Latest news with #Gameplan
Gulf Today
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
‘Crickart': Paresh Maity's cricket canvases keep scoreboard ticking
The 'Cricket's Greatest Canvas' exhibition which, which recently came to a close after celebrating the marriage of sport and art, saw Indian artist Paresh Maity presenting his artworks on cricket. The event was hosted by Art be a Part, in collaboration with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Gameplan; it also marked the first solo show in Dubai for Maity. The exhibition showcased 12 original works inspired by the 2023 ICC Men's World Cup. Maity's brush exerted itself to capture the passion and spirit of cricket through the works. The timing of the exhibition was exquisite: ICC Champions Trophy was held also in Dubai, where India won the trophy on March 9. Maity is internationally acclaimed for his diverse artistic repertoire, which spans over four decades and includes 88 solo exhibitions worldwide. Renowned for his vibrant watercolours, expansive murals and mixed media works, he brought his signature style to cricket, blending movement, emotion, and energy into vibrant, classical canvases. He fields Gulf Today's questions. How did you develop an interest in cricket? My deep interest in cricket started in 1983, when India won the World Cup under the captainship of Kapil Dev, who is my favourite cricketer. When I witnessed the match on television as a young boy, the energy and the excitement really made an impact on me and my peers. Since then, cricket has become an integral part of my life. The artist's view of a match. Why did you think cricket lends itself to art? My vision is to transform everything into a piece of art, be it sports like cricket, football or creative pursuits like music, jugalbandi (duets) with maestros of music, or dance, that I have performed in the past with renowned dancer Birju Maharaj. So, when I was approached by ICC and Gameplan, I thought, why not expand my horizons to cricket? To combine art and cricket was a completely new experiment for me and as the curious mind of an artist always wants to try something new, I thought this was a perfect opportunity. What were the challenges involved in working in cricket stadiums? Yes, there were a lot of challenges. For example, to capture the essence of a match in a live setting on the cricket ground. Just imagine, millions of people experiencing the energy and excitement of the match; so much noise, the vigour and zest, all eyes on the match as well as on your creation. But I am very used to painting in front of people and audiences, absorbing their energies into my canvas. From a very young age, I have been doing outdoor paintings and have visited different places across the globe from Venice, capturing the skyline and canals, to Japan with the beautiful cherry blossoms, to the tranquil ghats of Varanasi or other parts of the world, Thus, while it was challenging, I was so engrossed, I forgot what was happening around me. I also believe challenges in life are important for your growth; that is why I love to face any challenges that come my way. The drama of cricket. Were you present at all the matches shown in the paintings? I did five live matches and seven of them, I did while watching television. It was not logistically possible for me to travel to all the venues. With my art materials, including huge canvases and easels, going to all the matches was not feasible. Thus, I did some from my studio. You are primarily known for your landscapes or portraits. What made you change to sports? Yes, primarily, I do landscapes or portraits or different kinds of compositions. But, as I mentioned earlier, I do not wish to put a barrier on my art in any form. I always want to challenge myself and expand my horizons, be it cricket, any other sport or other creative pursuits, I am always open to new things. The idea and concept is the main thing that should be one's focus. It does not matter if the mediums change, the subjects change - tomorrow I might experiment with other materials such as wood or metal. There should be no boundaries in art. Paresh Maity before his artwork. What aspects of cricket do you like? I find that the most exciting aspect of a game, especially cricket, is the unity that it develops. Whenever a match happens, children, young adults, people from all walks of life, are united in the support of their respective countries or teams. Everyone is united as one, be it the winning team or the defeated team. I am really drawn to this aspect of the game. What about women's cricket? When do you plan to paint women cricketers? Yes, women's cricket is getting increasingly popular by the day and I would be delighted and honoured to have the pleasure of painting a women's cricket live match one day. Why did you choose to collaborate with Art be a Part to bring this exhibition to life? I chose Art be a Part because when I got to know about them, I came across their mandate to do charitable work. They work with UNICEF, aid young artists and undertake excellent social work, especially in India. Our visions aligned and both of us have a lot of love and passion for the arts. So we came together for this exhibition. I always feel that since we take so much from society, giving back to it is essential.
