Lead Creative Team
A Common Flame
A Common Flame
Lead Creative Team
What keeps your firelight burning?
What keeps your firelight burning?
Lead Creative Team
The Burns Family Healing Camp
The Burns Family Healing Camp
Dave Von Bieker
On Mental Health and Faith Healers
On Mental Health and Faith Healers
Art, Reflections
Dave Von Bieker
Beauty in a Time of Dryness

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. 

Beauty in a Time of Dryness

Deep Freeze Festival

,

Discover The Art of Deep Freeze Festival

,
Discover The Art of Deep Freeze Festival

Deep Freeze turns 10 this year. It’s hard to believe that just 10 years ago Iwas secretly thinking Arts On The Ave was crazy for creating a winter festival, building on the success of the big Kaleido fall festival. I was not a fan of winter (I’m still not) and thought no one would want to attend something outdoors this time of year, never mind show up to help put the thing on. I’ve been wrong so many times.

Deep Freeze has won me over with many magic moments. Holding hands with my family as we watched the first Deep Freeze fireworks certainly stands out. I got to try old-timey curling for the first time, and cabane-a-sucre, the insta-freeze maple syrup sucker created on a bed of snow. I’ve slid the ice slide and push my kids in a ski-studded deep freezer.  There’s been a lot of skating, too. 

With such a wealth of activities, don’t miss the great art on display at Deep Freeze.

Here are some of the most arty bits you’ll want to watch for as you wander the grounds.

 

Blog for Bleeding Heart!

You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.

Deep Freeze Five Finger Friday


It’s a true winter weekend, with big beautiful snowflakes drifting down. We are going to do what we have to do to survive this together – find the good and celebrate.

We are holding the first of many 2016 winter festivals this weekend, right here on the Ave. Deep Freeze is in its 9th year, and here are five reasons why this ‘cool’ festival (sorry) should be on your to-list this weekend.

image from DeepFreezeFest.ca

image from DeepFreezeFest.ca

INDEX FINGER: THE LEADER

Snow and Ice Carvings

The great big snow carvings are always a hit, and what I’ve seen developing on the Ave this year will not disappoint. The ice carving competition (with chainsaws) starts Saturday with judging on Sunday. It’s always fantastic to see what these carvers see in a block of snow or ice. In the case of the snow carvings, sometimes we also get to play.

MIDDLE FINGER: THE ATTITUDE

Mischievous Fairies Projection Mapping

I’m not sure exactly what to expect from this, but I looking forward to something cool every time I hear ‘projection mapping’. This is essentially projecting moving images onto a building in a way that interacts with the three dimension space of the building. These Deep Freeze projections are set to enchant us on the facade of Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts on Saturday from 6:30 to 9:30 PM. Once the sun goes down, get ready for the fairies will show up and get up to some sort of mischief.

From the website; 

Mischievous fairies, elves and ogres take over the facade of the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts through brilliant projector mapping by Owen Brierley and David Banks. Catch these fantastical creatures popping out of windows, jumping out of doors and sliding down balconies on Saturday from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm.

RING FINGER: THE FAITHFUL

Alysha Creighton’s WAITING ROOM

Find respite from the madness that is a huge festival in the still solace of Alysha Creighton’s WAITING ROOM. Our current intermedia exhibit of image and sound ends very soon, so this is a perfect chance to catch it while you can.

Find out more about WAITING ROOM here.

PINKY FINGER: THE OUTLIER

Alberta. Of Earth and Sky at Gallery at Milner

image from Earth Sky Art

image from Earth Sky Art

While not out of town, this show is not actually part of Deep Freeze at all, so we shall consider it the week’s outlier.

Local artist and arts champion Jay Bigam (@JayisPainting) has a solo show on at the Gallery at Milner at Stanley A. Milner Library downtown. His show features abstract landscapes that capture the feeling of a place, rather than a direct representation.

Get ready for landscapes that burst with colour and dance across the canvas in ribbons.

Jay Bigam will be live painting at the Gallery every Saturday from 2-5 while the show runs (throughout January).

Get more information here

THUMB: THE UNSUNG HERO

Deep Freezer Races

It’d be hard to dub the annual Deep Freezer Races as art, but I would say this one zany event is the force that keeps Deep Freeze interesting every year. This is the one thing that people tend to go ‘huh?’ about, and the one crazy idea that shows off just how willing Arts On The Ave is to bring crazy ideas to life.

It really is people pushing each other around in deep freezers, and it really is amazing.

Catch the races between noon and 2pm on Saturday, January 9 and Sunday, January 10 on 118th Ave between 92 and 93 Street.

See you on the Ave this weekend?


Blog for Bleeding Heart!

You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.