Kier's Musings

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Bridging the Gap)

A Play to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Town of Souris.

Local talant, comprising seniors and youth, depict the history of three family groups showing the gap between what was and what is. Youth learn their history at the feet of their grandparents and in so doing teach us all about the unique experiences of the Scottish, Acadian and Irish people of the area.

Sponsored through the Silver Threads this play was composed to mark the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Souris.

Performance night May 28th. More details to follow.

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Membership Drive

Dear Lover of the Arts,

The Kier Gallery, a not for profit charity, has been operating for over ten years with the help and financial generosity of members and community. The Kier Gallery has invested over $50,000 per year in the cultural economy of P.E.I. creating jobs, venue space, hosting openings, assisting artists in applying for and developing programming, workshops, musical and community events. We are a strong partner in the cultural economy of P.E.I. We are strengthening our commitment through the creation of new venue/workshop spaces and programming.

The Kier Gallery is developing The Souris Show Hall, located at 5 Church St., as well as the adjoining Leard property at 80 Main Street, as a theatre and multi-purpose facility focusing on new media. We are seeking support for this initiative through membership, sponsorship, donation, and government funding partnerships.

Phase One will focus on theatre and cinema in developing industry driven workshops instructed by the best of the best. The Kier Gallery will partner with UPEI in creating certificate as well as credit courses for approved curriculums. We are also planning a diverse program of shows and festivals to showcase local and regional performers in an intimate, soft-seat, professionally-equipped theatre. The Leard Building will house the retail store, Art Gallery and studio space for workshops.

All of this, of course, is not going to happen overnight. The plan for this year is to open the Show Hall and limited retail space with necessary renovations. The Show Hall will have a varied schedule of weekly events that include both live performances and select movies. We have been working with many other artists and community groups, including C.A.F.E. and IMAC (Island Media Arts Coop) to create events to offer over the summer months this year.

Your membership and donations will assist with program administration, artist promotion and property enhancements. We also welcome your suggestions and involvement as we proceed.

Sincerely,
Kier Kenny

As a Kier Gallery member, your contribution will directly support the arts community through providing physical space to showcase their work and providing education through workshops by leading instructors. The Kier Gallery provides tax receipts for the maximum allowable amount.

We accept cash, cheque, M/C, and Visa. To register:
PHONE 902-367-9311
MAIL 130 Stratford Road, Stratford, PE C1B 1Y4
EMAIL thekiergallery@gmail.com

All 1 Year Memberships receive regular updates via email and Facebook, invitations to openings, 10% Kier Gallery ticketed events and tickets available ahead of general public until March.

ARTIST/STUDENT/SENIOR $20
INDIVIDUAL $25
HOUSEHOLD $40

CONTRIBUTING MEMBER $200+
+ invitation to special receptions
+ 2 tickets to your choice of Kier Gallery Event

ASSOCIATE MEMBER $500+
+ invitation to special receptions
+ 4 tickets to your choice of Kier Gallery Event

ART ADVOCATE $1000+
+ invitation to special receptions
+ 4 tickets to your choice of Kier Gallery Event
+ 2 guests to V.I.P. receptions
+ 50% off all ticketed Kier Gallery events: lectures, talks, performances
+ Access to reserved seats for late purchase requests.

CURATOR’S CIRCLE $2500+
+ invitation to special receptions
+ 4 tickets to your choice of Kier Gallery Event
+ 2 guests to V.I.P. receptions
+ 50% off all ticketed Kier Gallery events: lectures, talks, performances
+ Access to reserved seats for late purchase requests.
+ pre-opening tour with director, curator, or artist
+ Exclusive Invitation to Dress Rehearsals

Sponsorship to The Kier Gallery is a great way to meet your corporate marketing objectives while supporting the Arts Community.
Some benefits of sponsorship include:
1 Recognition through logo visibility;
2 Recognition in our promotional materials;
3 Direct link from our website to your website.
For more information, please contact:
The Kier Gallery Office
902-367-9311
thekiergallery@gmail.com

As a non-profit, charitable organization, The Kier Gallery relies on public and government funding. Your tax-deductible gift will be used to support exhibitions, education programs and ongoing operations of The Kier Gallery.
The Kier Gallery appreciates your contribution to the Arts Community.

Souris Cinema Project

The Kier Gallery is expanding our base of operations to include the community of Souris.
We have acquired the Souris Cinema property on Church Street as well the Leard property
on Main Street in Souris.
The theater was built in the 1880's as a theater by the BIS

Bill Chandler architect for the project is preparing conceptual drawings and cost analysis.

The historic Leard building (Circa 1880) once the heart and sole of the community is in need of love.

Updates on progress will be posted, all comments and ideas are welcome.

