Big ideas on a small scale. That’s what the artists involved in Place des Arts’ annual Positively Petite miniature show create – and you can enjoy the show starting Sunday, Nov. 13.
Two New West artists have created work for the show this year: Barb Webb and Jacky Hosford.
They’re among the 35 artists who have created more than 200 small works of art, both two- and three-dimensional, in various mediums.
The opening of Positively Petite is happening alongside the opening of the arts centre’s Christmas Boutique, which offers up a host of handcrafted wares of all kinds – from jewelry and knitwork to glass, ceramics and hand-turned wooden bowls.
You can stop by Place des Arts, 1120 Brunette Ave. in Coquitlam, on Sunday, Nov. 13 from 2 to 4 p.m. for the opening of both. Check out www.placedesarts.ca or call 604-664-1636 for more information.
ARTIST TALK AT GALLERY
Photography lovers, don’t forget about an artist talk at the Gallery at Queen’s Park.
Frederick Popowich will be at the gallery on Sunday, Nov. 13 from 2 to 3 p.m. for a talk in connection with his ongoing exhibition, Collision 1.
He’ll be discussing his Collision project, a series of black-and-white photographs that explore “the idea of wreckage and the relationship of man and machine through the depiction of spaces, materials and equipment associated with automotive collision repair,” as a write-up about the exhibition explains.
The gallery is at Centennial Lodge, Queen’s Park. See www.acnw.ca for more details, or just stop in to check it out for yourself.
LEARN BATIK AT WORKSHOP
Here’s a fascinating one for anyone interested in textiles and crafts.
The Anvil Centre is hosting a batik workshop on two Saturdays, Nov. 19 and 26, from 2 to 5 p.m.
The workshop (aimed at adults aged 19 and up) explores the making of traditional batik fabric, its history and symbolic meaning. Participants can draw or trace patterns on fabric, try new drawing tools for wax application and experiment with indigo natural dye.
The program is running in association with the New Westminster Museum’s ongoing exhibition Ornamenting the Ordinary: Crafts of South Asia.
The workshop costs $60, with all supplies included. Check out Events at www.anvilcentre.com for all the details.
FREE CONCERTS AT DOUGLAS
Music lovers, there are still a few more concerts left in Douglas College’s free Arts at One concert series.
The college hosts free performances on Thursdays at 1 p.m. in the Laura C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre at its New West campus, 700 Royal Ave.
Coming up on Thursday, Nov. 17 is the classical quartet of Heather Hay on cello, Marcus Takizawa on viola, and Carolyn Canfield Cole and Nancy DiNovo on violin. They’ll play the music of Haydn and Beethoven.
The fall session winds up with two student showcase concerts on Nov. 24 and Dec. 1.
See www.douglascollege.ca/artsevents or call 604-527-5723 for information.
NWSS MUSICIAN FEATURED WITH VAGABONDS' SHOW
A young bassist from New Westminster Secondary School is lending his musical talents to the next Vagabond Players outing.
The Vagabond Players are returning to the land of the musical for their next presentation, Forever Plaid.
When the show needed a bass player, the team reached out to NWSS for recommendations – and band director Steve Clements suggested Parker Elkins.
“Parker is fitting in really well with our show, and we are excited to have a local teenage talent join us,” wrote Valerie Lawlor in an email to the Record.
Parker is no stranger to the musical spotlight, having started playing electric bass in Grade 5 and acoustic bass in Grade 9. He has been a member of several bands, including Dysfunctional, Los Castores Mariachi and jazz ensembles, and he was the bass player for the school’s 2015 production of the musical Footloose.
You can catch his talents at the Bernie Legge Theatre from Nov. 24 to Dec. 18.
See www.vagabondplayers.ca for all the details.
ARTIST IN CULTURE CRAWL
A longtime New Westminster resident is among the artists featured in the Eastside Culture Crawl.
The four-day event runs from Nov. 17 to 20, inviting people into studios, homes and garages around Vancouver’s Eastside to experience the diversity of art being created in the community. More than 500 artists are featured at nearly 80 locations around the city.
Among the artists featured is Bayoush Mengesha, a jewelry and fabric artist who’s featured for the first time. She lived in New West from 1989 to 2013.
Mengesha’s work draws inspiration from her Ethiopian heritage and her travels around the globe – including dyeing techniques she learned while travelling in Bali, Guatemala and India.
Her work will be shown at her Vancouver studio at 908 Odlum Dr.
The Culture Crawl runs Thursday and Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. See www.culturecrawl.ca for all the details and to plan your route.
MUSIC FOR TINY TOTS
If you’re not in the mood for Christmas yet (and who is, really?), you should be sure to save the date for this concert. I promise it will help make everything sparkle.
Littles and their parents can have a great time ushering in the season at the next concert in the VSO’s Tiny Tots series, coming to the Anvil Centre on Saturday, Dec. 3.
The concerts are presented by Let Your Music Shine! With Lisa and Linda (a.k.a. Lisa Grace and Linda Sebenius), and they’re aimed at the toddler and preschooler set, with parents or caregivers.
The Holiday Hooray! Concert will feature favourites from The Nutcracker, Babes in Toyland and other holiday classics, with accompaniment from a brass trio.
There will be two concerts, at 10 a.m. and at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for kids and $2 for babies.
Check out www.anvilcentre.com.
SAVE THE DATE
Here’s a heads-up save the date for choral music fans: Mark Saturday, Dec. 10 on your calendar for a lovely Christmas at Home concert by Amabilis Singers.
The singers, led by Ramona Luengen, are presenting the concert on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. at New Westminster Christian Reformed Church.
The program includes music celebrating the Christmas season, both familiar and unfamiliar – from Connor Koppin’s There is No Rose and Will Todd’s My Lord Has Come to Stacey Gibb’s spirited arrangement of Go Tell It On the Mountain, plus works by Vivaldi and Handel.
Plus, you’ll have your chance to join in the sing-alongs.
Tickets are $20, or free for children under 12. Buy at the door or call 604-503-2074.
(I must publish my usual disclaimer: I am in fact a member of Amabilis, so if you come to the concert, look me up. You’ll find me among the altos.)
Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment suggestions to Julie, [email protected], or find her on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
