'Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic' to make its Canadian debut at the Royal Ontario Museum

'Pooh sitting on his branch ... beside  him, ten pots of honey'. Winnie-the-Pooh chapter 9, line block print. Line illustrations copyright E.H. Shepard. Coloring of the illustrations copyright 1970 and 1973 E.H. Shepard and Egmont UK Limited. Reproduced with permission from Curtis Brown Group Ltd on behalf of The Shepard Trust. From the Egmont UK Ltd Collection held at University of Surrey, Ref No EGM/1/74.


Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is the exclusive Canadian venue for an exhibition celebrating the magical world of one of the most adored literary characters of all time. Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic will be on view at the ROM from March 7 to August 3, 2020. Organized by London's Victoria and Albert Museum, the exhibition will explore the origins, creation and enduring legacy of the classic stories by A.A. Milne and illustrations by E.H. Shepard.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic examines the real people, relationships and inspirations behind the character and its imaginary world. The exhibition gives new insight into Milne and Shepard's creative collaboration -- highlighting Milne's unique storytelling style, his clever use of language and Shepard's illustrations.

More than 200 works are in the exhibition, spanning 90 years of Winnie-the-Pooh history, from 1920 to the present. They include original illustrations, letters and proofs, early editions, photographs, cartoons, ceramics and fashion -- all featuring Winnie and his friends: Christopher Robin, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Owl, Piglet, Rabbit and Tigger. 

The exhibition holds special meaning for Canada, as a Canadian veterinarian purchased a female black bear cub from a trapper in Ontario and named her "Winnie" after his hometown of Winnipeg. Read more about the Canadian connection in my blog post, Winnie the Pooh hails from Winnipeg (and has his own gallery)

Ballet Victoria presents Frankenstein at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley, Washington

Ballet Victoria, based on Vancouver Island, is including Whidbey Island, Washington in its tour schedule for 2018-2019.  Now in its 16th season, the British Columbia ballet company is presenting Frankenstein at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts on Friday, November 2. The timing is fitting, as this is the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the story of young scientist Victor Frankenstein who creates a hideous, sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment.

Horror, romance and science fiction are galvanized into this new ballet driven by the music of Verdi, Shostakovich, Dukas, Catalani and Adam. As the program notes state: "Mary Shelley's original gothic novel meets Caralli and Perrot's timeless ballet Giselle in an alchemy brought to life." 

Ballet Victoria is a boutique professional ballet company with four yearly productions. As the website states: "Our performances are dramatic, technically demanding and often laced with humour." The ballet company has produced more than 73 new works since its inception.

Ballet Victoria's Artistic & Executive Director Paul Destrooper has an impressive dance background. He joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1993, and was also a principal dancer with Alberta Ballet and Oregon Ballet Theatre. Destrooper has choreographed more than 30 works and nine full-length ballets, and his international dance career included working with renowned directors, dancers and choreographers and has been with Ballet Victoria since 2007. About Frankenstein, he states: "Very few people are still creating 'story ballets' -- to reach across not just to different cultures but to different generations, it has to make sense." 

Ballet Victoria presents Frankenstein

Whidbey Island Center for the Arts 

Langley, Washington

Friday, November 2, 2018 | 7:30 PM

Tickets available online

Canadian Museum for Human Rights opens in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Canadian Museum for Human Rights - Winter 2014 - ©Aaron Cohen Photos/CMHR

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights opens to the public in Winnipeg on September 27, 2014. As Canada's first national museum built since 1967, and the first established outside the capital city of Ottawa, the museum's grand opening celebration on September 20 was greeted with much fanfare and controversy (CTV National News).

I first learned about the new museum at Manitoba House during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. A year later, while in Winnipeg following a trip to Churchill, I saw it under construction. Built at a cost of $351 million -- with funding by private donations and public contributions -- it rises from the ground at the Forks of the Red and Assinboine rivers. It sits on Treaty One land and the Metis homeland, a meeting place for thousands of years. 

