Arts Alive! Kaleido in What’s On
This article can be found on the Edmonton Journal site, here…
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/whatson/story.html?id=35fc64f1-9089-4d7f-a52d-4009d42d614e
Alberta Avenue artists bring community to life
Mari Sasano, Freelance
Published: Friday, September 28
ARTS ALIVE KALEIDO,
today and Saturday,
info: www.artsontheave.org for schedule and infoWhen you think of an arts district in Edmonton, Old Strathcona or downtown usually springs to mind. But the reality is, those areas are out of an artist’s price range in terms of owning a house. But over the last few years, a new arts neighbourhood has quietly been building in what most people would call a pretty rough area: Alberta Avenue.
Christy Morin saw an opportunity there, and so the Arts Alive festival was born. It’s a showcase for artists who live in and around the 118th Avenue area, and you’d be surprised how many there are.
“Well, when we started there were two artists that I knew of who were theatre design people and we got together and figured there must be more,” says festival producer (and theatre teacher) Christy Morin.
“And a year prior, there was a group of artists that got together for a show on 95th Street. We sort of started to put the word out through the (local newsletter) Rat Creek Press, and we ended up with 80 artists last year who call this area home.”
This isn’t a community talent show. There are some big names on the music stage: Captain Tractor, James Murdoch, Terry Morrison and many more. Mile Zero Dance will be there, as well as belly dancing, visual artists, stage fighting and workshops to make a lantern for an evening parade. It’s even attracting some people from outside the ‘hood: Jeremy Baumung and Kenneth Brown are bringing their Fringe shows to the stage, and musicians like Ben Sures are making an appearance from out of town.
But mostly, it’s people who live and work here. Jealous yet? According to Morin, it’s only getting started.
“It’s just gaining momentum. This is the second year and we’ve opened up the Carrot Coffeehouse and people are getting together and hanging out.”
Cindy Burgess, a costume designer and arts administrator, agrees. This is the place to be.
“I think it’s for everyone in Edmonton. I think people all need to come down and see what a fabulous area of town this is. It’s a multi-disciplinary festival, and there’s so much cultural diversity here. We are a family arts festival. It can appeal to so many people.”
“Chris Wynters was saying, ‘I think this is the closest gig I’ve every played. It’s only a block-and-a-half away from home.’ We’re very proud of where we live.”
© The Edmonton Journal 2007