Culture Days reached out to Community Reporters across Canada to submit articles to culture365 about their experience during the Culture Days weekend that took place from September 26 to 28. The reporters were asked to describe their observations of Culture Days activities they attended in their communities and the impact they had on the artists, public participating and their community. Below is a report by Jessica Botelho-Urbanski from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Click here for more community reports.
Traipsing through downtown Winnipeg during Nuit Blanche on Sept. 27 was, in a word, electric. Never have I seen the city so vibrant at night, especially in its historic Exchange District, an area as beautiful as it is often deserted.
The Exchange is a well-known hub for the arts with more than 30 galleries and museums popping up or permanently living in the downtown neighbourhood. So it was no surprise the area hosted the majority of Winnipeg’s Nuit Blanche activities, not including the largest of them all, Nuit Blanche at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) on Memorial Boulevard.
THE BLOCKBUSTER
The WAG outdid itself this year by introducing two extravagant exhibits during its annual all-night party. Dalí Up Close is an in-depth look at the bizarre work of surrealist painter, Salvador Dalí, who’s best known for his melting clocks and signature moustache.
The second exhibit, Masterworks from the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, highlights works from the prestigious gallery in New Brunswick, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Masterworks also houses three Dalí paintings. Among the most stunning is the over four-meter tall Santiago El Grande. The awe-inspiring oil painting is best viewed from the floor, according to WAG staff. Gallery-goers are encouraged to lie down on a rustic rug rolled out in front of Santiago El Grande, to better appreciate the painting’s 3D effects from below.
Needless to say, I didn’t even get inside the WAG on the night of Nuit Blanche. I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the new exhibits under construction on the Thursday prior, but went to see the final product on Saturday.
I showed up with a friend around 11 p.m. and the lineup to get inside was wrapped around the building, easily a kilometer long. The WAG announced later they broke their first-day attendance record on Nuit Blanche, with 4,000 people taking in the two shows that Saturday.
Instead we walked along the streets of the Exchange among thousands of others, marveling at installations that moved, sparkled and sang.
EMERGING VOICES
First, we went to the warehouse district near Waterfront Drive, where an artsy up-and-comer was holding her first show outside of school.
Carolyne Kroeker, a third-year fine arts student at the University of Manitoba, was one of five Emerging Voices finalists commissioned by Culture Days Manitoba to showcase her work.
Kroeker used the opportunity to showcase a new series of paintings, Vandals!, which she made over the last year. The oeuvres were inspired by graffiti she sees on campus and throughout Winnipeg. The crumbling warehouse on Pacific Ave. where she chose to exhibit ended up being a perfect venue, she said.
“I lucked out. I was going to display at hutK furniture, but their lease was up right before this. They had really pristine white walls, which I thought would also work for this (show). But this is so perfect,” Kroeker said, spinning around. “I couldn’t see it anywhere else now.”
Kroeker didn’t win the $1,000 Emerging Voices grand prize awarded by a jury of local artists, but two other U of M fine arts students wound up splitting the prize.
Bram Keast won for his painting installation, scars on his face from when his son stabbed him with a knife. Keast examined themes of violence in the media and disability in a 3D painting housed in the Artspace Alleyway on Arthur St.
The other winner, Nicole Flynn, took a more whimsical approach with an interactive piece called No More, No Less. She hung swings at the St. Boniface Cathedral and the University of Winnipeg, encouraging passersby to stop and play.
POP-UPS GALORE
In almost every block of the Exchange, pop-ups reigned supreme during Nuit Blanche—from pop-up exhibits, to shops and street meat vendors.
My favourite was a gallery on wheels. Martha Street Studio featured prints from some of their favourite local artists inside a wooden wagon made to look like a mini-gallery.
Equipped with teeny desk lamps and framed, postcard-size prints, the Steal This Gallery wagon traveled throughout the Exchange asking onlookers to take home art.
On McDermot Ave. two neighbouring pop-ups boasted adorable goods. The Exchange Uporium (264 McDermot) is a hidden gem I almost wish I hadn’t discovered. I’ll probably be spending too much money there in the coming months, picking out unique items from local artisans for holiday gifts.
A few doors down, the Costume Museum of Canada (250 McDermot) rented some real estate to put on an exhibit chronicling a useful fashion staple, Black is the New Black: The Little Black Dress Then & Now.
Despite its lofty title, the Costume Museum of Canada doesn’t have a permanent home (yet).
“They were kind enough to donate an excellent warehouse space for us to start in because we don’t have any form of real income. We’re not out of anywhere right now,” said a volunteer named Phyllis, who handed out detailed lists that matched the diverse dresses to their respective eras.
After donning fancy hats in the museum’s photobooth, we wandered across the street to the parking lot of Deer + Almond. There, chef Mandel Hitzer helped man a pop-up barbeque and hand out kebabs.
Local punk act, Pop Crimes, converted Deer + Almond’s roof into a makeshift arena, dominating at least three blocks of the Exchange with their prog-rock sounds.
Below them Natalie Baird, Kenneth Lavallee, Dany Reede and Takashi Iwasaki put the finishing touches on a gorgeous mural under cover of darkness.
“We had a few meetings and split up the sides four ways, then did a mock-up,” Baird explained.
“Every time I shine a light on it, I’m like ‘ahhhh!’” she said, smiling proudly at the colourful wall.
MIDNIGHT SNACKS AND SONGS
Further north, the Midnight Choir took over the Cube stage and Old Market Square. The group is an open-membership music project that performs for fun a handful of times per year. For Nuit Blanche, they opted for an ode to the 90s, singing Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys hits.
Finally, no artsy night out in Winnipeg would be complete without an unnecessary beverage or two. My friends and I opted for Parlour Coffee, a one-off spot on Main St. that’s at the helm of a Third Wave coffee movement happening in the city now.
Parlour stayed open late on Nuit Blanche and their extended hours were appreciated. Dozens stood in line around midnight to get a late-night caffeine buzz, which maybe explains why Nuit Blanche in the Exchange seemed so electric—or just plain jittery—that fine Saturday.
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