The museum was designed by Antoine Predock of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The American architect's notable projects include the La Luz community in Albuquerque, Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College and Petco Park for the San Diego Padres. Designed to resemble a mythic mountain surrounded by a massive glass cloud, it includes:

• One kilometer (.6 mile) of glowing white alabaster ramps where visitors will take "a journey of light through the darkness"
• 100-meter shining Tower of Hope (equivalent to a 23-story building)
• Interior Garden of Contemplation that features basalt rock, water and greenery

The goal of the museum is "to enhance public understanding of human rights, promote respect others and encourage reflection and contemplation." The 11 galleries were designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates and include:

What are Human Rights?

Indigenous Perspectives

Canadian Journeys

Protecting Rights in Canada

Examining the Holocaust

Turning Points for Humanity
Breaking the Silence

Actions Count

Rights Today

Expressions

Inspiring Change

WHY WINNIPEG?

"The CMHR stands as the first national museum built outside the National Capital Region in Ottawa. It sits on a historic site, surrounded by a city with an inspiring human rights legacy -- from the labour rights struggle of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike to Nellie McClung's fight for women's right to vote, defence of French-language rights, the push for Aboriginal self-determination ... and so much more. Winnipeg is a city of diversity, home to the country's largest urban Aboriginal population, immigrants from around the globe, and the largest French-speaking community in Western Canada. It boasts globally-inspired cuisine, world-class arts organizations and vibrant ethnic festivals. It is also a growing centre of human rights scholarship at its four universities." Canadian Museum for Human Rights

More About Winnipeg | By Sue Frause

Winnipeg's St. Boniface: Western Canada's largest French-speaking community 

Winnipeg's St. Boniface Cathedral: Provincial Heritage Site

Winnie the Pooh hails from Winnipeg

Trans-Canada Air Lines: Air Canada Predecessor at Seattle's Museum of Flight

Tran-Canada Air Lines Super G at the Museum of Flight
Photo by Sue Frause

I finally made my debut at the Museum of Flight, located near Seattle's Boeing Field. What a wonderful collection, both inside and out. One of the 150 planes in the museum's Airpark is a Trans-Canada Airlines Lockheed 1049G Super Constellation. Simply known as the Super G, it was the most successful version of the Lockheed Super Constellations and one of the last great piston-engine airliners. 

This particular airplane was delivered to Trans-Canada Airlines in 1954. After a career flying passengers and later cargo, the aircraft was converted into a cocktail lounge and lunch delicatessen in Toronto. You can see more of its history at this Constellation Survivors Website.

Trans-Canada Airlines (TCA) flew from 1937-1965, founded on April 10, 1937 with $5 million and three airplanes: a tiny Stearman (crop dusting plane) and two Lockheed Electras. The latter is on view at the Western Canada Aviation Museum in Winnipeg. 

Phillip Gustav Johnson, who was President of Seattle's Boeing Airplane Company at the young age 31, was VP of Operations for Trans-Canada Airlines, headquartered in Montreal. Coincidentally, TCA's first flight in 1954 was between Vancouver and Seattle. TCA eventually morphed into Air Canada.

TCA airstairs at Museum of Flight's Restoration Center at Paine Field
Photo by Sue Frause

NHL Lockout Over: 'Hockey Night in Canada' returns for its 60th season on CBC

Hockey memorabilia on display at Winnipeg's MTS Centre. Sue Frause photo.

I'm not one to watch hockey on TV, but did notice while flipping around on my remote on Saturday night that hockey is back! With what seemed to be the never ending NHL lockout, a memorandum of understanding was finally signed and the NHL released its revised 48-game schedule -- it started on January 19, 2013.

Now celebrating its 60th season, CBC's Hockey Night in Canada not only has a new version of its theme song Hockey Tonight (performed by Colin MacDonald of The Trews), it has made some other changes, with both familiar and new faces on the air. 

Scotiabank Hockey Tonight features host Ron MacLean along with hockey insiders and analysts Glenn Healy, P.J. Stock, Kevin, Weekes, Elliotte Friedman and Andi Petrillo. The Coach's Corner features the colorfully entertaining Don Cherry alongside MacLean. And this season, Cherry's views will be more prominent, as he'll be appearing at the end of the first period of the Prime West games. Which means one more look at the outfit that "Grapes" has decided to don for the evening. 

