforded him by the Summit of Excellence Award, which was presented to him by The Banff Festival of Mountain Films in recognition of a significant contribution to mountain life in the Canadian Rockies.
Shari Bishop Bowes will be recognized for her long-term commitment to the arts. Her volunteer work with artsPeak, the Canadian Mountain Arts Foundation, Canmore Economic Development Authority, Lamphouse Centre for the Arts Society and the Canmore Miners’ Hall Centennial Restoration Committee have had an enduring effect on the arts community.
An emerging artist bursary of $2,500 will be announced at the event. The bursary was available through a grant application process. The bursary will recognize a 17-25 year old up and coming artist who shows promise and would benefit from further education or exploration.
“I’d really like to encourage community members to attend this event,” said Mayor Ron Casey. “We will be celebrating some incredibly talented people who have done a great deal for our town. It’s going to be a great night.”
