• Price Free

Are you ready for a jam-packed week of free fun? Well you better be! With screenings for National Canadian Film Day, a chance to take part in a collaborative art project, readings, openings, and much more, it’s a feast of choice. Here’s what we’re checking out this week:

Brother

Until April 21, 2017
Foothills Alliance Church (333 Edgepark Blvd. NW)
Free

A Foothills Alliance original production, the church has gained a reputation for creating theatrical works that surprise and move its audience. Brother is a story about the complexity of family loyalties, the challenges of conflicting world views, and the question of what truly lasts.
easter17.wixsite.com

Healing with the Multi-Verse Energy Workshop

April 19, 2017, 12:00 – 1:00pm
The Peanut Gallery, Fluevog Shoes (207 8th Ave. SW)
Free

Part of Caprices Fine Arts’ Diverse Synergy show, check out this free lunch hour workshop with participating artist Kerrilynn Noble.
capricesfinearts.com

ProArts Presents Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Program Ensemble

April 19, 2017, 12:00 – 12:50pm
Cathedral Church of the Redeemer (604 1st St. SE)
Free

A perennial audience favourite, Calgary Opera’s innovative Emerging Artist Program Ensemble presents talented young singers from across Canada as they take to the spotlight of the professional opera scene. Catch this free lunch hour concert with ProArts@Noon.
proartssociety.ca

How do you Create a Framework for Mental Wellness?

April 19, 2017, 4:00 – 6:00pm
Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Alberta College of Art + Design (1407 14th Ave. NW)
Free, registration required

Attend this workshop hosted by the Illingworth Kerr Gallery and artist Dick Averns that focuses on creating simple artworks in order to foster understanding of mental wellness.
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Pontypool

April 19, 2017, 6:45pm
Downstairs Theatre, Globe Cinema (617 8th Ave. SW)
Free

A special National Canadian Film Day screening, director Bruce McDonald and actor Stephen McHattie will be in attendance for this Calgary Underground Film Festival offering. Pontypool follows a former shock jock turned radio announcer as a deadly virus infects a small Ontario town and turns residents into incomprehensible cannibals.
calgaryundergroundfilm.com

Walk All Over Me

April 19, 2017, 7:00pm
CSIF (100, 1725 10th Ave. SW)
Free

Another National Canadian Film Day offering, join Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers and The Alberta Filmmakers Podcast for this film written by two Calgarians. Walk All Over Me tells the story of a small town girl who runs into trouble as she takes on her roommate’s identity as a dominatrix to pay the bills. The screening is followed by a Q&A with director Robert Cuffley.
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Angry Inuk

April 19, 2017, 7:00pm
Glenbow (130 9th Ave. SE)
Free

Join Glenbow and celebrate National Canadian Film Day with a free screening of Angry Inuk. Director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s documentary looks at a new tech-savvy generation of Inuit as they campaign to challenge long-established perceptions of seal hunting. Limited seating, doors open at 6:30pm.
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Asphalt Watches

April 19, 2017, 7:00pm
The New Gallery (208 Centre St. SE)
Free

The final Calgary offering for National Canadian Film Day, join The New Gallery to see this animated feature film curated by TNG’s current Main Space artist, geetha thurairajah. Working with her exhibition, Mingling with flowers panthers’ eyes, Asphalt Watches is based on a real-life hitchhiking trip taken by the two filmmakers, Shayne Ehman and Seth Scriver.
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WGA Presents: W.O. Mitchell Book Prize Finalist Reading

April 19, 2017, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Shelf Life Books (1302 4th St. SW)
Free

Join W.O. Mitchell City of Calgary Book Prize finalists Joan Crate, Beth Everest, and Richard Harrison for this celebratory evening of wine, tapas, and readings at Shelf Life Books. Shortlisted authors will read from (or speak about) their nominated books and answer audience questions.
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Mind The Gap: BFA Honours Graduating Exhibition

April 20, 2017, 5:00 – 8:00pm
Nickle Gallery, University of Calgary (410 University Ct. NW)
Free

The University of Calgary Department of Art presents the graduating exhibition for the BFA Honours program. Featuring four artists unified under the title and the theme, check out the opening reception.
nickle.ucalgary.ca

Single Onion #140

April 20, 2017, 7:00pm
Shelf Life Books (1302 4th St. SW)
Free

Join the Single Onion as it presents readers from the Alberta Skies collection. Created through a course at the Alexandra Writers Society, hear readings from Vivian Hansen and Irene Naested, as well as special guest, Ottawa poet Monty Reid.
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April Long Lunch Quick Reads

April 21, 2017, 12:00 – 2:00pm
Loft 112 (112, 535 8th Ave. SE)
Free, pre-ordered lunch $10