For fans into social networking, Hockey Night in Canada: 2nd Screen includes top content from the social media world, with up to date NHL news and a chance to test your hockey knowledge. And for tweeters, use the hashtag #HockeyNight on Twitter. 

Winnipeg's James Armstrong Richardson's International Airport. Sue Frause photo.

IKEA opens in Winnipeg, first new Canadian store in 30 years

A shopping we will go! Photo by Sue Frause.

I'm not a fan of big box stores, but I do like IKEA. Maybe it's my Scandinavian heritage, the clean lines of its products, not to mention the good prices. IKEA opened a nearly 400,000 sq. ft. store in Winnipeg to much fanfare in late November. It's Canada's first new location by the Swedish furniture giant in 30 years.

The Winnipeg opening makes a total of 12 IKEA stores now in Canada: Alberta (Calgary + Edmonton); British Columbia (Coquitlam + Richmond); Manitoba (Winnipeg); Ontario (Etobicoke, Burlington, Ottawa, North York, Vaughan); Quebec (Boucherville + Montreal). The Winnipeg store is also home to Canada's biggest IKEA warehouse.

Inside the Winnipeg IKEA store are 55 "inspirational room" sets, Christmas decor items and a large gift section.  There's also a 650-seat IKEA restaurant that includes its popular breakfast for a buck, along with its legendary Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce. Adults can drop off their children at the 2,000 sq. ft. supervised Small Land play area.

The retail store in South Winnipeg is the anchor tenant in a large big box shopping district. When completed, the 80-hectare development will be Winnipeg's largest retail project in the past 25 years. If you're a super shopper, Visit Winnipeg has put together a fun, two-day shopping itinerary. You can also find additional travel information at the Travel Manitoba website.

Winnie the Pooh hails from Winnipeg (and has his own gallery)

That's me with Winnie the Pooh in his new room at the Pavilion Gallery Museum.

I spent a few days in Winnipeg last November after being with the polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba on a Frontiers North Adventures trip. That's when I discovered that Winnie the Pooh was from Winnipeg! You can read more about this delightful bear at Just-Pooh.com. Winnie is celebrated at the Pavilion Gallery Museum in Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park. On the second floor of the museum is The Pooh Gallery, which houses a new permanent collection of Winnie the Pooh artifacts and memorabilia donated by the MacFarlane family. The Pavilion Gallery Museum is also an art gallery, housing a large collection of works by Manitoba artists. Photo by Sue Frause.  The Pooh Gallery collection includes pop-up books, toys, figurines and Ernest H. Shepard's famous painting, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Pot. Shepard was the original illustrator of A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh books. The new gallery, with brightly painted walls of orange, yellow, green and blue, also features Winnie's Reading Room -- a place where "kids" of all ages may enjoy a story or two.

"Winnie-The-Bear" by sculptor William Epp was dedicated to the children of the world in 1992 at Assiniboine Park. Photo by Sue Frause.

There's also a recent movie about the beloved character, A Bear Named Winnie (2004), starring Michael Fassbender. It's based on the true story of a Canadian soldier who, enroute to World War I from Winnipeg, adopts an orphaned bear cub in Ontario. He's given the name Winnie (for Winnipeg) and eventually lives at the London Zoo. That's where A.A. Milne met the little bear who became the inspiration for his Winnie the Pooh stories. 

2011 Grey Cup Festival Features Football, Cory Monteith, Nickelback

While Americans will be reveling in leftovers following their Thanksgiving dinners, Canadians will have something other than turkey on their minds. The 99th Annual Grey Cup Festival is in Vancouver Nov. 24-27, 2011.

Hosted by the BC Lions Football Club, highlights of the four-day festival include the Telus Street Fest, Friday-Sunday; Vanier Cup Championship at BC Place on Friday; Safeway Grey Cup Festival Parade on Saturday; and the 99th Grey Cup Championship at BC Place on Sunday. Plus all the other activities that make for a pre-winter celebration in Vancouver.