Kier

SYMONS LECTURE SERIES CHARLOTTETOWN

Today I had the pleasure of attending a talk in the Symons Lecture Series at Confederation Centre of the Arts Homburg Theater in Charlottetown.
Featured speaker, Mary Simon, O.C., O.Q., LLD. Mary Simon is President of the I,T,K
(Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami)
Mary Simon gave us some insight into the history and struggles faced by and facing Inuit Canadians.The accomplishments she has personally achieved are amazing, the accomplishments of the citizens she represents make Canada proud. Thank you Mary for sharing your time with us.
Kier

NEW HOME FOR PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND ARTS AND CULTURAL COMMUNITY

The Kier Gallery board of directors has been working on a new home for the gallery as well the further development of an art learning center. We have made an offer on the Kays Brothers Wholesaler properties on lower Queen and King Streets in Charlottetown and hope to be successful in our bid. This property consists of three buildings and will create studio, retail, and office spaces with a focus on developing a strong cultural workshop economy.
We are involved in discussions with CADC the City of Charlottetown as well our partners in the arts and cultural industry and will be updating members as the project develops.
We are in the development stage of the project and are looking for input and participation from the community, no idea is crazy and all help is appreciated.
Have a great day
Kier

FUNDS TO ASSIST STUDENT FROM GHANA

APPEAL FOR HELP WITH TUITION
Godwin Kumah was a participant in a Canada World Youth exchange program and resided in Charlottetown from September to November 2008. While here he worked as a volunteer at the Prince Edward Home and for other volunteer organizations such as the Friends of the Confederation Centre and the Joe Ghiz Memorial Park.

Godwin is a recent high school graduate and he has been accepted into the Holland College Business Management program. Due to high unemployment and low wages in Ghana he is unable to obtain funds for his tuition and he is not eligible for student loans.

Godwin is a hard working, trustworthy young man and all who have met him agree that he is a special young man. We wish to assist him in this endeavour.

Kathy Roney, his Canada World youth Host Mother has guaranteed to provide housing, meals and transportation free of charge for his two years of study.

We are appealing to you to join us in this endeavour by making a donation to help pay for his first year tuition. After six months he will be able to work part-time and full time during break periods so he will be able to pay for his own tuition second year.

If you are able to help please make payments to Kier Gallery re Godwin Kumah. Tax receipts will be issued for any funds donated.
Kier Gallery
PO Box # 2214
C1A8B9
Charlottetown P.E.I.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF LIFE DRAWING IN CHARLOTTETOWN

The Great George Street Gallery was the first location for weekly life drawing sessions. Later sessions were held in each of the relocations that like the Queen Street Fish Market did not always reflect the name of the insItution. The Gallery In The Guild was for a time used for weekly drawing sessions but this was later moved to the upstairs hall of the Guild building.Other events and exhibitions continued to make this location unstable for weekly drawing. Paula Price was involved with booking of models at that time. Dispite some of the problems with the use of the Guild Hall, it was wheelchair accessible and we have never since had a location that did provide easy access to artists with mobility handicaps.
It wasn't until the mid 1990's that the life class moved to Marshall Studio on King Street. The new location was shared with a pottery group and was next door to City Cinema. Irvin Marshall was giving art instruction to students from UPEI at the time. One of the most notable artists to meet with us on Wednesday night sessions was Elizabeth Hutchison who has since won a scholarship to study at a New York College and now has her MFA in Drawing. She was just one of many fine painters and printmakers who dedicated those hours per week to drawing. Those of us not so well gifted learned much from just watching such people work. Unfortunatly it became necessary to move again when both the main tenants of the studio could not afford the rent.

"Rose of the Island"
by Karl MacKeeman, ANSCAD
drypoint orginal plate
In the exhibit in the Holguin City Gallery she was listed as a floral subject. She was indeed a beautiful flower.

After a search for another location we settled on the Art Loft at 102 Queen Street on the second floor. This was bringing us back again in the neighbourhood of the Arts Guild. It was a smaller space but well equipped with a model stand, a changing room , lights and a sound system and we had brought the sketch horses from the other studio with us. Merlin Gallant used the location as a photo studio and we found that it made a good exhibition space as well. Our exhibition there was called "Life At The Loft: An Exhibition of Figure Drawing" and the opening was well attended The Art Loft changed hands and Cheryl Wilson, another local photographer and part-time sketcher took over the rent of the space. Art lessons and exhibitions helped the space to full-time use but as the century neared it's end we were looking once more for a new location. The proprietor of Kier Gallery at 132 Richmond Street kindly donated his gallery space for our use on Wednesday nights to that this has been the location of our figure drawing session at the dawn of the 21st Century. Thanks to the support of Kier Kenny we were able to embark on a "Life Study" sessions every 2nd Saturday at 1300 hrs. to 1730 for the purpose of colour work in oils, acrylic, watercolour and pastel. Also detailed charcoal, conte, graphite and colour pencil could be made taking more time than was permitted on Wednesday night sessions. There was a lot of dedication back then. We had all hoped that "Life" could continue.
Life did eventually come to an an end! The present Guild charged a rent that was unaffordable with the other expenses. Attendance in the last years was up and down and not consistant enough to leave funds for properly paying the models. So life at last came to an end without a suitable base. It was something that brought the visual artists in the community together. In other cities it would have been the role of the local arts guild, University, art school or public gallery, but here in this town we had to do it ourselves. Let's hope life can continue in the future.

