We are in countdown mode…have been so for a few months. The new cultural spaces building is – dare we say – deep breath! – less than a month away from reality. We have even moved the piano in! Inventory has begun…chairs are in Anns garage…pottery wheels are under the stairs…shelving is in storage area 12…kilns are in Medicine Hat…traveling exhibition ordered last fall is arriving in 3 weeks (hope we have walls!)…sound equipment in Legion closet. If you are storing something for us let us know and we will pickup asap!
Our piano had been stored by friends at Hinton Arts&Culture for the past few years…when we got news that they were renovating and our piano had to move we scrambled for ways to do that…a truck, strong bodies, a trailer, blankets, tools…time! We are so very fortunate to have those kinds of resources…even if we didnt know it at the time. Diamond Developments offered up a truck and trailer…Andy Klimach offered up a strong body…David Baker and Bob Hoffman and Don Engerdahl and Joseph Brown and Harley Brown and Morgan Roberts all made sure this Canadian made beauty made it safely home.
There were a few ‘wait wait wait’ moments…it fit in the elevator (were never sure) and it’s home!
HOME
Home is one of the few words in the English language that can be a noun, adjective, adverb and verb. A destination, a permanence, a safe place, a relative place where things happen, a way of targeting for accuracy. That works…Habitat will be a home for all kinds of arts adventures.
So many things to think about now…grants writing, programming, professional development, volunteers, the GRAND OPENING!
While waiting we have never stopped putting the ‘word to the street’…kind of a homeless attribute we have perfected. We are happy to know that programs like ‘Drum Circle’, ‘Mosaics’, ‘Portraiture Classes’, ‘After School Programs’, ‘Art Journaling’, ‘Theatre’, ‘Puppets’, ‘Animation’, ‘Film Nights’, ‘Ukelele and Guitar’, ‘Open Mic Nights’…have all been successfully fostered in other homes for the past years. Some will make their way to Habitat…some will continue to grow relationships to Habitat!
New instructors and old have come on board to keep programs alive. We are thrilled to have such talented people making Jasper the place to be for learning new things. Tessa Nunn will be coming back regularly for portraiture…Ann Hoffele is now offering workshops and productions in puppetry and stage design/props and costume rentals. Darlene Madden is bringing mosaics in glass and stone to life, Vanessa Martin jumped into an art journaling class when Marian Shilka was under the weather (looking forward to seeing Marian here soon). Vanessa also ran a winter series for youth in art history and art making with a professional exposition at the end. Ann ran a winter long puppet making program that saw the classroom filled to capacity at showtime!
Our administrators spent the last six months in an Arts Management Course at the UofA, as recipients of a Rozsa Foundation sponsorship. Graduation from that has resulted in both a draft public art policy/plan assistance for the Municipality of Jasper and a pilot busking proposal for Jasper streets.
(many many images on our facebook pages…Jasper Community Habitat for the Arts and Habitat CreARTive Space)
The call is out for the Jasper Short Film Festival. Casting call goes out soon for the Christmas production of Cariboo Magi…we will be running all kinds of drop in programs from the Habitat. Monday Wednesday Friday mornings…mommies and daddies can drop in with the wee ones for a CAFE & Dance or CAFE & Theatre … let the kids play…have a coffee. (Once we get the addiction to set in we know they will return – and we arent talking about the coffee!)
OK…this is all the time we can offer up today! Its important to tell you whats going on…so we do invite you to follow the facebook pages. They are immediate and delightful in their delivery of instantaneous news!
SO
See you soon! (its really happening!) Come sign the guestbook…
