A Wonderful Week of Artist Lead Workshops

The Wood Buffalo Artist in Residency (AIR) program is now in its fourth week and this year’s mentors, Alma Louise Visscher and Kritsana Naowakhun, have already hosted two community artist workshops.  This week, the mentors will host three more artist workshops that are open to all ages and abilities, and all supplies will be provided for the participants.   From Aug. 8^th – Aug. 10^th the mentors will visit the communities of Anzac, Conklin, and Fort Chipewyan.  Please note that children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.  Please visit the AIR website for more information on the program, and to register for workshops.

 www.rmwb.ca/air

Monday’s workshop will be held in Anzac at the Community Hall, and the focus will be on painting winter wonderlands. Participants will discover the basics of painting snow covered hills, bare trees, and other winter elements.

One of Wednesday’s workshop will be held in Conklin at the Community Centre, and the focus will be on painting fall landscapes. Participants will discover color and brush stroke movements.

The other Wednesday workshop will be in Fort Chipewyan, at the MaMawi Community Centre. It will explore themes of community, flags, fabric dying and painting.

All workshops will have both thematic or conceptual components, as well as a technical component.

Cultural Mapping

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is in the process of developing an interactive cultural map that will showcase the Municipality's local cultural assets, such as community cultural organizations, cultural facilities & spaces, cultural events & festivals, cultural industries, heritage plaques & monuments, heritage sites, public art, and places of religious assembly.

In partnership with Millier Dickinson Blais, one of North America’s largest specialist development consultancies, the Municipality will be traveling to several rural communities to meet with residents and collect information about the various cultural assets throughout our region.
If you live in a rural community and are interested in being part of these conversations, please feel free to meet with us!

Monday, October 27       Janvier Municipal Office                          1 pm to 3 pm

              Nakewin Hall (Conklin)                                   4:30 to 7:30 pm

Tuesday, October 28      Fort McKay                                  1 pm to 3 pm

Wednesday, October 29     Fort Chipewyan Municipal Office                          11 am to 3 pm

Thursday, October 30    Anzac Recreation Centre                                7 pm to 9:30 pm

What are the Key Messages of Cultural Mapping?

The Importance of Cultural Resources 

• The Municipality recognizes the importance of cultural resources to enhancing quality of life for all residents, generating economic benefit, and facilitating the attraction and retention of newcomers and their families. 

The Wood Buffalo Cultural Mapping Project 

• Developing a Cultural Map is an essential tool to support planning and decision-making, to supporting effective cultural resource management, and to build understanding and raising the profile of cultural resources for residents and visitors.

What Do We Mean by Cultural Resources?

• The Cultural Mapping Project will embrace a broad definition of cultural resources that will include both tangible and intangible cultural resources. 
• Tangible cultural resources are understood to include not-for-profit arts and heritage organizations, cultural businesses or industries, cultural heritage, natural heritage, festivals and events, cultural facilities and spaces, places of religious assembly, and public art. Other categories of tangible resources will emerge in the course of the project. 
• Equally important to the Cultural Mapping Project will be mapping intangible cultural resources such as community stories, traditions and defining moments in community history. This work will actively involve the community itself in helping to map these resources.  

Anzac Daze- this Weekend!

Trooper at the Anzac Recreation Centre Field House

HIStory & HERitage: Willow Lake Church in Anzac

HIStory & HERitage

While it may not look like it now, the Willow Lake Church in Anzac was once a beautiful building, bursting at the seams with a crowd of people.  For over 50 years, the Church was the centre of the community. It was where residents met to discuss projects and concerns, where young couples exchanged martial vows, where children were baptized, and where friends and family gathered to say goodbye to their dearly departed.

Looking at the dilapidated structure, it’s difficult to imagine that this little church was part of an internationally historic event: the Cold War.  

As a defensive measure during the Cold War, Canada constructed the Mid-Canada Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line in the mid-1950s. This was a line of radar stations, stretching across the country along the 55^th parallel. Its purpose was to detect incoming Soviet aircraft attacks on North America.