Friday's Vanier Cup (Coupe Vanier) pits the McMaster Marauders of Hamilton, Ontario against Quebec's Laval Rouge et Or. I'd never heard of the cup, and discovered it's the championship game of Canadian Interuniversity Sport football, played between the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl.

The Safeway Grey Cup Festival Parade, which features Glee star (and BC boy!) Cory Monteith as the Grand Marshal, is on Saturday at 10 AM. It begins at Smithe and Hornby, turning onto Burrard toward the water. While part of the procession travels west on West Cordova, the other will travel down Canada Place Way. It will end at the Nissan Family Zone in Jack Poole Plaza around 12 noon. Organizers are expecting about 125,000 people for the family event.

The 99th Grey Cup on Sunday decides the champion for the 2011 CFL Season. This year's contest is between Eastern Division champions Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the hometown Western Division champions BC Lions. It's only the second time the two teams have faced off for the Grey Cup -- the other was in 1988 during the 76th Grey Cup. It will be played at the recently refurbished BC Place Stadium, which now has a new retractable roof as part of its $458 million renovation.

Entertainment for the Grey Cup's Pepsi MAX Half-Time Show will be provided by multi-platinum selling rock band Nickelback. The Canadian band members (Chad and Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peak, Daniel Adair) are originally from Hanna, Alberta. They're now based in Vancouver.

Elsewhere, Colin James will be taking his full band to the Molson Canadian House, which features entertainment throughout the weekend. As part of the Vancouver Convention Centre West, it's open to ages 19 and over who want to enjoy a cold beer and cool music. Colin peforms Friday from 9:30-11 PM. Click on for the complete schedule.

Polar bear expert Dr. Ian Stirling to appear at The Fairmont Winnipeg

Eminent polar bear scientist and author Dr. Ian Stirling is appearing at The Fairmont Winnipeg on Nov. 16, 2011 at 6:30 PM for a presentation and book signing. Sponsored by Polar Bears International, the world's leading polar bear conservation group, the event in the East Ballroom includes a book signing, hors d'oeuvres and wine. Stirling will autograph copies of his new book, Polar Bears: The Natural History of a Threatened Species. Tickets are $40, and reservations may be made online.


On a lighter note, The Lounge at The Fairmont Winnipeg is serving a special polar bear drink from Nov. 12-19, 2011. The Canadian Polar Bear 'Teani ($11) is made with Ice Cold Polar Bear Vodka, Chilled Antioxidant Green Tea, Manitoba Honey and Fresh Lime. The Fairmont Winnipeg is donating $1 from each drink to Polar Bears International.


Polar bear in Churchill, Manitoba - November 2011 - Photo by Sue Frause

Canada's newest (and greenest) airport makes its debut in Winnipeg, Manitoba

I flew to Winnipeg on Oct. 30, 2011 en route to Churchill, Manitoba. It just happened to be the day the new terminal at the James Armstrong Richardson International Airport officially opened. It was a total airport day for me, as earlier I'd spend part of my layover in Vancouver chatting with Jaeger Mah, the storyteller at YVR who was wrapping up his 80 days living at Vancouver International Airport.

I was at the airport in the central Canada capital of Winnipeg about eight years ago during a trip to Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The 1964-built terminal wasn't memorable, so I can't compare old and new. But the big, bright new terminal in Winnipeg is right up there with airports I've been to in Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore. Beautiful!

The $585 redevelopment started nearly a decade ago. It's the largest construction project in Winnipeg's history, and includes a new parkade that was completed in 2005, and now the 51,000 square meter terminal building. LEED Certified, its 10,000 square meters of glass brings in natural light, reducing electrical consumption and greenhouse gases by 52% over comparable buildings. The curtain wall ventilation system distributes air with maximum efficiency, and the space is Manitoban in feel, with locally sourced granite and native prairie grass landscaping.

