Dear City Canada

Write a public love letter to your city

Do you love your city? Or perhaps your feelings more complex? If you can fit it in 140 characters, we want to share it with the rest of Canada on a billboard as part of a new public art project. Your voice matters. Join other urbanists in a public dialogue about the issues affecting our daily lives in the cities we inhabit.

Tweet a 140 character letter to your city using @DearCityCanada. All acceptable* letters will be displayed on mall screens across Canada for two weeks this June, reaching five million people a week. The best letters will be displayed on outdoor digital billboards across Canada this summer, and of course letters will be retweeted via the @DearCityCanada account.

Start your tweet by indicating your city. For example "@DearCityCanada Dear [name of your city] ..."

Participating billboard cities: Vancouver, Surrey, Pitt Meadows, Surrey, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Sudbury, Kitchener, Hamilton, Toronto, Peterborough, Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Moncton, and Halifax.

Public space is no longer only comprised of physical structures; it's now a place where the complex interaction of physical and electronic spaces happens. Public screens and digital billboards offer new sites for public conversations.

Deadline for your letters is June 1st, 2013.

Only letters to the digital billboard location cities will have a chance of being seen in those cities. Other Dear City letters will have the opportunity to be seen in malls across Canada. Due to Quebec french language laws, letters to Quebec cities must be in french.

Co-Produced by Pattison Onestop and Spacing Magazine.

*We can't include letters that violate the Canadian human rights act, are libelous or slanderous, give out personal information, or include profanity.

Dear City Canada is part of Art in Transit, Pattison Onestop's ongoing arts and culture programme, presenting thought-provoking projects that enhance our shared environment and transport city-dwellers, if only momentarily, out of our daily routines. www.artintransit.ca
For more information contact:
Marie Nazar, Arts Publicist, Pattison Onestop – 416.762.7702 or mnazar@idirect.ca

(Information in this post was retrieved from AKIMBO posting 5/2/2013; http://www.akimbo.ca/57237)

RCMP Name the Puppy 2013

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) needs help in naming a handful of their newest (and cutest) recruits!

Young Canadians are invited to submit a name suggestion for one of 10 German Shepherd puppies soon to be born at the Police Dog Service Training Centre (PDSTC) in Innisfail, Alberta.

Entrants are encouraged to be original and imaginative in finding names that will serve these puppies well in their career with Canada's national police force. When thinking of names, it is important to keep in mind that these are working police dogs, not pets.

Contest rules are simple:
Contestants can suggest only one name (one entry per person).
• The name may be for a male or a female pup.
• The name must start with the letter “F”.
• The name must have no more than nine letters.
• The name must be one or two syllables.
• Contestants must live in Canada and be 16 years old or younger.

Although there can be only ten winners, names not selected for the contest will be considered for other puppies born during the year.

To enter, contestants must print their name, age, address, telephone number and the suggested name for a puppy on a postcard and mail it to:

Attn: "Name the Puppy Contest"

Police Dog Service Training Centre

Box 6120, Innisfail, Alberta, T4G 1S8

The RCMP will accept more than one entry per household provided that each participant submits one name per postcard.

The deadline for entries is March 22, 2013. 
Contest winners and prizes will be announced on April 16, 2013.

Winning names will be chosen by the PDSTC staff. A draw will determine the winning entry in the event of multiple submissions of the same name.
The PDSTC is home to the RCMP national police dog training program and is part of “Depot” Division. As a result of the Centre's breeding program, 85% of the dogs working as police dogs within the force were born at the centre.

For more information: 

Sergeant Whitney Benoit or Ms. Brenda Sawyer
RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre, "Depot" Division
Phone: 403-227-3346

Sounds Like Audio Art Festival 2013 Call for Submission

Call for Local and National Experimental Sound Artists

Deadline for submissions: Friday, March 29th, 2013 by 6:00 pm.

Sounds Like Festival Dates: Thursday, July 25 through Saturday, July 27th, 2013.
Sounds Like invites local, national and international artists to submit proposals for the third iteration of Saskatchewan’s only audio art festival! We are looking for performance- oriented audio art projects that may (or may not) incorporate video projection and/or sculptural components for the third iteration of the Sounds Like Audio Art Festival. 

