The arts world said farewell to a Canadian legend this past week.
Joseph Plaskett, the New Westminster-born artist who gave his name to the Plaskett Gallery at Massey Theatre, died in England on Sept. 21 at the age of 96.
He was both a renowned artist and a supporter of young artistic talent, having established the Joseph Plaskett Foundation in 2004 to support Canadian students to travel and study art in Europe.
The foundation's website notes that Plaskett, born in 1918, won the first Emily Carr Scholarship in 1946 - an award that allowed him to study at the California School of Fine Art in San Francisco and then with Hans Hofmann in New York and Provincetown.
He followed that up by becoming director of the Winnipeg School of Art before deciding to move to Europe - making his home in Paris for most of his life until moving to Suffolk, England in 2001.
Over that time, he became recognized as one of Canada's greatest artists and remained loyal to Canada, always returning home for exhibitions and supporting many Canadian artists abroad. His art can be found in public collections across the country, including the National Gallery, and he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001.
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Pianos on the Street is closing the season with a splash.
The program saw pianos placed in open-air locations around the Lower Mainland, including one outside River Market in New West.
That piano, which was donated by Pacey's Pianos in Vancouver, was decorated with paint in partnership with the Community Living Society. It sat outside and allowed everyone of all ages and abilities to sit down and tickle the ivories at will.
The project was organized by the Piano Teachers' Federation, which is now hosting a closing ceremony for each of its outdoor pianos.
In New West, the ceremony is being held Friday, Sept. 26 in conjunction with RiverFest.
It's planned to run from 5 to 7 p.m., and it will feature a number of performers.
Confirmed so far are VanDeca Choir, Miri Lee, Charlie Pears-Smith and students of Mobile Music School/C.C. Infinite Music and Entertainment Group.
For more details, search for Pianos on the Street New Westminster Closing Ceremony on Facebook.
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I know, I know, I keep bringing you news about the new Anvil Centre - but there's just so much happening there that it's pretty hard to avoid, even if you did want to. (And who would want to?)
The centre is offering a raft of arts-related programs of all kinds this fall, and many of them are getting started up soon - so don't delay if you're interested in registering.
Programs start with the "Art Splash" for kids aged two to four and work their way through all ages, with offerings for preschoolers, young children, tweens and teens right up to adults.
There are all kinds of fun possibilities, like Music on the Go for preschoolers, Young Masters for five- to eight-year-olds, Tween Theatrics for nine- to 12-year-olds, Shakespeare Playground for eight- to 13-year-olds, and a teen art lounge for 13- to 18-year-olds.
For adults, there's an abundance of offerings covering everything from batik, watercolour and drawing to social media and a "dance-a-thon" class.
I won't try to provide all the details here, but be sure to pick yourself up a brochure or download one from www.anvilcentre.com. And if you haven't already visited, it's definitely worth dropping in (if you haven't been, the centre is at 777 Columbia St., at the corner of Columbia and Eighth streets).
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Opera fans, want a chance to see the Royal Opera House season right here in New West?
Landmark Cinemas is on board for a new series of showings from Britain's Royal Opera House.
The season opens with Verdi's I Due Foscari on Nov. 29. Opera screenings will be on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m.
To keep an eye on all the local showings, check out the Landmark Cinemas website at www.landmarkcinemas.ca.
Do you have an idea for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment suggestions to Julie, [email protected], or find her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan.