The second-story departure level has wrap-around views of Winnipeg's skyline and Manitoba's big sky. The most distinct feature, seen in the top photo, is a constellation of 55 skylights in the arrival area. Master architect was Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects of New Haven, CT -- which also designed the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the International Finance Centre in Hong Kong and Haneda Airport in Tokyo. It does have an Asian air about it. Well, except for the restaurant offerings! There are local outlets: Stella's Cafe & Bakery (fifth location in Winnipeg) and a diner called Salisbury House (famous for its Nip burgers and the Winni hot dog). There's also T.G.I.Fridays, Starbucks, and of course, Tim Hortons for your Timbits fix.

I didn't have time to check out all the art, but did see the four-meter tall bronze statue of James Armstrong Richardson, a gift from Winnipeg's prominent Richardson family. Richardson is considered Canada's commercial aviation pioneer -- he was a pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force and founder of Canada's first national carrier, Western Carrier Airways Ltd. Elsewhere in the terminal is glass artist Warren Carther's Aperture, a pair of glowing green mini icebergs in the Queens Court area of the departure level.  On the arrival level is Winnipeg artist Joel Berman's Inside Ice, which looks like an iceberg cascading down the ceiling.

As far as passenger amenities, there are now 32 common-use kiosks for check-in that can be used for all carriers -- bags are dropped off at a common area. James Armstrong Richardson International Airport currently handles 3.4 million passengers a year, with the volume expected to reach 4.6+ million by 2020. And that number was forecast before the return of the Winnipeg Jets and the opening of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Photos by Sue Frause

Send in the Clowns: The Music of Stephen Sondheim Starring Len Cariou presented by Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

I'm flying off to Churchill, Manitoba this weekend where I'll be searching for polar bears and other wildlife with Frontiers North Adventures. Yes, I've packed my cold weather gear, and am looking forward to seeing the beautiful bears up close. I've seen polar bears one other time in the wild, in Hudson Bay while on a Cruise North trip from Kuujjuaq, Quebec to Churchill. But I'm ready for more!

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend a couple of extra nights in Winnipeg, a city that I've only visited once and calls me back for more. I was hoping to see the Winnipeg Jets return to their home ice after a 15-year absence, but they're on the road. But no worries, I love musicals (OK, more than hockey), and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is presenting one of my favorite composers in Send in the Clowns: The Music of Stephen Sondheim Starring Len Cariou.

Len Cariou (pictured above) isn't a familiar name to me, but his face and body of work certainly are. The Winnipegger from St. Boniface played Sweeney Todd in the original Broadway cast of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I recognize him from his many appearances on numerous TV series, including Murder She Wrote and more recently as Louis Tobin in Damages. He's currently on the CBS series Bluebloods, portraying Frank Reagan, a retired police commissioner and the patriarch of the family (including father to Tom Selleck, even though the 72-year old is only five years older than the former Magnum P-I star.).

What a thrill it will be to hear Len Cariou sing Sondheim on a Sunday afternoon! Manitoba's only Tony Award winner is starring in WSO's new show, Send in the Clowns: The Music of Stephen Sondheim Starring Len Cariou, featuring Sondheim's classic music, including original Broadway arrangements from Sweeney Todd, Follies and A Little Night Music. Cariou will be accompanied by a cast of singers from Winnipeg's Dry Cold Productions, and the show with be interspersed with Cariou's stories and insights. Richard Lee is the conductor. 

Send in the Clowns: The Music of Stephen Sondheim Starring Len Cariou runs Nov. 4-6, 2011 at Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's Centennial Concert Hall.

The Jets have landed in Winnipeg, and winter is on its way

Winnipeg from VIA Rail Canada. Photo by Sue Frause.

In a previous post, I wrote about Winnipeg getting back its hockey team after a 15-year absence. On Sunday, Oct. 9, the Winnipeg Jets are taking on the Montreal Canadians. I watched a preview show on CBC and am now tuned into Hockey Night in Canada with the puck dropping on the ice at 2:20 PM PDT.

The game against the Habs is at the MTM Centre (Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in the house), and opened with a audio-visual tribute to the passing of 27-year-old hockey player Rick Rypien, a former member of the Vancouver Canucks who had signed with the Winnipeg Jets for the start of the 2011-2012 season. The Alberta born and raised athlete was found dead at his home on Aug. 15, 2011 -- the cause was ruled as a suicide.