Selections for the festival will be made by a programming committee comprised of representatives from the three parent organizations: AKA Gallery, Holophon and PAVED Arts. Live performances will be staged in our shared, multipurpose event space at the AKA/PAVED Arts building. Additional installation works may be programmed to occupy surrounding spaces, including but not limited to the main floor gallery spaces, at the discretion of the programming committee. 

Sounds Like showcases contemporary audio art, installation and performance from across the country. Individuals and/or collectives engaged in experimental sound projects are encouraged to apply with sound and video documentation of recent projects relevant to the proposal. In addition please provide a detailed project description, current Curriculum Vitae and any relevant technical details related to staging the proposed works. 

Media Submission Guidelines: 1 to 4 audio/video clips on a CD-R or DVD-R; up to 10 jpeg images (optional), RGB, 1080 x 810 pixels; along with a printed list of submitted works containing relevant details of the support material and/or review instructions.

PLEASE SEND YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION PACKAGE TO:

The Sounds Like Programming Committee
c/o AKA Gallery/Holophon/PAVED Arts
424 - 20th Street West, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. S7M 0X4

http://akagallery.org/
http://holophon.ca/
http://www.pavedarts.ca/
(Information in this posting was retrieved from: http://akagallery.org/sounds-like-audio-art-festival-call-for-local-national-sound-artists/)

Write for a better world - National writing contest

Deadline April 5, 2013

Do you have a young writer in your life in grades 5 to 8? World Literacy Canada and best-selling author Eric Walters are teaming up to bring you Write for a Better World: a national bilingual writing contest aiming to inspire global citizenship in Canada's youth.
Complete the following paragraph and continue writing for another 400 words:

"I felt like I had been shot out of a cannon. Who were these people? Where in the world was I? Before I could get my bearings I was almost run over by..."

Write about a place and culture that is new to you. What is different about it and what is surprisingly the same? First Place wins $500 & an eReader! Nine runners-up will receive $50, plus the top ten will receive: A full set of

Seven: The Series, signed by Eric Walters; a world map & atlas; and World Literacy Canada swag. All winners will become Published Authors in a collectible magazine and online. All participating teachers and schools will be gratefully acknowledged.

Visit the website HERE for full contest details, entry form, a teacher resource and more.

http://www.worldlit.ca/write2013/

Canadian Conference of the Arts to Cease Operations

The Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA), the largest national alliance of the arts, culture and heritage sector across Canada, has announced that it will begin winding down its operations immediately. 

In a news release posted on its website, the CCA explained that, "Despite considerable efforts and early positive results, the Board of Governors of the CCA has come to the conclusion that it is impossible to achieve the objectives of the new business model in less than two years. The Board considers that it would be irresponsible to risk the money generously offered to the CCA so far: it has therefore decided to cease operations immediately and to put the organization in a state of suspension, in the hope that in the not too distant future others will pick up the torch and re-launch this unique instrument for the good of the Canadian cultural sector."

You can find the news release by visiting: http://ccarts.ca/media-centre/news/news-releases/

The news release also states, "The CCA will be leaving behind a legacy of research, archives and projects. A message to members on the closure, from both Alain Pineau and Kath­leen Sharpe, is available on the CCA’s website at www.ccarts.ca."

Save the Date for Arts Day on Parliament Hill 2012!

ViaMoi, flickr creative commons

The Canadian Arts Coalition is planning our third annual Arts Day on Parliament Hill for Tuesday, October 23, 2012 – and we’d like you to mark it on your calendars NOW.

Once again in 2012, we welcome artists, board members of arts organizations and arts managers to make the trip to the nation’s capital to present the Coalition’s messages to MPs, senators and senior officials. We seek people who can speak convincingly about the value that the arts bring to Canadian communities, and the role that federal investment plays. And we want to demonstrate strong national support by having spokespeople from all regions of the country and a diversity of language and artistic practice.

Join us on October 23 in Ottawa! 

