These are dry times. Summer slips away faster than you can catch it – a dime down the drain. The sky hangs damp and icy today. Across the globe, powerful little men toy with the world’s future like it’s a game of chicken. Hurricanes have ravaged large parts of our earth. Families will suffer the effects for years to come. Terrorists won’t let London sleep.
This planet can get so ugly. So broken. So disordered. So many of our mirrors are shattered.
There is order in beauty. A divine order, I believe, but whatever your theology you can feel it. The affirmation of disparate parts falling into place.
Jennifer Berkenbosch’s Cultivar matters because the world needs beauty today. We need to be reminded that there is goodness. There is a solid bed beneath this wild river.
This weekend there are so many good things going on in our city. I’m one of the hosts of CBC RadioActive’s InCrowd, where it’s my job to say ‘here’s what you should check out in the arts scene this weekend’. That job gets a lot harder come summer.
For those of you interested in the power of art for social change, the choice is easy this weekend. Bleeding Heart is involved with not one, but THREE incredible events on Saturday (and beyond) that you won’t want to miss.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
This past week I had to make a tough decision. I had to cancel the visual arts track of our Small, Slow & Beautiful Retreat.
How does it feel to cancel and event you are passionate about? Not great. Disheartening. A little rain on the old parade, to be honest.
The good news is, we do have registrations for our poetry track. Still not a lot, but enough to move forward with Small, Slow & Beautiful. Tania Runyan is still joining us to lead her poetry workshop. We are still offering our retreat option. This is happening, it’s just that there’ll be more of an emphasis on the ‘small’ part of Small, Slow & Beautiful this year.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
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This Monday, May 29, we will cancel any unused rooms with our retreat centre. You need to let us know you are coming by the end of the day Sunday, May 28. Don't miss this opportunity to invest in your creative soul!
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
Last year I sat in a room with a dozen or so others and learned how to set my imagination free with nothing but a pair of scissors and some glue, thanks the the guidance of Edmonton artist Hannah Gelderman. I'm so glad she's returning, armed with her collection of excellent magazines and images, to do it all over again.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
Every ArtLuck takes on a different character. The people who attend and share give each gatherings a unique flavour. A theme often emerges to define an ArtLuck–a thread to tie each offering together.
March 30 landed in the middle of spring break, which meant five kids joined their parents for ArtLuck. Five, where there are usually none. I love it when kids share their work. Their unfiltered comments are refreshing.
As I look back, the kids helped define this ArtLuck’s theme. This outing was all about origin stories. What inspires and shapes us. How we become artists, if we are willing to call ourselves artists at all.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
Kenton Jeske's Ceremony is open now at the Alberta Craft Council, with a reception this Saturday, April 22 at . I had a virtual 'sit down' with Kenton, in the midst of minding children and barking dogs, respectively. His hand-made furniture is beautiful and considered–the product of hundreds of hours of care.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
Our new show, TEXT+IMAGE opens this weekend and we are in need of volunteers throughout the show's run. Most shifts are on a Saturday, and last just 2 hours.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
Tania Runyan is leading our poetry workshop at Small, Slow & Beautiful this summer, and I encourage you to join her. She is a fantastic writer, and this Easter poem proves it.
While Christmas is for greeting cards, Easter is for poets. May these words enrich your own experience of Easter's Holy mysteries.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
I hope you have a meaningful Easter. I hope you experience the richness of the Story - the movement from darkness and death towards light and life.
Smack in the middle of all this comes Holy Saturday. I wrote a poem on Holy Saturday a few years back - here is a newly revised version.
And this holy Saturday is
An elastic band, stretched taut
A kingdom held back
just one more day
kinetic
energetic
propulsion potential
The hand
calms the waves
The voice
stills the voices
Not yet,
not yet
But soon
and then ... oh, then!
You will let fly the smile of love
Zip!
To the back of the head
Snap!
But not yet
The band may yet break
The dark is still pregnant
A belly stretched taut
Soon.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
Did you miss our early bird deadline, but still want to take in this first-ever arts and faith retreat from Bleeding Heart at a reduced rate?
Maybe you're not into poetry, drawing or painting, but would love to spend a long weekend in creative community, work on your own stuff and take int the beauty created by others?
We've introduced two new options to accommodate as many attendees as possible at Small, Slow and Beautiful.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
