Sights & Sounds

Jo-Ann Oosterman curated the Blue Yellow fundraiser, with all art donated by local artists, and all proceeds going to the Ukrainian Red Cross.

Applications for the artist + artist manager incubator program are open until May 24, 2022.

The GIVE TO GET ART Auction Opening Night Gala, back in person for the first time in two years, is Friday, May 27, from 6:30pm to midnight. You can purchase tickets for the VIP reception, which starts at 6:30pm for an extra hour of bidding, and includes food stations and cocktails. General admission starts at 7:30pm.

The band’s set was a mixture of both Saint Asonia songs as well as several Three Days Grace songs, and the packed house at the Bronson Centre loved all of it.

I recently had the chance to do some promotional photos for local musician Chase Van Dusen, aka CHASE, in advance of his upcoming EP Compulsive. Chase has just released the first single from the EP, which consists of six songs recorded with JUNO Award-winning producer Siegfried Meier (Face to Face) and was mastered by five-time Grammy-nominated engineer Chris Athens (Coldplay, MGK, Drake). Van Dusen wrote all of the songs and performed all instruments and vocals except for drums, which were performed by Melvin Murray of Texas King. The first single, “Compulsive” is now available on all platforms, and the official lyric video is on YouTube.

Since 2007, ARTicipate has funded 140+ projects with over $840,000.

Jazzfest is finally back in full force, live and in-person! The festival will take place at Confederation Park, the National Arts Centre, and Marion Dewar Plaza in front of Ottawa City Hall.

We Can Start Over Again is Jose Palacios’ first solo exhibition, on display at Alliance Française Ottawa until June 23. I attended the opening reception last week, surrounded by a buzzing atmosphere of excited creatives, with a DJ curating the perfect vibe in the background. I spoke with Jose about his work, amidst gentle interruptions by friends coming up to say “Congratulations!”

CIMAFUNK fans, rejoice! This Thursday is the artist’s Canadian debut show, presented by Shenkman Arts Centre and Axé Worldfest. Check out @apt613’s Instagram to win tickets!

The East Coast Series is a new solo exhibition by Mexican Canadian artist Guillermo Trejo. The Series features a collection of prints, created by Trejo during a residency at the Saint Michael Print Studio in St. John’s, NL.

Lots of variety the next two weeks at the ByTowne and the Mayfair. My favourite film from 2021 continues its run, there are films from acknowledged masters and up-and-comers, and a big basket of free European short films. Rounding everything out are two exciting classics.

It’s like Release Radar for #ottmusic. Subscribe on Spotify.

The Legends concert series continued last night at the Bronson Centre Music Theatre with Canadian rock icons Honeymoon Suite. The band played a perfect set of feel-good classics from their catalogue of hits, in a show that was fit for an arena.

Monira Al Qadiri’s work, Behind the Sun, combines VHS footage of the burning oil fields in Kuwait during the 1991 Gulf War with a beautiful poem about the beauty of nature and the divinity of it all. It can be viewed at DARC until May 20.

Large sheets of plexiglass hung from chains on the ceiling like a synthetic butcher’s shop. Lights reflect behind them, creating for all of us the same kind of blurred visualization of those who should wear glasses but don’t. The suspended sheets have since been removed, but the sweaty self-reflection remains. Otherwise unassuming, Irene’s is a pub that will reflect your assumptions, but on Sunday nights, Irene’s becomes a time capsule.