I was in Winnipeg briefly in November of 2009 during my VIA Rail Canada cross-country adventure, but the train was quite late, so no time to get reacquainted with the city. But I'll be returning the end of October while enroute to a trip with Frontiers North Adventures. I'll be flying north for the Churchill Town and Tundra Experience, where we'll be spending time aboard Tundra Buggies, photographing polar bears and other wildlife.

Unfortunately, the Jets won't be playing at home when I'm back in Winnipeg after the polar bear adventure. Instead, I'll take in a concert by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Send in the Clowns: The Music of Stephen Sondheim starring Len Carlou. 

I'll make sure to bring my winter wardrobe. So far, the commercials airing during the hockey game have included one for snowblowers and another for snow tires. Bundle up, Manitoba!

Manitoba one of Canada's top hemp producers

Unlike the United States, growing hemp in Canada is legal. It's been that way since 1998, and the province of Manitoba grows and distributes a large percentage of the crop. Hemp isn't to be confused with marijuana. Although both are part of the cannabis sativa plant, hemp is used for its fibre and seeds, while marijuana is cultivated for its flowers and leaves high in THC (that's the ingredient that makes pot smokers high!). Manitoba's Hemp Oil Canada Inc. (HOCI - pronounced hockey), exports hemp oil to more than 28 countries. Here are some of the uses of hemp:

Hemp Health: Touted for its insoluble fibre protein and essential omega 3 fatty acids, hemp seeds are often called a super food due to its many health promoting benefits. According to Manitoba Harvest's Mike Fata, the plant protein has all ten essential amino acids and is easily digested. It also benefits cardiovascular health, can lower blood pressure and cholesterol and reduce arthritic swelling. Manitoba Harvest's five products include hemp hearts (similar to pine nuts); cold-pressed hemp seed oil; hemp butter; hemp protein powder; and hemp bliss (non-dairy milk).

Hemp Gourmet: Manitoba chefs are embracing hemp. Hemp seeds are used as a coating on local picker fish cheeks served at the Misty Lake Lodge in Gimli and sprinkled on wood-fired pizzas at Whytewold Emporium. The Delta Winnipeg's Blaze Bistro makes a goat cheese, grilled mango, white balsamic and hemp seed appetizer while The Current at Inn at the Forks uses hemp seeds in its organic salad. And the cleverly named Fude features hemp-crusted fish dishes on its menu. Even canines are indulging in hemp -- Smack Pet Food makes dog treats and dog food with hemp.

Hemp Beauty: Hemp oil is used as a cure for eczema, stretch marks, scalp itch and a balance for cell development (it's a highly absorbent vitamin E carrier). Manitoba companies such as McCuaig Solutions and Zona Verde Cosmetics are making face lotions, body butters and hair care products from hemp. International brands Lush and Dr. Bronners use Manitoba hemp in its products. You can even make your own hemp products such as hemp oil, sea salt and lavender scrubs and hemp oil shampoos and conditioners.

Hemp Apparel: It's often described as "strong enough for a sailor and comfortable enough for a yogi." Michael Krahn's Fishlips Hemp Company is a retail store in Gimli, and sells hemp hoodies, hats, t-shirts, socks, running shoes, wallets, rope, twine and even paper. Another retail shop is Hempyrean in The Forks Market in Winnipeg. Owner Mike Carriere says hemp clothing is more durable and an organically friendly alternative to cotton. His store carries shirts, shorts, yoga clothes and pants in a rainbow of colors.

Canada and the world mourn the loss of lives in Norway

Canada and the world is mourning the loss of lives in the horrific bomb attack and shootings in Norway. And leaders around the world have issued their condolences.

