Join us on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. in the gallery at the Portage and District Arts Centre for the opening of “Prairie Soiree,” bold acrylic paintings by contemporary artist Shirley Elias.
This Canadian artist, living in Winnipeg, creatively blends her love of music with visual art. Elias first made her mark as an artistic force as a concert pianist with performances across Canada, frequent broadcasts on CBC Radio and the recording of several CDs. Her current passion as painter finds her marrying the artforms in works that often feature abstract music themes in bold strokes and vibrant colours. Her exceptional skill in capturing moments or movements of music and bringing them to life on canvas, has led to a high demand for her work. Her original paintings can be found in private collections from coast to coast.
The “Prairie Soiree” exhibition is locally sponsored by Interiors on Broadway and will be on display in the gallery from Jan. 19 to Feb. 27. This colourful show is sure to brighten your day!
Boardroom gallery
Be sure to visit the boardroom gallery, a smaller separate space from the main gallery, which features the changing artwork of local artists. This month, 15 artistically unique photographs taken by members of the Portage Camera Club will be featured in this gallery.
The photos are all framed and ready for sale with prices ranging from $50 to $185. The club meets on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at the arts centre and invites anyone interested in photography to join. You can call Dennis Wiens at 857-8956 to learn more about the Portage Camera Club.
Cairo Time
Cairo Time: Best Canadian Film at TIFF.
On Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m. at the Cinema Centre Theatre in Portage la Prairie, the Reel Event presents Cairo Time, starring Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig. Cairo Time won as the best Canadian film at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
The film is a character-driven film about a love affair that’s uninvited, unexpected and undeniable. Single movie passes are $9 at the theatre door.
Winter classes start next week!
Our January classes are starting so get down to the centre and sign up now. We have an assortment of interesting and fun classes to choose from for all abilities and ages.
We are thrilled to be offering an 11-week Ukrainian Dance Class for ages 4 to 16, where students will learn the basics of Ukrainian dance.
This class starts on Monday and is taught by Helene Lucko, who was the instructor and choreographer for the Portage Vesna Ukrainian Dancers from 1993-2005.
Other children’s classes available are: Young Digital Photographers (ages 9-12); Young Potters on the Wheel (ages 8-12); and Young Artists Mixed Media (ages 8-16).
For the little artists, we have morning classes for Sticky Fingers Art (ages 2-4) and Sticky Fingers Tell Me a Story (ages 2-4); after school on Thursdays, we have Sticky Fingers Da Vinci Meets Mozart (ages 3-5).
We also have vocal coaching (youth to adult) with singer/songwriter Laurel Ward and Yoga with Parent and Child (ages 3-5) on Wednesday mornings.
Our adult classes are: Pottery (morning and evening sessions,) Quilting, Mixed Media Techniques, Digital Photography Techniques, and Yoga and Pilates.
Fabulous February workshops
Our first workshop of the new year is a glass bird house mosaic workshop with Leta Owens on Feb. 5 and 6. This workshop will provide the basic instruction for mosaic glass design.
We also have an Art Intensive Painting Workshop with the very inspiring Marcel Debreuil on Feb. 13 and 14. Marcel will teach a variety of techniques in this workshop.
The arts centre is also providing the opportunity to draw the human form in the Life Drawing Workshop with visual artist Derek Brueckner.
For a complete list of all the available workshops happening this winter pick up a brochure in the gift shop.
Manitoba Winter Games coming
Manitoba’s largest ongoing multi-sport event is once again bringing the best developmental age athletes from each region in the province together for the 2010 Power Smart Manitoba Winter Games right here in Portage la Prairie.
A team of committed volunteers are needed to make it all happen, so sign up today at the Games office in the Portage la Prairie Mall or online at www.powersmartmanitobagames.ca and be part of this unforgettable community event!
The Portage and District Arts Centre is located at 11-2nd St. N.E. in Portage la Prairie. Call 204-239-6029 for more information. Office and gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Check out our website: www.portageartscentre.ca
