'Tis the Season, John Knox on exhibit at SWB

In today's issue of The Brampton Guardian (the Weekend edition), check out the article on John Knox Christian School's exhibit of Christmas art, "Fridge Front gallery gets festive".

Both the John Knox show and 'Tis the Season, our adult exhibit, went in today. On display are Stan Adams, William Band, Stephanie Czolij, Marguerite Finlayson, Conrad Mieschke, Dolores Miron, Marian Simpson, Warren Simpson, and Jacqueline Veltri.

Both exhibits run until January 4, 2010.

Sunday was Santa's Arrival

This Sunday, Visual Arts Brampton participated in the Santa's Arrival Parade at Shoppers World Brampton. (See photos here.) In total, the Santa's Arrival Parade had an estimated 341 participants marching along, making music, singing songs, dancing, driving go carts, and all kinds of other spirited things. Hundreds upon hundreds of people lined the hallways of Shoppers World to watch this annual tradition. Groups in the parade included Brampton YMCA, Peel Regional Police, Salsa Con Clave, 114th Brampton Sparks, Melody Makers Theatre, Ontario Early Years Centre, 101st Brampton Girl Guides, the Knights of Columbus, Brampton Music Theatre, Traditional Explorers, the Alda Heniss School of Classical Ballet, 1st Brampton Sparks, 5th Brampton Beavers, Marina Soon Dance Group, a soccer troupe, 39th Brampton Sparks/Brownies, and the Chinguacousy Concert Band. The Peel Shrine Club brought their Go Cart Partol around the mall, and the Peel Children's Safety Village drove bikes and two mini-jeeps. Visiting characters included Toy Story 2's Jessie, Frosty the snowman, Dora the Explorer, a gingerbread man, Cinderella and Belle, Spiderman, and Rudolph. Wild Water Kingdom's hippo mascot Hugo also dropped by. Other entertainers included a band, juggler, stiltwalker, and tin soldier. As for us, six Visual Arts Brampton students dressed up with cardstock tube masks on their head, representing a ballerina, ninja, Ms. Claus, Batman, a nutcracker, and Little Bo Peep. (Thanks to volunteer Nick Moreau, the cost for VAB to participate was just $2.26.) VAB also had Star Fox (courtesy of artist Steph Czolij), Brampton Arts Council's Millie the Art Bug, and Pawsitive. Who's Pawsitive? She's the mascot of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association, an adorable and friendly dog meant to promote positive attitudes among among players. VAB discovered Pawsitive on the Brampton Thunder website, over a year ago. We appreciate the OWHA's generousity in lending their beloved pooch to our organization.

Out and About: Wyn Geleynse at the PHC

Brampton artist Bob Posliff just alerted us to the fact Wyn Geleynse's site-specific video work can now been seen on YouTube.

Part of his exhibit "Day In And Day Out With Minor Tragedies", at the Peel Heritage Complex/Art Gallery of Peel, "his latest installation consists of two moving images of eyes on the building’s upper windows. The looped segments were filmed independently and the eyes reversed from their natural placement on the face, resulting in an unsettling dislocation."

Geleynse is considered one of Canada's leading installation artists; a good bio is available through Quartier éphémère.

Check out the press release for more info on times and dates of the projection.

Thanks Peel Heritage Complex!

A big thanks to the Peel Heritage Complex:

Today's Sandra Bell-Lundy event at Shoppers World, just two hours from now (at 1 pm, November 14) will be made audible by a microphone and lectern lent to us from the Complex.

Santa's Arrival Parade, Nov. 22

Visual Arts Brampton is just one of the dozens of community groups participating in the "Santa's Arrival Parade" at Shoppers World Brampton. Held at 11 am, November 22, this fun event does a full, counter-clockwise circuit of the mall.

To celebrate the mall's 40th anniversary, the parade's goal this year was 40 community groups participating. Each year, the variety includes marching bands, characters like Cinderella and Belle, and Santa himself.

It's a nice change, compared to freezing in the cold and the dark, watching the downtown parade.

Pictures of VAB and other participants, previous years, are posted in VAB's Picasa account.

Bookmark contest at Shoppers World, Nov. 22

From the Shoppers World Brampton site:

KIDS BOOKMARK CONTEST
Sunday, November 22nd
12 noon to 4 pm in the Staples Court.

Young artists are invited to show their creativity in designing a bookmark. FREE for children ages 5 to 12 years of age.

Four winners in each age category will be chosen and will have their bookmark professionally printed and sold to raise funds for the Brampton Library Children’s Literacy Initiatives. Prizes include $50 in Shoppers World Brampton gift certificates!

Bookmarks will be judged on Tuesday, November 24th. All submissions will be proudly displayed on our ‘Spread the Words Tree’ in front of Sport Mart for the holiday season!

Between Friends cartoonist to talk in Brampton, Saturday

Between Friends cartoonist to talk in Brampton, Saturday

Welland, Ontario-cartoonist Sandra Bell-Lundy talks about career as part of gallery exhibit

As part of the first gallery showing of her work, Ontario cartoonist Sandra Bell-Lundy visits Brampton's Artway Gallery, to talk to the public about her career and comic. Sandra will be delivering a 30-minute presentation, followed by a short question and answer session.

Following the presentation, Sandra will be available to sign copies of her book, Coffee, Tea and Reality. A limited number of copies will be available to purchase on site.

The event is free to attend.

WHAT:     SYNDICATED CARTOONIST SANDRA BELL-LUNDY 
     TO DELIVER TALK ABOUT HER CAREER AND COMIC

WHERE:    STAPLES COURT           SHOPPERS WORLD BRAMPTON          499 MAIN ST S, BRAMPTON  WHEN:     SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2009           TALK AT 1 PM           Q&A TO FOLLOW AT 1:30 PM

The exhibit "Sandra Bell-Lundy's Between Friends" runs daily at Artway Gallery in Shoppers World Brampton, until November 27, 2009. The exhibit features some of the most memorable and relevant storylines, as chosen by the artist. Along with humourous plot lines about work and family life, the exhibit highlights her serious plots regarding fertility, adoption, and domestic violence.

“Between Friends” is celebrated for its contemporary portrayal of three forty-something women friends, their essence and angst. “Between Friends” runs internationally in over 150 newspapers, through King Features Syndicate. The comic is seen locally in the Toronto Star.

ABOUT ARTWAY AND VAB
A community project of Visual Arts Brampton (VAB), Artway Gallery features monthly exhibits of its members and other area artists. VAB started Artway Gallery in 1997, moving the space to Shoppers World Brampton in 2005. Visual Arts Brampton is a 23-year-old non-profit group, which also runs youth art space Fridge Front Gallery and the World Art Gallery, featuring postcard-sized works.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
SHOW INFORMATION: http://www.visualartsbrampton.com/aw-bf.htm
BETWEEN FRIENDS WEBSITE: http://www.betweenfriendscartoons.com/
BETWEEN FRIENDS BLOG: http://betweenfriendsblog.typepad.com/