Confederation Centre Art Gallery

Sustainable architecture's timeless tradition is the theme of the next ArtTalk at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery. ArtTalk presents architect David Lopes of North 46 Architecture Inc. who will explore the perception of sustainable architecture and design and look at examples of how timeless architectural principles have always been sustainable architectural principles.

He will also address the misconception that in order for architecture and design to be sustainable or energy efficient, it must look different or incorporate expensive high tech gadgetry. The exhibition Inside Island Heritage Homes serves as an appropriate backdrop for the presentation.

ArtTalk is open to the public and takes place Tuesday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the Confederation Centre Art Gallery.

Lopes was born in Revelstoke, British Columbia. He started his professional career as a Canadian Naval Officer, graduating from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. After serving four years as a Naval engineering officer, he decided to change his career path.

"I realized at that time, that in addition to the technical nature of engineering, that I needed the creativity and abstract nature of work that architecture promised to offer," he says. Looking at some of his favourite architects, he noticed that they had been influenced by Japanese design and architecture. He left Canada to work and travel in Japan and South East Asia and then began his architectural studies at Dalhousie University.

After several years of experience locally and abroad, Lopes founded North 46 Architecture Inc. with offices located in the heart of Charlottetown. Lopes is an accredited LEED professional, (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and sits on the board of directors of the Atlantic Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council.

POETRY at the Dunk

*POETRY at the Dunk*

Come and hear internationally acclaimed Tasmanian poet/activist Tim
Thorne and our own Deirdre Kessler and Leon Berrouard as they read from their works of poetry

THIS WEDNESDAY EVENING, October 29,
at The Dunk (3864 Dixon Road, Breadalbane)

A pot luck dinner at 6 PM will be followed by poetry at 7:30. All welcome.

Tim Thorne has been brought to PEI through a collaboration between the
PEI Writers’ Guild, UPEI Dept English and Institute of island Studies.
He describes himself as a political poet who thinks that poetry and
politics should gel. Others describe his work as passionate, unexpected,
wry, funny (by times) and gut wrenching (by times). An experience that
will move and shake you.... as fine poetry does.

POETRY at the Dunk

*POETRY at the Dunk*

Come and hear internationally acclaimed Tasmanian poet/activist Tim
Thorne and our own Deirdre Kessler and Leon Berrouard as they read from their works of poetry

THIS WEDNESDAY EVENING, October 29,
at The Dunk (3864 Dixon Road, Breadalbane)

A pot luck dinner at 6 PM will be followed by poetry at 7:30. All welcome.

Tim Thorne has been brought to PEI through a collaboration between the
PEI Writer's Guild, UPEI Dept English and Institute of island Studies.
He describes himself as a political poet who thinks that poetry and
politics should gel. Others describe his work as passionate, unexpected,
wry, funny (by times) and gut wrenching (by times). An experience that
will move and shake you... as fine poetry does.

"Panache" Not just another pretty face

This evening The Kier Gallery hosted the launch of "Panache"Prince Edward Islands newest publication.
Savannah Belsher Editor-in-Chief lists the main goal of Panache: to support and encourage the arts community on Prince Edward Island.
Savannah I salute you, the comments from the crowd were nothing but positive. Thank you for included us in the launch of this premier edition of Panache .

The Remote Control Symposium

The Remote Control Symposium - Dissemination Now* - begins tomorrow (Thurs.
Aug. 14th) with an opening performance at the Confed. Centre Gallery, and
continues through Sat. Aug. 16th with a host of panels, speakers, social and
cultural events. If you are interested or involved in media arts in Atlantic
Canada (film/video/new media).. this symposium is for you! All events are
open to everyone and free of charge.

Go to www.imac.coop/remotecontrol for the full list of events and locations.

The following is a list of the cultural and social events during the
symposium:

*Thursday August 14th - Opening Performance*

- 8pm
- Artist Presentation - *A Sham and a Mockery: transmedia performance*
- The Confederation Centre Art Gallery
- A media jam session featuring Liz MacDougall, Amanda Christie, and
Lukas Pearse with live sound and image media and performance art. Screening
Presentation* - Works for the Web*

**
*Friday August 15th - Social Screening*

- 8pm
- The Haviland Club (2 Haviland St.)
- A selection of media artwork from PEI will be screened presented in
collaboration with The Summer Nights Film Festival. This work will be
curated according to the theme Òmade for new media. This includes work
specifically made for internet distribution, as well as work that adapts
easily to new media distribution platforms. Featuring 'Uncle Bob's Hospital
Visit' by JoDee Samuelson, ProfilePEI by Adam Perry and much more!

