What are the arts offering this week? Quieter at the PAC, hot out at the RBG and the Art Gallery has several ongoing events - Naked Crafts is worth a trip to the gallery.

By Pepper Parr

July 27, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The Arts are often seen by people as something that is nice to have but when there are budgets to be cut – the arts get cut.

Those within the arts community will argue that entertainment is an economic engine that brings in more in the way of revenue and business that its costs.

There is hardly an arts organization that can get by without some form of subsidy – that’s just an economic fact.

Are the subsidies worth what we spend? Is the half a million given to the Performing Arts Centre each year a worthwhile expenditure.

The Sound of Music gets grant from the city – they argue that they pump a solid $6 million into the local economy and buy services from the city that equals or exceeds the grant they are given.

It’s a debate that goes back and forth and one that the politicians have to deal with every budget – having said all that – the Art Gallery, the Performing Arts Centre and Royal Botanical Gardens have a WORDS program for the week we are going into – check it out!

Mary Poppins – A perennial favourite for the kids.

Things are a little on the quiet side at the Performing Arts Centre – The Mary Poppins Student Theatre Summer Camp takes place at the PAC on Thursday at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $18.

Seems a bit of a shame that the space isn’t put to some use – Shaw and Stratford make the summer season real revenue opportunities.

PAC Executive Director, Brian McCurdy, who got the Centre on a solid footing after a bit of a shaky start, has advised the board that he will be retiring in October. The Centre now has a new board chair: Ilene Elkaim.

Perhaps a new expanded direction will be put forward.

The PAC does have an excellent Friday evening Jazz program that will be held throughout August.

The Art Gallery of Burlington has a recently appointed President in place. Robert Stephen brought an excellent track record with him – now that he has a sense of the place and knows much more about Burlington we should soon see where Steven takes the gallery. He is fortunate to have a well led board that will urge him to break new ground,

Taking ten minutes or so to just sit and contemplate the sculpture – is time well spent.

The week ahead has the Jordi Alfaro, abstract nature of the design in the Courtyard. It is a series of monolithic forms that complement the straight horizontal and vertical lines of both the architecture and the plantings of the space. His single large sculptures and his stacked round forms have the evocative sense of prehistoric monuments like Stonehenge in England,

Alfaro is originally from Spain but now a resident of Dundas, Ontario.

The craft community is streaming into Burlington for this exhibit – if crafts matter to you – get to see it.

The Naked Crafts Exhibit continues in the Lee-Chin Family Gallery.  This international project brings together the best of contemporary Canadian and Scottish crafts. Makers from these two countries are united in this exhibition to celebrate the shared sense of northern resilience as both of them rest to the north of a southern powerhouse. People in Scotland and Canada have a tendency to identify themselves by what they are not; Not English, Not American, and our countries appear to struggle to retain our freedom from those southern neighbours. Contemporary craft builds upon traditions and heritage that are place holders that aid in defining our identity and cultures.

The exhibition strips ideas of craft back down to four themes that bridge the past and the present, traditional and changing ideas:

Reid Flock – his work will give you a whole new perspective on ceramics.

The Permanent Hallway collection has drawn pieces from the Permanent Collection of Canadian Ceramics. The current offering traces the history of ceramics in Ontario over the last forty years.

Starting with the refined functional ware of Ruth Gowdy McKinley and her effect on the program at Sheridan College and elsewhere, this exhibition looks at the development of the more sculptural approach by younger artists such as Reid Flock and Mary Philpott.

Flock is one of the most exciting ceramic artists in the country. His use of colour and the shapes he uses are not what you think of when you go to look at ceramics – an artist not to be missed.

The Royal Botanical Gardens have just completed their very successful Panorama and are a little on the quiet side except for their Red Hot Jazz and Cool Blues Wednesdays offerings.

Jack de Keyzer – a jazz guitarist that you won’t forget.

Jack de Keyzer plays on Wednesday the 29th – 6:00PM – 8:30PM in Hendrie Park. A two time Juno and seven time Maple Blues Award winning guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer De Keyzer is always very pleasing

Country Tuesdays will have Ally Howatt playing Hendrie Park from 6:00PM – 8:30PM. Ally has shared the stage with top artists Trace Adkins, Sara Evans, and Tim McGraw.”

Ally Howatt brings her Caledonia roots to Burlington at the RBG

No one doubts that Howatt grew up country. She loves the music and honours it with every show she plays. Her passion to share country music with every audience is evident as she sings from the heart and draws a crowd on the dance floor. “I want the fans to enjoy the music as much as I love playing it.” The crowd finds her inspiring, just as she finds inspiration in the songs that she plays.

Aboriginal dancers have traditionally been a part of the annual Joseph Brant Day held at LaSalle Park

Late in the week we will move into the beginning of a long weekend when the annual Joseph Brant Day Festival takes place.  This year the event is an official partner of the Toronto 2015 PanAm / Parapan Am Games.

The the captivating Beshano Bike Trials and the Burlington Soccer Club field games will be added to the music, art and cultural performances of the “Americas” will be part of the program.