Hope that some of you braved the cold last week to go out to the Flin Flon Campground festival stage and see the unveiling of Flin Flon’s new brand. It’s fantastic and with judicious application, has the potential to bring many new visitors to our beautiful boreal home. Anyone coming in the next few weeks will definitely be impressed with all of the arts and cultural activities on offer.
Already on display is a new art exhibition at the NorVA Centre. Japanese artist via Winnipeg, Takashi Iwasaki has sent a wondrous show of his paintings and embroidery. He will be visiting the community during Culture Days and will present his Artist’s Talk at NorVA on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 2:30 pm. You should definitely go hear him speak but don’t wait for Culture Days to visit the gallery, go now so that you can spend some time with these tiny, perfect works of art and really admire the delicacy of the embroidery and the whimsy of the balloon-like shapes rising through colour “forests” or floating over crayon colourful structures. These are exceptional pieces by a rising star in the art world. You do not want to miss it.
The artwork that has been created for the annual One Square Foot Auction will also be displayed at the NorVA Centre just in time for Culture Days. There are always over 90 pieces of art submitted for this event so it can become a tad overwhelming for viewers. It will all be fair game for “Pictures at an Exhibition,” a much loved marriage of art forms incorporating music, sometimes dance and visual art into an always memorable, sometimes emotional performance on the Sunday afternoon of Culture Days. All the more reason to go see Takeshi’s show in the calm before the storm.
Look to this space for many more details about Culture Days in the next column but let’s get onto the performances and events happening in our town before that extravaganza. On Saturday, Sept. 15 there is a fabulous concert at Johnny’s Social Club starring Flon Flon’s Joanna Dauk, along with the effervescent and sometimes sultry Janeve Masson. These spectacular young women will be accompanied by musicians Lane Laderoute, Dennis Hyndman, John Taylor and Mark Kolt and by vocalists Angela Ishaka and Courtney Lycan. Tickets are available at the Orange Toad for $20, and as usual you can purchase beer and wine in the venue.
The North Star Quilters Guild will present its Biennial Quilt Show in the R.H. Channing Auditorium at the community hall on Friday, Sept. 21 and Saturday, Sept. 22. This show is always glorious as the entire auditorium fills up with quilted pieces of art ranging in size from table placemats to king-sized bed quilts. Members of the guild meet every week to discuss patterns and techniques. They hold in-club challenges where members are invited to make quilted items following a particular set of guidelines, like a colour palette or an old-time pattern. They also make comfort quilts for elders who are changing their lifestyles.
At the show they will display the results of their work plus they will serve tea and dainties for the viewing public. They will do all of this for nominal cost so please do come and support the North Star Quilters Guild for all they add to our community life and the beauty that surrounds us.
Lastly, Home Routes kicks off a new season of folk-roots music in Flin Flon and the north with Mama’s Broke, a pair of young women from Halifax, NS. They will be playing Celtic music with a twist on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 19 Hemlock Dr. and Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 183 Murton Blvd. Email [email protected] or [email protected] for tickets and information. Both shows begin at 7:30 pm with doors open at 7 pm. The audience is welcome to bring treats for the show at either venue.