A full report on Arts Day 2011 has been posted on our website, and you can find it here:

http://www.canadianartscoalition.com/2011/12/22/report-on-arts-day-on-the-hill-2011/ (English)

http://www.lacoalitioncanadiennedesarts.com/archives/559 (Français)
(The information found in this blog post was retrieved from: http://www.canadianartscoalition.com/2012/01/19/save-the-date-for-arts-day-on-parliament-hill-2012/)

Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC)

Here is a fun resource that allows you to explore Canada's history and culture from the comfort of your home!! (The information presented in this blog post was retrieved from www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca)

Explore Canada’s rich history and culture in the Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC). You will find virtual exhibits and interactive learning resources on numerous subjects, created by Canadian museums and galleries. You will also discover local history exhibits that capture exciting Canadian community memories, drawn from the collections of small museums and local memories and treasures.

virtualmuseum.ca is your definitive online resource for Canada's museums and their collections. It's a unique space featuring over 600 virtual exhibits, nearly 1 million images, and a wealth of engaging multimedia content. Dive into a world of arts, science, and history and explore our stories as told by Canadian museums.

Enter your Canadian museum space.

http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/index-eng.jsp

Canadian Conference of the Arts continues in spite of loss of funds

Retrieved from Theatre Alberta Website: http://www.theatrealberta.com/tag/resource/

The Globe and Mail reports that The Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) has vowed to continue its operations in spite of its loss of Federal funding.

"Meeting this week in Ottawa, the membership and the board of the CCA, founded in 1945, “all endorsed the concept that we should not give up,” said CCA national director Alain Pineau in an interview. “There are enough positive signs coming our way to make it worth continuing,” including an application to an as-yet unnamed foundation for “a good injection of money” that, should it be approved this fall, “would greatly help our transition to a new business model.… We’re taking this in instalments, living sort of on a quarterly basis at first, hoping to go on a half-year basis next year.”

The Cana­dian Con­fer­ence of the Arts is a not-for-profit, non-partisan member-based orga­ni­za­tion that rep­re­sents the inter­ests of over 400,000 artists, cul­tural pro­fes­sion­als from all dis­ci­plines of the nation’s vast arts, cul­ture and her­itage com­mu­nity. As the national con­vener, the CCA pro­vides sup­portfor col­lab­o­ra­tive lead­er­ship for the Cana­dian cul­tural sector.

Read the full story in the Globe and Mail here.

To learn more about how you can help support the CCA, click here.

National Aboriginal Day June 21 - Share in the Celebration!

On June 21st, Canadians from all walks of life are invited to participate in the many National Aboriginal Day events that will be taking place from coast to coast to coast.

June 21st kick starts the 11 days of Celebrate Canada! which includes National Aboriginal Day (June 21), Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24), Canadian Multiculturalism Day (June 27) and concludes with Canada Day (July 1)!

On June 13, 1996, the Governor General of Canada proclaimed June 21st to be National Aboriginal Day, offering Aboriginal peoples an excellent opportunity to share their rich, diverse cultures with family members, neighbours, friends and visitors.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit people will gather to celebrate and share with spectacular dance, song and theatrical performances both contemporary and traditional that will bring you to your feet!

National Aboriginal Day is a fun-filled day for the whole family to enjoy together.

National Aboriginal Day is an opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal people and their contributions to Canada. Share in the Celebration!

For information about local National Aboriginal Day 2012 celebration, please contact Heritage Park at http://www.fortmcmurrayhistory.com/ or by telephone at 780-791-7575

(Information Retrieved from: http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100013712/1100100013713) 

National Youth Arts Week May 1-7, 2012

Your community. Your talents. Your week.

From May 1 to 7, 2012, young people across Canada will join together to host the largest youth-led celebration of creative expression and community involvement this country has ever seen. 

National Youth Arts Week will showcase simultaneous youth-led projects from St. John's to Vancouver and everywhere in between. Get involved by creating a project or helping to organize one. The week is a project of the Arts Network for Children and Youth.

For more information visit: youthartsweek.ca

About the Arts Network for Children and Youth

National Youth Arts Week is being coordinated nationally by the Arts Network for Children and Youth (ANCY), a national non-profit community arts service organization.

ANCY was established in 1999 by a group of arts practitioners with a vision of sustainable arts programming for children and youth in communities across Canada.

The organization’s vision is for all children and youth in Canada to have access to creative activities in creative spaces. This includes well-equipped spaces for performing and visual arts, both in schools and in communities. The Network has been working toward this vision for over a decade through a number of initiatives ranging from grassroots community development projects to meeting with members of local municipalities, provincial government and federal ministries.

Information retrieved from youthartsweek.ca