ARTember returns

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FILM FEST 20 | FRENCH FLAVOURS 22 | FASHION INFLUENCER 26 greatlife

WHAT TO SEE, DO, EAT, LISTEN TO AND MORE

“It is a chance to delve into the arts community that Airdrie has to offer, no matter your familiarity with arts and culture”

GREATLIFE | FESTIVALS ARTember is back!

FREE ARTS & CULTURE EVENTS FOR ALL AGES

Asmall group of Airdrie arts and culture enthusiasts have brought ARTember back to Airdrie with a grant from Alberta Culture Days and support of the City of Airdrie Community Development. The 20-day celebration is scheduled for Sept. 11-30.

Chaired by Alisa McKinnon, ARTember will have a mix of virtual and in-person events, ensuring up-to-date health and safety protocols are in place. These events cater to children, youth, adults, seniors and families.

“It is a chance to delve into the arts community that Airdrie has to offer, no matter your familiarity with arts and culture,” says McKinnon.

While it won’t have the large-scale events of ARTembers past, the focus is on creating a variety of activities that residents can engage in to discover more about the arts community in their own city, explore their own creativity and support local artists, performers and culture-related businesses.

“Our goal is to engage Airdrie residents in an inclusive arts and culture celebration.” McKinnon says.

At press time, most of the activities were still being co-ordinated as the call for artists, performers and cultural groups was still active. A complete list of activities is available at ARTember.ca and on social media: Facebook @artember 2020, Instagram/Twitter @artemberairdrie

The anchor event of ARTember is the Airdrie Film Festival, which takes place virtually throughout September and onsite at the Bert Church Theatre Sept. 25 – see full story on page 20.

TASTEairdrie

Other ARTember initiatives include TASTEairdrie – which encourages dining out or takeout from Airdrie’s food and beverage scene. Diners can win one of five $50 gift cards for their favourite Airdrie restaurant by posting a pic of their meal and tagging #tasteairdrie, #eatplaystayairdrie and #artember2020 (see ad page 24).

Pop-up gallery

A pop-up art gallery called The Gallery Upstairs is being hosted at The Store Upstairs featuring works of up to 30 visual artists, demos and chances to meet the artists are planned throughout the month.

City-wide activities

Pop-up art projects are also planned with groups such as Airdrie Happynings co-ordinating family-friendly entertainment around the city. You can also expect to participate in or view Heritage Walks, a studio-led dance in the park event; virtual artist and performer workshops; a singing contest; a film capsule project and the Airdrie Public Library Voice & Vision event (see full story on page 72).

Empty Bowls

Empty Bowls will return during ARTember, but in a new format because of COVID-19; there will be an online auction Sept. 16-30 of painted bowls by selected local artists (find the auction at airdriefoodbank.com), and the beloved glazed pottery bowls will be available for sale during ARTember at Home Grown Pantry. The Food Bank will also be at the Airdrie Farmer’s Market Sept. 16 and Sept. 23 selling bowls.

Songwriting contest

A songwriting contest will open Sept. 11 for registration. Writers/ musicians will be given 72 hours to compose an original song and record it Sept. 24 to 27. A panel of local Airdrie musicians will select the top five who will perform live on Sept. 30 where the winner will be announced.

The winner will receive a recording package from Springwood Studios in Airdrie.

All participants songs will be available to view on the ARTember YouTube Channel.

GET INVOLVED

Anyone interested in getting involved with ARTember can email Alisa at artemberairdrie@gmail.com life