spOtlight

Today marks the beginning of 'spOtlight', a three day festival to celebrate the arts in Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambride and Stratford. This new initiative, courtesy of Premier McGuinty, is being co-produced by the Ontario Arts Council and the provincial government. I love that artists outside of the GTA are being promoted, and if we're to believe the Status of Ontario Artists Act, the 'celebrate our artists' weekend will become an annual event across the province each and every June. (interesting that the dates coincide with Toronto's Luminato Festival of Arts and Creativity, which also starts today)

A few of my spOtlight picks are as follows:

Guelph:

• Make Your Mark...collaborative painting at Whitestone Gallery (Fri 11-5, Sat 11-4)
• Improvise Your Life and the Music Will Follow...write, play and record your own songs at Jimmy Jazz! Yehaw! (Sat 2-7)
• Virtual Open House...with all the local artists at Guelpharts.ca (24/7)

Kitchener:

• Make a Ring...learn basic jewellery techniques at Cynosure Jewellery (Sat & Sun 11-3)
• Be a Star...and visit the video booth in Victoria Park, courtesy of CAFKA (Fri 7-9)
• Sword Fighting 101...at the Registry Theatre. Oh ya! (Sun 3-4:15 and 4:30 - 5:45)

Waterloo:

• Cities and Consciousness...witness Mark Kingwell and Bruce Taylor ponder the partnership of art and technology at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery (Sat 2-4)
• Hot Glass...beadmaking at the CCGG with Mark Lewis (Sun 1-3)
• Death by Chocolate...WHOO! Party at DQ! (Fri and Sat 7-10)
  

Get thee to a quiltery

I haven't felt much like painting lately, but after finding this really cute bird pattern on Spool, I've started to feel both creative and ambitious. (My sewing skills are pretty non-existant but I've got this great little sewing machine so I figure I might as well put it to work.) A throw for zee bebe? Curtains for the nursery? Who knows. I'm just anxious to make something other than breast milk. So yesterday, I packed up the wee one, along with my creativity and ambition, and the four of us wandered down to Greenwood Quiltery to check out their fabric. Yummy, I tell you! I've raved about their selection before...Amy Butler, Echino, Northcott, Free Spirit...but the fact that they're having a big sale this Saturday makes everything look all the better!