In the eye of the beholder
Artcity aims to bring visual arts to the people
EVENT PREVIEW
ARTCITY
September 19 to 29
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You work downtown. You head outside for lunch. You get to Olympic Plaza, brown bag in hand, and are confronted by a large Plexiglas box suspended over the water. Bemusement sets in. What is this thing? Then it dawns on you: it must be Artcity time.
That Plexiglas box is actually an artwork named Water Pavilion. It was the winning entry in last year’s Peepshow, a competition to create the most innovative public artwork for Artcity, and will be constructed and displayed throughout this year’s 10-day, city-wide visual arts festival. Although artists from as far away as Tasmania submitted entries to the competition, a Calgary team made up of Neil Freeman, Catherine Kim and ID8 won the competition – and, in the process, won the right to create Artcity’s central piece.
Cindy Willick, Artcity’s festival co-ordinator, says she hopes Water Pavilion will generate a lot of interest through "chance encounters." That means she hopes the thousands of skyscraper denizens who happen to pass by Olympic Plaza every day will be intrigued enough to check out exactly what the hell they’re looking at. That small step is a leap that Willick hopes will lead them to Artcity and Calgary’s vibrant visual art scene in general.
"It’s those chance encounters – ‘Hey, I just experienced art’ – that we’re hoping for," Willick says. "That forces people to think about what they’re seeing and about art and all kinds of things."
Introducing people to Calgary’s art scene is one of the goals of Artcity, and it could probably be met on sheer volume alone. There are 41 galleries participating, and a 34-page pamphlet promoting festival attractions all over the city.
"Yes, we’ve certainly got a lot," says Willick, laughing. "It’s really exciting."
Artcity brings together ArtWalk and ArtWeek into one big event. Throw in the ArtTalk lecture series, and Artcity is one huge celebration of visual art.
ArtWalk has been an annual part of the city's cultural life for the past 19 years. Under the banner of Artcity it remains a two-day self-guided tour of public and commercial galleries, organizations and studios, with handy directions to point the way. ArtTalk will feature public speaking engagements from some high-profile artists and educators focusing on a theme of memory and identity.
Artcity as a whole, however, contains much more (see earlier comment about the hefty pamphlet). There are exhibitions, plus-15 exhibits and, of course, parties.
The festival gives a higher profile to Calgary artists working in the city, but also illustrates the international influence of some local artists and the local scene. Willick points to the dozens of international submissions to the Peepshow competition as evidence of the local art scene’s globalism.
"I think it shows Calgary can be on the same page as these international artists," Willick says.
But ultimately, Willick says the goal of the festival is to expose everyday Calgarians to the city's artists.
"Culture is what gives the vibe to any city," Willick says. "I think more people would embrace (Calgary’s arts scene) if they knew what was out there." |
