no more comics composed solely of stick people

One of the strongest ideals that I took from Pecha Kucha Night on Monday was from Jane Pendergast. She spoke about cultural spaces, be them art or civic or otherwise. She said that dynamic cultural spaces are about performance. The community transforms the space through their presence and interaction with the space. Just get the physical building, and the artists and community will grow the culture.

per.spec.tive gallery, who’s grand opening goes down this Friday, seem to be aligned with this to a degree. per.spec.tive’s owners Lauren Brooke Sanchez and Sonia Kee Cabana, both photographers, have set up a space that hopes to invite the masses in to participate in it’s culture. Specifically, they focus on local artists and children, trying to provide them with opportunities to realize their talents. They currently have an invitation up for local artists looking for a venue to exhibit, and the space has very fair rental rates for event
or studio use.

It’s the classes that caught my eye however. The creative learning that they offer to youth aged 5-17 are designed in ways that make me want to sign myself up. The classes are priced at a very reasonable $125 for nine sessions, and not a single one of the courses sounds less than interesting. Starting with rather traditional classes about perspective drawing and Picasso, per.spec.tive’s classes get extremely creative. There is an origami photography course, where the little ones create their own origami and then learn a thing or two about photography using their folded paper muse as a subject. Graffiti, comics, mixed media creation, even urban abstract photography courses are available. There is an opportunity to expose kids and youth to something beyond the standard papier-mâché and crusty old pucks of water-soluble paint that I played with in school.

To celebrate the opening of the space, per.spec.tive has invited us all through her doors. Starting at five pm on Friday, 18 September 2009, there is a long lineup of musicians that will fill the space with tunes while the owners exhibit their own creations. Dan Vacon of Dojo Workhorse is a personal pick from their lineup, but Los Morenos raised the eyebrows of a few of my friends.

The need for more art spaces in Calgary, be them galleries, work-live mixed use developments or any other space, was a general feeling at Pecha Kucha Night. If you have felt that yourself, then maybe you should join me down at per.spec.tive to say hello to the girl.

per.spec.tive - Urban & Contemporary Art Gallery
suite 118, 1111 - 6 avenue SW
403.454.9377

Grand Opening
18 September 2021
5pm - 10pm
Facebook Page

Tags: Art Gallery, Launch Party, per.spec.ive

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 17th, 2009 at 9:06 am and is filed under Art & Galleries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.