A service was held at the Oslo Cathedral on Sunday morning, July 24. In Canada, a number of vigils for the victims are being held across the country:

Burnaby, BC - Scandinavian Community Centre - Sunday, July 24, 12:30 PM on
Winnipeg - Royal Norwegian Consulate - Sunday, July 14, 9 PM

Vigeland Sculpture Park
Photo by Sue Frause

'My Winnipeg' art exhibit at Parisian gallery through 9/25/11

Winnipeg is known across Canada for its vibrant art scene. Now the French are being exposed to the artists of Manitoba. Parisian art collector Antoine de Galbert is presenting a survey of Winnipeg's current art scene at his gallery La maison rouge. The exhibition, simply called My Winnipeg, opened June 23, 2011 and showcases Winnipeg as a leader in contemporary art.

Featured among the 71 artists and proponents of what's known as prairie surrealism are Guy Maddin, Ken Monkman, Marcel Dzama and other other members of the now defunct Royal Art Lodge collective. The varied genres include paintings, video, collages, installations, hybrid characters, sculptures and a revamped image bank of archetypal Winnipeg pop culture.

The exhibit opens with filmmaker Noam Gonick's snapshots of Winnipeg that he took while researching locales for his film Stryker. The edgy, urban photos reinforce filmmaker Guy Maddin's description of Winnipeg as a "rich and strange place." Maddin's films were featured in Paris in a 2010 retrospective of his work. It included his genre-bending, docu-fantasia My Winnipeg, which the art exhibit was named after.

Co-producer of the exhibit is Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art in Winnipeg, along with MIAM, Gallery One One One at the School of Art, University of Manitoba and the National Arts Centre. My Winnipeg will be in Paris until Sept. 25, 2011 before moving on to a museum in Sete, France in November. It will return to Winnipeg in 2012 at Plug In, just in time for the gallery's 40th anniversary.

The full-color, 248 page bilingual catalogue for My Winnipeg features more than 200 works of art by the 71 artists. Also included is writings by Sigrid Dahle, Robert Enright, Noam Gonick, Anthony Kiendl, Cathy Mattes and Meeka Walsh. It's also designed like a travel guide, and includes such Winnipeg information as maps, listings and recommendations of places to go by the artists and curators of the show. If you can't make it to Paris or Winnipeg to see the show, it's available at Plug In.

"Early Snow with Doug and Bob" by Winnipeg artist Thorneycroft, from her series titled "Canadiana Martyrdom." Photo courtesy of Travel Manitoba

Winnipeg celebrates the return of the National Hockey League

While Vancouver and British Columbia are still celebrating the Canucks' win over the Boston Bruins in Game #1 of the Stanley Cup Final, three provinces to the east in Manitoba there's a whole lot of happy hockey fans, too.

True North Sports & Entertainment Limited has entered into an agreement with Atlanta Spirit, LLC to purchase the Atlanta Thrashers Hockey Club of the National Hockey League. The purchase will be subject to the NHL Board of Governors approval at a board meeting on June 21, 2011.

That aproval is based on a number of things, including the level of support shown by the Winnipeg community during a season ticket campaign. True North kicked off its Drive to 13,000 campaign earlier this week, which includes presales as well as general public onsales. The presale, June 1-3 (ending at 10 PM), provides existing Manitoba Moose season ticket holders, mini pack holders and corporate advertising the oppotunity to purchase seats during the advance window presale. The public onsale to the general public begins June 4 at 12 o'clock noon.

Once the NHL Board of Governors approval is granted, the purchase of the Thrashers by True North will be complete, clearing the way for the NHL club to relocate to Winnipeg’s MTS Centre for the 2011-2012 hockey season. Currently, Winnipeg is home to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

Manitoba was home to the Winnipeg Jets, a NHL hockey team, from 1979-1996. Due to money issues, the franchise moved to Phoenix where they played as the Phoenix Coyotes. As far as what this new NHL franchise will be called, it's anybody's guess.

These young fisherman in Winnipeg will be able to cheer on their home team when the NHL returns to their hometown for the 2011-2012 hockey season. Photo by Sue Frause.

Winnipeg's St. Boniface Cathedral a Provincial Heritage Site

St. Boniface Cathedral is one of 124 Manitoba Provincial Heritage Sites designated by the Canadian province. Located at Avenue de La Cathedrale in Winnipeg's Francophile community of St. Boniface, the site was originally occupied by a small, log chapel built in 1818 by Father Joseph-Norbert Provencher.