*Saturday August 16th - Screening*

- 3:30pm
- Screening Presentation - CFMDC ReGeneration
- City Cinema (64 King St.)
- "What better way to mark a big birthday than by throwing a party and
ensuring some great gifts? To mark their 40th anniversary last year, the
CFMDC (Canadian Filmmakers" Distribution Centre) commissioned seven artists
to make works inspired by films that hold notable significance to them as
image-makers. Premieres meet paradigms from the avant-garde in this unique
program that pairs up these new films with their influential companion
pieces.

Also Check Out the Film Screenings and Film-Related Events at the Summer
Night's Film Festival (Aug. 15/16th) at *www.imac.coop*.

_______________________________________________________________
Mille Clarkes
Symposium Coordinator

Island Media Arts Co-operative
Box 2726
115 Richmond St. 3rd Flr.
Charlottetown, PE
C1A 8C3

Ph/Fx: (902) 892-3131
director@imac.coop
www.imac.coop

Confederation Centre Of The Arts Workshop this weekend!

If you haven't already signed up - now's the time!

Many people might consider 35 mm slides and Polaroid's old technology today, but both are involved in a workshop to create new masterpieces this month at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. Following the theme of photography in the Confederation Centre Art Gallery’s exhibit, Photography 101: push the button, the Centre is offering a workshop on creating Polaroid transfers.
Island photographer Anna Karpinski will lead participants as they convert slides onto Polaroids and transfer the image onto alternative surfaces such as paper, fabric or wood. The dyes in the Polaroid emulsion ‘migrate’ to the other surface while the image develops, and a new copy of the image is created.

Participants are asked to bring their own slides; however, there will be extras at the workshop available to borrow.

The Polaroid Transfer Workshop takes place Saturday, August 9 from 1-4 pm in the Schurman Family Studio at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. It is open to anyone age 13 and up. The cost is $25. Limited spaces are available; please register by contacting the gallery administrator at 902-628-6111 or artgallery@confederationcentre.com.

What summer

The summer passes quickly already it's the first week of August and I fear the nights are growing shorter. From what I remember of it I had a good June and July, August with the exception of the rain has been interesting and fun.
Last weekend I got word on my young friend who was in rehab, she is doing well, shaky but strait.
I know I said it surprised me that such a young person would be involved in drugs but when I read what I had written I realized that she was me. I had a problem with pills myself between the ages of 20-23, I had lost control of who I am, considered suicide, didn't think I would ever be happy or normal.
My family gave me the support and the time I needed to heal. Some of us get lucky.
On another note
Kat Murphy is strutting her stuff in the Kier gallery this month. Kat is one of the most creative in our community and often can be found working in the gallery. She Loves Company so doesn't be shy.
Brennan's is hopping, best summer in years. I've been putting video on youtube of some of the bands, http://youtube.com/user/kierpaso

Two Weeks in July

It was the 9th of July around noon; I was working at the pub.
A local desperado/ friend stopped in with a young woman and asked if I would look after her while he did some business.
She was tall attractive and smart, I asked what are you doing with him? I'm his driver; he lost his license a few months ago and hired me to drive him around. Oh yeah you look pretty friendly? Well you know how it goes, he is a nice guy and I like him... Are you hungry? Sort of.
We went to my place for a BBQ and more conversation. We talked about her daughter her X, her family and the boyfriend.
After a few hours she began to get figidy, when I asked if everything was alright she said no I'm fucked up on pills and am coming down, do you have anything? Ah no! I was surprised; I had no idea that such a young beautiful lady would have a pill problem. So what do you take? Oxi , perks, whatever I can get but I don't do them all the time. I've been in rehab but it's hard to get away from it. I'm trying to get strait so I can have my daughter live with me.
She spent the next few hours telling me about her life and what had brought her to this place. I spent the next two weeks watching as she attempted to destroy herself. Her habit was expensive, 6 or 7 pills a day at $30 per. She would crash on my couch at night in a pool of sweet get up and come to work with me in the morning do her walk about town and come home with me after work.
I don't know how she could look so together one minute and be a total disaster the next. She spent her rent pawned her personal possessions and borrowed from everyone me included.
At the end of week two and after hours of talking she agreed to get help.
She signed into rehab but after five days she signed herself out.
I haven't seen her, I hope she is alright.
Reality is prescription drugs and bath tub drugs are everywhere, I just got an up close and personal view and it freaked me.
We are our brother's keeper and as a community we need to do a better job.
She started snorting pills at sixteen; I hope she lives to regret it.