As part of a commitment to myself around contributing back and helping to build the arts community, I’ve recently taken on the role of organizer for a new speaker series at Hot Art Wet City. It’s a new gallery space on Main Street run by Chris Bentzen, the creator of CARDED!, Hot One Inch Action, and an on-going video interview series (which inspired the name of the gallery) sharing the work of Vancouver creatives. I admire what Chris does as a self-made curator building distinctive events, and I want to see the gallery thrive.

Show & Tell is intended to become a regular event at HAWC, with a different speaker each month. The series will feature enthusiastic amateurs to veteran professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds sharing and discussing something they’re passionate about.

The series kicks off with our first speaker, writer/editor/crafter extraordinaire, Kim Werker, on May 21st at 7pm:

Sometimes It Ain’t Pretty:
How the Painful Parts of Creativity Can Be Our Strongest Assets

No amount of you-can-do-it cheerleading can prepare us for the inevitable pitfalls inherent to creative exploration. We’re going to struggle, we’re going to stumble, we’re going to fall flat on our face. The thing is, everyone does. So rather than avoiding failure at all costs, I say we allow – or even force – ourselves to dig deep into it for a while. From an intimate understanding of our relationship with failure we can become stronger, more flexible, less afraid, and more adventurous.

Free tickets and more details on the Hot Art Wet City website. I hope you’ll join us…

Show & Tell
Hot Art Wet City
Date: May 21st, 2013
Time: Doors at 6:30pm, talk at 7pm
Location: 2206 Main Street @ sixth avenue

Boris and I visited the Graduation Show at Emily Carr University yesterday morning. I spent most of my visit looking at the visual art section, while Boris checked out design.

There was a very broad selection of work on display both in terms of medium and quality but I found a few gems to inspire me.

From Ashes, by Helsa Ahmadi.
(Detail of a larger work)

Chronology Manifested, by Heather Lippold

Dead Already, by Mac Hasselfield

Grus Americana #2, by Natasha Broad
(Detail of a larger work)

Islah & Her Mother, by Carolyn Lakowski
(Detail of a larger work)

Fine Lines, by Elizabeth Jacob
(Detail photo of a larger work)

Intersecting Space, by Pierce Jordan
(Detail photo of a larger work)

I never went to art school so it’s interesting for me to visit and see the results of four years (?) of art education. I still think self-taught is the way to go, but I’m probably biased…

A few weekends ago Boris and I were in Steveston with friends to go on a Sea lion watching tour. We arrived a bit early and so our group stopped into the lovely Roccanini Coffee Roasters for coffee, tea, and delicious treats. Right outside the cafe is this pretty impressive piece of public art designed by my friend, Carlyn Yandle.

Located at the intersection of at No. 1 Road and Moncton Street in Steveston, this is the first scramble-style crosswalk in BC. Carlyn’s design, “was an attempt to weave together the history of the Japanese net-makers and the modern-day marine flavour of this corner of the Lower Mainland using a simple, enduring motif.” I think the results are very striking.

I would love to see municipalities commission more work like this, where the art is integrated fully into the cityscape. I think Canadian cities too often underestimate the importance of public art, but maybe this is in the process of changing.