Fr. Provencher dedicated the chapel to Saint Boniface, an English missionary monk and apostle. As the first permanent mission west of the Great Lakes, it was the hub of Roman Catholic missionary work, which stretched out to the Pacific and Arctic coasts. It also served the people who lived in the Red River Settlement.

Over the years, five cathedrals have stood on the site. The first cathedral with twin spires was built in 1832 by Bishop Provencher, and 30 years later a stone cathedral was constructed by Bishop Tache. In 1906, the cornerstone of a cathedral designed by Marchand and Haskell of Montreal was blessed by Archbishop Langevin. As the finest example of French Romanesque architecture in Manitoba, it was destroyed by fire in 1968.

The present cathedral dates back to 1972, and was designed by Franco-Manitoba architect Etienne Gaboury. The sacristy, facade and walls of the former basilica have been incorporated into the structure. The tombs of the bishops of Saint-Boniface lie within the facade.

Among the many notables buried in the adjoining cemetery, Western Canada's oldest Catholic cemetery, is Louis Riel. According to The Canadian Encyclopedia:

"Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River Settlement [Man] 22 Oct 1844; d at Regina 16 Nov 1885). Riel was educated at St Boniface and studied for the priesthood at the Collège de Montréal. In 1865 he studied law with Rodolphe Laflamme, and he is believed to have worked briefly in Chicago, Ill, and St Paul, Minn, returning to St Boniface in 1868." Click on the link to read his full biography.

St. Boniface in Winnipeg, Manitoba 2004.
Photos by Sue Frause

Dancing With The Stars' Chris Jericho hails from Winnipeg

As a fan of Dancing With the Stars, I was surprised to hear that Chris Jericho was raised in Canada. And by "hear," it's because last night when he dedicated the foxtrot to his mother who died from cancer, I "heard" the word mum on several occasions. That's so Canadian.

Chris is best known for being a champion with WWE. For those like me not that all familiar with the wrestling world, that stands for World Wrestling Entertainment. And according to his website, Chris is also "a talented actor, television personality, radio host, and rock star." He's lead singer of the rock band Fozzy and author of A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex.

Chris was born Manhasset, New York on Nov. 9, 1970 as Christopher Keith "Chris" Irvine, but was raised in Winnipeg.

Chris Jericho and partner Cheryl Burke on Dancing With The Stars

Silver Star's ski patrol takes top honors in mountain resort safety

Silver Star Mountain Resort took top honors in the Pacific South Division (PSD) of the Canadian Ski Patrol System's Patroller Competition held recently at BC's Phoenix Mountain. Silver Star patrollers Sean Bergman, Roy Chatham and Stephen Oakes all took home prizes.

Three-person teams represented five areas in the division: Greater Vancouver zone, Big White, Sun Peaks, Silver Star and host Phoenix Mountain. Each team competed in three events: a first-aid scenario where the patient impaled himself on a broken ski pole that passed through his abdomen at an angle and exited out his back; a toboggan evacuation where the patrollers at both front and rear were required to switch positions midpoint during the run; an assessment of the patient triage skills of each of the three team members.

The Silver Star Mountain Resort Ski Patrol will represent the division at the national competition later this year in Winnipeg.

Silver Star Mountain Resort, February 2011
Photo by Sue Frause

Family Day, Louis Riel Day, Islander Day celebrated in February

Our friends north of the 49th Parallel aren't celebrating Presidents Day today. But the third Monday in February is a holiday for many Canadians.

Family Day is celebrated in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. According to Wikipedia, it was first celebrated in Alberta in 1990, and the two other provinces followed in Alberta's footsteps. But since it's not a federal holiday, government workers in all provinces still have to show up.

Elsewhere in Canada, Louis Riel Day went into effect in 2008 in Manitoba. It honors Louis Riel, the Metis leader who is considered to be the Father of Manitoba.

And not wanting to be left out, the province of Prince Edward Island has been celebrating Islander Day since 2009.

Louis Riel tombstone in Winnipeg's St. Boniface Cemetery, Manitoba
Photo by Sue Frause