Last year’s maypole must have worked, because this year it’s all about parents and kids.
DETAILS
Find It...
If there are more artists in Calgary with children or baby bulges, perhaps you have Jennifer Crighton, the organizer of Mayday/Mayday, to blame. Her annual festival has evolved from a feminist, women-only show, to last year’s collaboration between men and women, and this year will focus on the relationship between parent’s and children in art.
“The next logical step in the progression is, you know, men and women get together and the product of that in the natural occurrence of things would be children,” says Crighton.
Set in the suburban setting of the Arbour Lake Sghool artist collective, the space proved perfect for what Crighton was trying to achieve. It also fit her dislike of curating in a gallery space, which she sees as too constrictive.
“I had met the Arbour Lake Sghool and at the time the place was a real boy frathouse,” says Crighton. “There was just like dudes and mess and crazy art. So I had this idea because there were also a lot of women that were involved secondarily in that space.”
While the first year saw a twin girl band, drawings by Kiara Albina and artist Wednesday Lupypciw cleaning toilets, this year is a slightly different affair.
Jay Crocker will share the stage with his infant son for a musical collaboration, Snow Owl, a duo with one pregnant member, who will be rapping, singing and percussing. Lupypciw is back, this time with a video of her and her mother dancing, Ashley Neese’s photographs of her family will be mounted and Stacey Watson’s drawings in collaboration with her young daughter Anouk will be on display. And there may be more.
“I’ve heard a rumour that Sarah Adams-Bacon might be doing some mommy rap too,” says Crighton cryptically. “We’ll see if it happens.”
Crighton has heard some of the rap can be fairly explicit, so it might have to be toned down for the family-friendly show. Partway through explaining the need for self-imposed censorship for the kiddies, Crighton has another thought. “I might have to safety-proof the Arbour Lake Sghool,” she says.
Parents, whether they be artists or spectators, are encouraged to bring the whole family. At most gallery openings or art events, the children of artists and guests are usually missing.
“So it’s also an opportunity for those people that are artists to be present in their field of interest with their children,” says Crighton.
But it’s not the Anne Geddes, children resting in cute poses kind of art that will be featured. This isn’t about making things mushy and allowing the parents to gush about how wonderfully special their children are; it’s about the realization of a certain level of equality between parent and child.
“They’re looking at that communication in a very mature way and a very interesting way,” says Crighton. “They’re not just sort of obsessing over their child’s cuteness.”
“There’s this ‘Oh God, it’s going to be cheesy’ reaction. I think even for the artists that are doing it, they’re afraid that it’s going to be.”
And for those who haven’t yet sired young ones, the maypole will be back up this year and open to anyone who wants to dance around with a ribbon in their hand, which is a traditional spring fertility ritual. Perhaps there will be more children by next year’s event.
For those who have sired children, there is only one warning: “As long as you’re OK with, you know, weird artists and experimental ideas, then it should be a good time to be out in the family way,” says Crighton.
Post the first comment: (Login or Register)