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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Calgary's newest performance space gets a name
Calgary's newest performing arts space will be the Osten-Victor Playhouse. It's part of the Arts Commons Transformation Project, and expected to open in late 2028. The name of Calgary's new 1,000-seat performance space was revealed Friday. President and CEO Alex Sarnian announced that it will be known as the Osten-Victor Playhouse. The venue is being built across the street from the current Arts Commons location, on Olympic Plaza. It's part of the Arts Commons Transformation Project, which includes developing a three-level, 170,000 square foot building to house the 1,000 seat theatre as well as a 200-seat studio theatre. Sarnian said the new venue will fill a gap in Calgary's current theatre market. 'What we are missing, even from within our own ecosystem, is that 1,000 to 1,200 seat theatre,' he said. 'And when we zoom out and we look at Calgary, we realize that's also missing within the city. 'And so as Calgary continues to grow, so too will our cultural aspirations,' he added, 'and having a space that can accommodate that sort of gap right now, I think is pivotal for any creative artist wanting to develop new work.' He said the venue will be for shows too big for the Max Bell Theatre but too small for the Jubilee. The Osten-Victor Playhouse is expected to open by late 2028. Arts Commons has a new name too -- the Werklund Centre.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Artist honours rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot at art exhibition in Toronto
One artist's work at a mosaic exhibition in Toronto is honouring a French sexual abuse survivor who galvanized a global movement to better protect women. Valerie Brownell remembers closely following Gisele Pelicot during the trial in her case. Titled Gisele and the Unity of Women, Brownell's piece is on display at the National Mosaic Art Exhibition in the city's west end. Pelicot, 72, was drugged and raped by her husband, who was found guilty last year of inviting dozens of strangers to also abuse her over nearly a decade. She is lauded globally for her courage in testifying against her abusers, and paving the way for consent to be included in France's legal definition of rape. "Many women showed their support for her by coming to the trial, to the courthouse, every day and chanting 'shame is changing sides,"' Brownell said. For several months after the trial, Brownell, who is also the president of Mosaic Artists of Canada, thought about the design of the mosaic and the materials she would use to bring her feelings to life. Seeing that turnout and the related marches and rallies inspired Brownell. "Mosaics is not a fast art form by any means. Every piece is cut by hand, so every piece of marble, every piece of glass, it's all cut by hands," Brownell said. Unity is theme of this year's exhibition In her piece, Brownell represents the abusers as a long line of nails. These nails curve and run through the blue smalti, also known as mosaic glass, which represents Pelicot's world. On either side of the line of nails, Brownell said she used grey marble to represent the dark shadow the men have left on the world. "Part of the mosaic is fragmented and that's how I wanted to show that her world was fragmented by this event," Brownell said. Yet, at her core, Pelicot retained her femininity, Brownell said, which is represented by the gold smalti. That and the warm tones of the marble around Pelicot's world represent the women in her corner, she said. "The theme for the show is unity and I felt these women coming together to support her shows female unity and that it could be a powerful force," Brownell said. Brownell began working in mosaics over 25 years ago, leaving her job as a lab technologist to focus on her craft. Today, she is an internationally acclaimed artist. Other pieces in the exhibition, which runs until Sept. 12 and features works from 34 professional and emerging Canadian artists, include micro-mosaics, 3D sculptures and textured wall pieces. "When I heard that the theme was unity, I thought that would be a perfect way to express unity through the land, which is something that's very important to me as an Indigenous person," said Dianne Sonnenberg, whose work is also featured in the exhibition. Sonnenberg is Ojibwe from Chippewas of Rama First Nation. In her mosaic titled Turtle Island, Sonnenberg used stone, slate and semi-precious gems to represent the turtle shell. On top of the turtle's shell, she put ribbons of textile patterns, symbolizing different cultures in the country. She said her work was inspired by the realization that people, despite their own unique qualities and identities, are alike at their core. "In many ways, we're so much the same. A lot of the patterns that are developed here in North America or in the Middle East or in Asia, they're very similar to each other, and that's what I wanted to express," she said. An awards and reception ceremony will be held on Sept. 11 where a jury will deliver recognitions like Best in Show, Innovation Award, Emerging Artist Award and Juror's Choice Award. The public can also make their votes in person at the gallery or online for a People's Choice Award. The prize is $150 for Best in Show and $50 for every other award. Most of the exhibited work, including Brownell's pieces, can be purchased at the gallery. Other small original mosaics, donated by artists from across Canada and beyond, are also available to purchase in support of Mosaic Artists of Canada. "Experience the mosaics, get up close," Brownell said, encouraging everyone who can to come support the show and learn more about the art form. The exhibition is held at Neilson Park Creative Centre at 56 Neilson Drive.
National Post
4 hours ago
- National Post
'Outside is a privilege, not a right': The imagined thoughts of the Nova Scotia wilderness ban
This week, Nova Scotia announced that it was banning people from the wilderness as part of its anti-wildfire measures. While authorities will routinely ban campfires, fireworks, off-roading and other spark-heavy activities during fire season, there's not a lot of precedent for simply sealing Canadians off from the natural world altogether. Article content Until at least October, the mere act of hiking on public land in Nova Scotia could attract fines of up to $25,000. And even on private land, if a landowner hosts guests in the vicinity of a forest, that's also a potential $25,000 fine. Article content Article content Article content Monday Article content I like to look at society as like a large school classroom. When students are quiet, orderly and devoted to their task, a classroom is an ideal environment for civic betterment. But when chaos and delinquency are allowed free reign, it becomes a vortex of destruction and wasted potential. Article content It is reasonable that these principles should also apply in the macro sense. If Nova Scotians remain selfishly devoted to inherently flammable activities such as fishing, camping and walking in the general presence of trees, then corrective action is in order. Article content Tuesday Article content Even when human activity is successfully purged from a wilderness environment, there is still the risk that fires can be ignited by human activity. An abandoned glass bottle can concentrate the sun's rays in the same way as a magnifying glass, causing a pinpoint of light exceeding 200 degrees Celsius. A nine-volt battery can spontaneously spark without any humans present. We must even assume that an unattended laptop could feasibly be stolen by deer, bears, crows or other wildlife and employed in such a way as to combust the machine's internal lithium-ion battery. Article content Thus, until we can receive a significant amount of rain, beverages will be limited to plastic and/or metallic drinking vessels, standard cell batteries will need to be surrendered to the nearest peace officer and public usage of laptops, mobile phones or other devices will be strictly prohibited. Violators can expect fines of up to $40,000. Article content Article content If you see something that looks like a violation of the burn ban or woods restrictions, please report it to us by calling 1-800-565-2224. Please remember that some people will have travel permits to go into the woods, primarily to work. — Natural Resources (@NS_DNR) August 6, 2025 Article content Wednesday Article content Article content The Government of Nova Scotia appreciates the public's cooperation with these measures, and remains devoted to the various guarantees enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Article content With that said, these remain extraordinary emergency circumstances, and the normal guarantees of free association and other such civil liberties do not apply in instances of restricted travel zones being invoked under the Forest Act (see Section 25). Article content Until hot, dry conditions can subside, we will be prohibiting any further discussion of this matter, as well as mentions of the words 'liberty,' 'freedom' or 'autonomy.' The penalty for violating these restrictions is a $50,000 fine and/or a jail term not to exceed five years. Article content Thursday Article content Despite this government's extremely reasonable measures taken to preserve the integrity and safety of our forested areas, we continue to receive reports of violations. In one particularly corrosive excuse, these violators asserted that 'this is Canada, it's literally all forest, and you're probably going to have to enter the forest at some point if you're doing almost anything.'
