VAB to be in Shoppers World parade

Visual Arts Brampton is going to participate in the Shoppers World Santa Parade again this year. The parade marches Sunday, November 16, at 11 am. It starts in Winners Court, goes counterclockwise around the mall, ending back at Winners Court.

This Saturday, Nick will be asking for volunteer parade marchers from each class. Kids participating will be asked to wear a Christmas or fairy tale costume, 0r one of the cartoony box costumes currently being made. Millie will also be at the parade.

Two live reindeer, Blizzard and Snow, will lead Santa's sled through the mall, following numerous community groups.

Check out photos of past years of the parade.

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Four students from the VAB classes have volunteered to march in the parade, in costume. We're looking for extra help, so if you're a high school student looking to get volunteer hours, contact us by e-mail or Facebook, we need people to:

• march in costumes, or
  
• serve as escorts to make sure those in costumes march safely.
  

Guardian writer blogs about the arts

Ashley Goodfellow, The Brampton Guardian's arts and entertainment reporter, has started a blog named What's On in the Arts. Started on October 30, the blog is already three posts in, and allows for comments.

Christmas card workshop at VAB

3 night Christmas Card workshop

Wednesday evenings, 7 to 9 pm

October 29-November 12

$30, base materials included

Design and produce your own Christmas card, using block printing and other techniques. This easy-cutting technique allows you to print multiple greeting cards, ready to send.

Instructor Keith Moreau has won an award from the Arts Etobicoke juried show for his printmaking, and his original prints are in the corporate collections of the City of Toronto, William Osler Health Centre, and Astral Media. He has taught for a couple of decades, for places including Visual Arts Brampton, the Living Arts Centre, and Curry's Artist Supplies school.

The workshop is of course going to be held at the Visual Arts Brampton Creative Studios (1 Bartley Bull Parkway, Suite 10, northeast corner of Hurontario and Steeles Avenue). Contact us at visualartsbrampton@gmail.com or 905-453-9142 to register.

Free screenprinting activity at Shoppers, Sat. Oct. 25

A Celebration of the Arts in Brampton (formerly Looking Up to the Arts) is on again at Shoppers World Brampton, a few Saturdays from now, with a theme of "Kids & the Arts". While there's no en-mass community activity this year, as there was with ceiling tiles and banners in previous years, there will be a bunch of activities in the Staples Court, for kids of the community to try.

VAB will be running a printmaking activity, details to follow.

The event runs from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm on Saturday, October 25, 2008.

VAB demos at Complex this weekend

Come on out to the Peel Heritage Complex this Saturday and Sunday, for free access to the Art Gallery of Peel. The Art Gallery of Peel is on the Studios of Brampton tour. The gallery currently is displaying works by Mississauga sculptor Ryszard Litwiniuk.

Once you're done there, visit Visual Arts Brampton artists on the second floor of the museum. Art Gallery of Peel 2007 Juried Art Show People's Choice Award winner Debra Ali will be painting on Saturday, Paul Highgate illustrating with scratchboard on Sunday, and Keith Moreau will be printmaking on Sunday as well.

The tour is competing for eyeballs with the Milton Area Studio Tour, Dundas Studio Tour, Brant Studio Tour, Madawaska Valley Studio Tour, Tweed & Area Studio Tour, Haliburton County Studio Tour, Elora Fergus Studio Tour, Merrickville Artists Guild Fall Studio Tour & Sale, and Victoria Country Studio Tour. Not to mention, it's up against Scotiabank Nuit Blanche (6:52 pm Saturday to sunrise on Sunday).