One of these stations, and the only one of its kind in Alberta, was located at Stoney Mountain, near Anzac. It was in operation by 1957. However, due to advancements in jet aircraft,  the Mid-Canada DEW Line became obsolete shortly after it was established.  In 1964, the Stoney Mountain station was closed and its buildings were either destroyed or moved.

The Willow Lake Church (which was the Protestant church at Stoney Mountain) was moved to Anzac around 1962. Anzac was chosen because the community had recently lost their church to a fire.

 Following the relocation, the building was slightly modified. A larger entrance was added to the front and a steeple was attached to the roof. The Mennonite Mission used the building as a school from 1962 until 1966. 

The Mennonites then donated the building to the community as a non-denominational church. Over time, the church was also used as as a meeting place for groups and organizations until a larger church was built in Anzac about 10 years ago. 

Artist in Residency - Meet an Artist

Donna Bilyk - Anzac Studio

Wood Buffalo Artist in Residency 2013

Born and raised in Saskatoon, SK, Donna Bilyk knew from an early age that her passion in life was the creation of art. Married with 5 children, Donna has moved around Western Canada and, since 1995, has operated her own business specializing in custom picture framing, fine art photography and commission art work. She has had the opportunity to participate in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Canada and her works are held in private and corporate collections.

Her practice incorporates a multi-disciplinary approach. She is inspired by Impressionist artists such as Degas and Manet for their use of light, brushwork and strong compositional elements. Recent exposure to contemporary artists: Richter, Bartlett and Hughes have formed a diverse assemblage to draw upon.

Donna completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts, with great distinction, at the University of Lethbridge in 2011. As the recipient of a SSHRC grant and Graduate Scholarship, Donna has come full circle and enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Saskatchewan. She has successfully defended her Thesis in March 2014 and will attend convocation in June 2013.

Studio Location: Multipurpose Room - Anzac Community hall

Donna will be giving an Artist Talk on Wednesday August 14th, 2013 at 6:30pm in the Athabasca Room outside of the MacDonald Island Community Art Gallery (second floor), within the the Suncor Leisure Centre on MacDonald Island Park.

www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/artist

Artist in Residency - Meet an Artist

Breanna Fabbro - Anzac Studio

Wood Buffalo Artist in Residency 2013

Breanna Fabbro’s work is an extraction of recognizable forms reconfigured, exploring the possibilities of narratives and space evolving through artistic process.  Dualities of support and restraint, concealment and exposure are drawn upon in order to create visual relationships, and to explore human experience. Abstracted spaces are explored through visual fragments of existing locations that are deconstructed and reconfigured into emotionally weighted spaces and expansive realms of non-reality.

Breanna was born in Vancouver, BC and began studying Visual Art and Art History at Langara College in 2003, and completed her BFA at Concordia University in 2008.  Upon returning to Vancouver, she has continued pursuing her art practice, and has most recently been preparing her portfolio in order to apply for Graduate studies.  

Studio Location: Multipurpose Room - Anzac Community hall

Breanna will be giving an Artist Talk on Wednesday August 24th, 2013 at 6:30pm in the Athabasca Room outside of the MacDonald Island Community Art Gallery (second floor), within the the Suncor Leisure Centre on MacDonald Island Park.

www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/artist

Artist in Residency - Meet an Artist

Nicola Tibbetts - Anzac Studio

Wood Buffalo Artist in Residency 2013

I was born in Pine Falls Manitoba but soon moved to the woods of Ontario and then Vancouver Island. In 2008 I received a BFA from Concordia University in Montreal and then went on to complete an MFA at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University in 2010. Currently I’m living in Vancouver where I teach painting and drawing part-time at Capilano University. I have an active painting and drawing practice in my home where I cultivate a large vegetable garden and keep chickens too.

Studio Location: Multipurpose Room - Anzac Community hall

Nicola will be giving an Artist Talk on Wednesday August 14th, 2013 at 6:30pm in the Athabasca Room outside of the MacDonald Island Community Art Gallery (second floor), within the the Suncor Leisure Centre on MacDonald Island Park.

www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/artist