Art
Local sculptor enlisted to create art in Polson Park for the Vernon Winter Carnival – Vernon News – Castanet.net
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A year ago, Tyler Welsing was chipping away at a chunk of ice in front of the Vernon Museum.
This year, he was part of a group of carvers turning blocks of ice into works of art in Polson Park.
The 61st annual Vernon Winter Carnival is in full swing and the signature event this year is the Drive-Thru Ice Park.
Lead by professional carver and TV star Ryan Cook – from the HGTV and Netflix USA series Carver King – the team of ice sculptors created works of art throughout the downtown park.
Welsing is a self-taught sculptor and was thrilled to be working alongside Cook.
“I’ve been a huge fan or Ryan Cook for years. I was so nervous to meet the guy, but they were absolutely incredible,” said Welsing who said he “just kind of stumbled in to” doing ice sculptures.
“This is a hobby. I have been doing pumpkins and pinatas for years,” said Welsing. “This is basically my first attempt to ee what can do.”
And what Welsing did was create a horse ice sculpture that garnered attention of those passing by.
“It’s outstanding, very nice,” said one lady of the work of art.
“I am 100 per cent self taught,” Welsing said. “I’ve been into the arts here and there and over the past couple of years I really got back into it and said ‘Let’s do something with it.’”
So when Welsing was offered a chance to carve for the winter carnival, he jumped at the opportunity.
Tickets for the Drive-Thru Ice Park are $10 per car.
COVID distancing requirements are in place so people are asked to remain in their vehicles.
For a full list of times, places and events, check out the carnival website.
Artists, get out your spray cans.
The Fredericton Trails Coalition wants to revitalize part of the city trail between Rookwood Avenue and Smythe Street, near the New Brunswick Exhibition horse barns.
“It’s nothing but a big canvas,” said Stephen Marr, vice-president of the Fredericton Trails Coalition.
So, the group hopes to turn it into a huge mural and is looking for proposals.
The idea came about last year, when organizers were trying to come up with ways to celebrate the community trails — while following physical distancing rules because of COVID-19.
Bringing history and art together
“It’s something that’s happening all over Canada,” he said.
For years, the horse barns have been spray painted with bubble letters or funny looking smiley faces.
“Why not beautify it and put something meaningful on there that would actually become a destination for people on the trail?” he said.
The canvas is about 100 metres long and art applications are pretty open-ended.
“If you pigeonhole them you’re not going to allow them their creativity,” he said
There are a lot of people who pass by the area while cycling to work or out for a stroll with kids. So the group is hoping for something that focuses on community and its history.
“The topics are just too numerous to count.”
‘It’s about community’
A call for artists was sent out in the middle of February.
The group has received about 28 applications so far. People have until the end of March to apply.
Then, the proposals will be evaluated by Fredericton’s art community, including gallery owners and art instructors.
Five artists will be selected in June. Then, they will be asked to do a mockup of the canvas.
The finalist will be announced on June 15, and will get to work after Canada Day. The artist will receive about $20,000 for the project and potential grants.
The artwork is expected to be finished by September. The paint is expected to last five to six years.
Marr said he isn’t worried about taggers destroying the artwork. He said there’s an unwritten rule between taggers that once a mural goes up, it’s off limits.
“It’s about community involvement and appreciation and inclusiveness on the trails.”
A one of a kind, out-door art experience is coming to the North.
For the first time, a projection show will be travelling to communities across the NWT, bringing short films by Indigenous artists from around the world to residents.
The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC) presents EBB + FLOW: an art show highlighting the elements of nature through Indigenous storytelling.
“A lot of the pieces are about how traditional knowledge and culture can be fluid and flow through different mediums,” says Davis Heslep, project technician for NACC.
Taking the art out of the theatre makes this more accessible, he adds.
The event is free and will be kicking off its first show in Inuvik on March 7 and closing in Fort Smith on March 20.
The show schedule is as follows:
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- March 7 – Inuvik – Chief Jim Koe Park
- March 10 – Norman Wells – Mackenzie Mountain School
- March 14 – Fort Simpson – Líídlįį Kúę Elementary School
- March 17 – Hay River – Aurora Ford Ice Arena
- March 20 – Fort Smith – Recreational Centre
There will be three showings every night from 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m.
This event is in partnership with GLAM Collective.
The show must go on
“We have to find money,” says Marie Coderre, executive director for NACC.
The financial situation has been tough for NACC since the pandemic started.
Coderre explains it was a scramble to put this event together as funding came through last minute.
Now the centre operates on a month-to-month basis, assuming they can secure funding.
Since COVID and suffering a revenue loss of $400,000, “everything fell apart,” she said.
“We just tried to find money anywhere we could.”
Luckily sponsorship was secured and the show can go on.
Until Coderre can secure funding, future NACC programs are unknown.
TORONTO —
A new craze is sweeping through the art world, but it’s of solely digital work.
Using blockchain technology — which is what underpins cryptocurrency transactions like Bitcoin — to authenticate who owns the pieces, digital assets known as “non-fungible tokens,” or NFTs, are selling for millions.
An NFT is a singular, one-of-a-kind digital token that cannot be interchanged with other tokens – which makes them optimal for buying and selling art or other collectibles as they accrue value independently.
NFTs give a digital certificate of ownership to buyers to prove authentication of both the work and the purchase, but does not give buyers the original file or copyright – which is why NFTs have been labeled as a “bragging rights” purchase.
Canadian Trevor Jones, who lives in Scotland, sold more than $3 million worth of digitally-authenticated versions of his painting “Bitcoin Angel” in just seven minutes.
“It’s crazy how fast this space is moving,” Jones told CTV News. “This is the first time in history that an artist could monetize digital pieces.”
A version of the “nyan cat meme,” where a pixelated cat with the body of a Poptart flies over a rainbow, sold for US$590,000 at auction, and a 10-second video clip by digital artist “Beeple” sold for US$6.6 million.
Canadian musician Grimes recently sold US$6 million dollars worth of NFTs as well.
Even the NBA is getting in on the action – with the biggest transaction to date on Feb. 22, when a user paid US$208,000 for a video of a LeBron James slam dunk.
Auction house Christie’s has recently moved into the digital space, offering a new Beeple piece on the block. NFTs have surged in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as more and more people purchase items digitally due to lockdowns and stay at home orders.
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