CBC
26-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Calgary council approves recreation facility strategy that could cost up to $6B over 25 years
Calgary city council approved a recreation facility strategy on Tuesday that could cost the city between $200 million and $250 million a year — or up to $6 billion over 25 years. City administration will now develop an implementation plan that includes a funding strategy to ensure the cost burden doesn't solely rely on municipal taxes. Recommendations for the city's "Gameplan" were unanimously approved by Calgary's community development committee earlier this month. In a news release Tuesday, the city called the approval a "significant step forward in reimagining Calgary's public recreation system." The city says Gameplan addresses widespread underinvestment in public recreation, Calgary's aging recreation facilities, rising operational costs and the city's growing population. Most of Calgary's public recreation facilities are more than 35 years old. Over the past five years, several city facilities have either closed or operated at or near capacity, the city says. Many were built before the 1990s and are nearing the end of their life cycles. "Today's decision by council is a commitment to improving quality of life for all Calgarians," Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian said in a city news release. "We will not only catch up from years of underinvestment, but we will also ensure our public recreation system remains sustainable, inclusive and effective for the next 25 years and beyond." Heather Johnson, director of recreation and social programs for the City of Calgary, said in a release the approval of Gameplan sets the service level standard for public recreation in the city. "It's a service standard that says, 'We want every child to learn how to swim, we want every kid to play the sport they love, we want newcomers to have spaces to join in community and we want seniors to feel connected,'" she said. Under Gameplan, the city will increase the availability of swimming lessons by 40 per cent (per capita), bookable hours at ice sheets by 25 per cent, more than double bookable hours at indoor fields, and ensure that 86 per cent of Calgarians live within five kilometres of an aquatic facility. The plan includes consistent funding for 67 outdoor and indoor ice rinks, 13 field houses, 89 athletic park fields and 26 aquatic facilities — including 296 swim lanes and 25 leisure pools.
CBC
07-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
City committee approves recreation recommendations that could cost up to $6B over 25 years
The City of Calgary's community development committee unanimously approved recommendations for reimagining Calgary's recreational facilities, to meet the needs of the city's growing population. "Gameplan" is a blueprint for the next 25 years that calls for constructing new city-owned recreational facilities and revitalizing existing ones. If approved, the strategy could cost the city between $200 million and $250 million per year — or up to $6 billion over 25 years. According to committee documents, Calgarians are already experiencing the impacts of underinvestment in public recreation, which Gameplan aims to overcome. Over the past five years, several city facilities have either closed, or operated at or near capacity. Many were built before the 1990s and are nearing the end of their life cycles. The committee is recommending that city council approve consistent funding for 67 outdoor and indoor ice rinks, 13 fieldhouses, 89 athletic park fields and 26 aquatic facilities — including 296 swim lanes and 25 leisure pools. Under this plan, facility distribution would be equitable across the city, swim lessons would increase by 40 per cent per capita and bookable hours at fieldhouses and athletic parks would more than double. The committee heard broad support Thursday for Gameplan from several community sports groups and facility operators. Calgary owns and operates 50 facilities and owns an additional 200 facilities and amenities operated by its partners, Johnson said. She says the recommended funding strategy was developed using feedback from Calgarians. "Certain areas of the city report significantly lower participation rates than other areas of the city. Thousands expressed the hope that in the future the public recreation system can better meet their needs," said Heather Johnson, the city's director of recreation and social programs. "These findings, among others, were used to develop all the components of Gameplan." Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner says the committee recommending Gameplan shows Calgarians the city is committed to funding sport and recreation. "At the fundamental level, are we creating a city where community can gather around sport and around recreation, build memories, build skills, [and] build friendships?" she said. Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott, chair of the community development committee, says the price tag associated with the funding strategy may be costly, but the city would be investing it in the right way if Gameplan is approved. "The outcomes that you receive from a robust recreation landscape go far beyond simply just swim lessons. It's mental health. It's about access," Walcott said. "If you have accessible facilities across the city in an equitable fashion, that is proven to actually be a crime reduction strategy, getting community involved… You spend this money, how much do you save elsewhere?" If Gameplan is approved by city council later this month, it will ultimately fall to the next council to come up with a funding plan in 2026 for the strategy in the next four-year budget.