Josh Forbe’s The Canada Day Incident is the story of the month. Eat, read, and listen—at 1:00pm Forbes will read a section from his story, answer questions, and engage in discussion. Chapbooks are available for you to enjoy and take home (a suggested donation of $5 includes coffee).
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Traffic Opening Reception

April 21, 2017, 5:00 – 8:00pm
Jarvis Hall Gallery (333B 36th Ave. SE)
Free

Join Jarvis Hall Gallery and check out this solo exhibition with Calgary artist, Mark Dicey. Head to the opening reception to see a variety of new paintings created over the past year.
jarvishallgallery.com

The Intricacies of People Reception & Artist Talk

April 21, 2017, 7:00pm
Alberta Printmakers (4025 4th St. SE)
Free

Featuring 20 colour etchings, this is a show fans of the medium won’t want to miss. Part artist talk, part opening reception, join Alberta Printmakers as they welcome British painter and printmaker Robert Pugh.
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Medalta: Where the Future Meets the Past with Aaron Nelson

April 21, 2017, 7:00 – 8:00pm
Esker Foundation (1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free, registration recommended

Join Aaron Nelson, Associate Director of Medalta, an innovative industrial museum, contemporary ceramic arts facility, for this informative talk.
eventbrite.ca

An Extraordinary Destiny

April 21, 2017, 7:00 – 8:30pm
Shelf Life Books (1302 4th St. SW)
Free

Celebrate the launch of Shekhar Paleja’s debut novel, a captivating family saga interlacing three generations of an Indian family as they wrestle with the expectations of an extraordinary destiny.
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Beacon Original Art Annual Spring Art Exhibition & Sale

April 22, 2017, 10:00am – 4:00pm
Bridgeland-Riverside Community Association (917 Centre Ave. NE)
Free

Join 25 artists from around Alberta and see original works of art including paintings, jewelry, glass, photography, ceramics, sculpture, and textiles. And be on the lookout for students from Sir Winston Churchill Senior High who will be selling Art Cards for the Cure.
beaconoriginalart.com

Earth Day Celebration

April 22, 2017, 11:00am – 6:00pm
Shelf Life Books (1302 4th St. SW)
Free

Hop on your bike and celebrate Earth Day with Shelf Life Books. The day includes author readings, book signings, panel discussions, pop-up shops, and contests.
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Automatic Writing with Mark Clintberg

April 22, 2017, 1:00 – 3:00pm
Contemporary Calgary (117 8th Ave. SW)
Free, registration required

Join exhibiting artist Mark Clintberg as he leads a workshop focused on automatic writing, a process he has employed in developing several works. Registration required and limited to 20 participants.
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Ideas in Colour Opening Reception

April 22, 2017, 2:00 – 5:00pm
Wallace Galleries (500 5th Ave. SW)
Free

This solo exhibition by artist Jennifer Hornyak highlights her distinctly textured paintings that blur the line between figuration and abstraction. Through colour and texture, Hornyak builds a structure for each painting that emanates a still life motif.
wallacegalleries.com

Petcha Bushy #1

April 22, 2017, 4:00 – 8:00pm
CommunityWise Resource Centre (223 12th Ave. SW)
Free

First is a free and informal series of events looking to promote a feminist and intersectional dialogue within the arts community in Calgary, local comedian Sarah Adams hosts this drop-in pecha kucha exchange.
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Our Canada 150

April 24, 2017, 1:00 – 7:00pm
Loft 112 (112, 535 8th Ave. SE)
Free

This year marks Canada’s 150th birthday and you are invited to celebrate ability and what makes our country so amazing—community, diversity, and inclusivity. Join Prospect Human Services and take part in this collaborative art project. Write, record, or draw your favourite Canadian memory, experience, adventure, person, or place while meeting new people. You can even take home an artist designed button and Canada Day birthday card. The event is free and open to everyone, drop by for a few or stay for the whole day.
prospectnow.ca

Happenings #8

April 24, 2017, 6:00 – 9:00pm
Arts Commons (205 8th Ave. SE)
Free

Get ready for a great art party! Free and open to all ages, head to Arts Commons for a Monday night of hands on activities, live performances, and so much more. With a theme of Contemporary Craft, current exhibiting artists have pushed the boundaries of what craft can do by using concepts that question social and political concerns. There’s even a free screening of the film The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith, in support of International Jazz Day.
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Writer-in-Residence Exchange in Calgary – Jaspreet Singh

April 25, 2017, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Shelf Life Books (1302 4th St. SW)
Free

Jaspreet Singh, currently the Writer-in-Residence at the University of Alberta, and former Calgary Distinguished Writers Program Writer-in-Residence, returns to Calgary for this reading at Shelf Life Books.
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