• Price Free

If you’re feeling a bit tight on cash this January, don’t worry, Calgary’s arts community has you covered. With free events from Baconfest, the Single Onion, and lots of offerings from the High Performance Rodeo, there’s tons to do. Here’s what we’re checking out this week:

ProArts@Noon Series

January 17, 2018, 12:10 – 12:50pm
Cathedral Church of the Redeemer (604 1st St. SE)
Free

Lunch hour has never been so good! For three Wednesdays in January, grab your food and head to Cathedral Church of the Redeemer to enjoy free performances as part of the High Performance Rodeo. This week you can hear Jossy Gallegos and Tim Williams.
proartssociety.ca

Launchpad @ DIALOG

January 17, 2018, 5:30pm
DIALOG (300, 134 11th Ave. SE)
Free

Join the Indefinite Arts Centre for the opening of this exhibition. Hosted by DIALOG, the show features works that will be travelling to exhibitions in Hong Kong and Seoul later in the year.
indefinitearts.com

Baconfest

January 17, 2018, 6:00 – 8:00pm
John Dutton Theatre, Calgary Public Library (616 Macleod Trail SE)
Free

Calgary’s favourite Urban Planning Film Festival returns for its fifth year. The brainchild of The City’s General Manager of Urban Strategy Rollin Stanley, Baconfest brings together thought-provoking screenings and conversations in celebration of renowned architect and planner Ed Bacon. The first week brings us two films, The Future of Cities and ​Overpopulated.
calgary.ca

Trophy

January 17 – 19, 2018
Calgary Municipal Building (800 Macleod Tr. SE)
Free

A stunning pop-up tent city of stories to explore, this living installation exists in continual transformation. Made up of a cluster of tents, Trophy lights up downtown Calgary allowing you to encounter a person who tells the true story of a moment in their life when everything changed.
hprodeo.ca

+15 Window Galleries Closing Reception

January 18, 2018, 6:00 – 7:00pm
+15, Arts Commons (205 8th Ave. SE)
Free

Celebrate each of the exhibits hosted in the +15 at this closing reception. Artists will be on hand to speak about their work and everyone is invited to head to the Palomino (109 7th Ave. SW) for drinks afterwards (save 15% off your bill by showing a card from one of the exhibitions). Admission is free and all are welcome.
facebook.com

Singe Onion #146

January 18, 2018, 7:00pm
Shelf Life Books (1302 4th St. SW)
Free

Starting its 2018 lecture series, join The Single Onion for The Stories We Tell: Indigenous Voices. Curated by Metis poet and Inkspot Collective member Cobra Collins, enjoy an evening of poetry, performance, and tales of resilience, from Treaty 7 and beyond.
facebook.com

Late Night Thursday: The Art of Writing Lyrics

January 18, 2018, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Contemporary Calgary (117 8th Ave. SW)
Free, registration recommended

Celebrate the final Late Night program of extratextual with a stage show by Selci, featuring dancers from Trip The Light contemporary dance crew, visuals by artist Sebastian Jarmula, and a stage installation. The evening begins with an introduction by Selci highlighting her process of writing lyrics.
eventbrite.ca

After Weather Opening Reception

January 19, 2018, 8:00pm
Stride Gallery (1006 Macleod Tr. SE)
Free

A series of images, sculptures, and videos, Justin Waddell and Rick Silva explore weather as source material and metaphor. Check out the show at its opening reception.
stride.ab.ca

2018 Friendship Round Dance

January 20, 2018, 5:00pm
Genesis Centre (7555 Falconridge Blvd. NE)
Free

Join Pathways/Miskanawah for a traditional feast, drumming, dancing, and more, this event is open to all ages and free of charge.
facebook.com

Reservoir & Duet Opening Receptions

January 20, 2018, 7:00pm
TRUCK Contemporary Art in Calgary (2009 10th Ave. SW)
Free

Explore two new shows at TRUCK this week with Reservoir and Duet. Part of The City of Calgary’s Watershed+ Dynamic Environment Lab, Peter von Tiesenhausen’s Reservoir commissioned sound artists Jen Reimer and Magnus Tiesenhausen to record an improvised collaborative work within the Saddleridge reservoir, and cinematographer Dave McGregor to capture the visual space. And in Duet, William Robinson combines and distorts the Canadian and USA national anthems through compositional re-arrangement and redaction.
truck.ca

Leather Jacuzzi Album Release

January 20, 2018, 9:00pm
Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club (109 7th Ave. SW)
Free, 18+

Next in this free series from Pabst Blue Ribbon, celebrate the launch of Leather Jacuzzi’s new album with music from Bog Bodies, Pank Bend, and Polydactic.
facebook.com

The Veronicas

January 20, 2018, 10:30pm
Big Secret Theatre, Arts Commons (225 8th Ave. SE)
Free

Raise a glass to Calgary’s theatre community at this fast-paced, community celebration. Now into its second year, this isn’t your typical awards show—at the High Performance Rodeo artists may be nominated for any reason and everybody wins.
hprodeo.ca

Marathon Reading Weekend

January 21, 2018, 10:00am – 4:00pm
Contemporary Calgary (117 8th Ave. SW)
Free, registration recommended

Join Contemporary Calgary as it brings the community together to read, listen to each other read, and enjoy hearing words spoken aloud. A reading marathon of Gertrude Stein’s Three Lives, read, sing, whisper, read in chorus, and generally have fun with this groundbreaking text.
eventbrite.ca

Red Phone Project

January 23 – 27, 2018, 7:00pm
Laycraft Lounge, Arts Commons (2nd Floor, 225 8th Ave. SE)
Free

Allowing anyone to engage in urgent, touching, and uplifting conversations that prominent Canadian writers think we should all be having, the Red Phone Project is part theatre and part social intervention. Showcased at High Performance Rodeo, only two audience members are allowed at a time, so get ready to grab a drink at the Laycraft Lounge and participate in this one-of-a-kind performance.
hprodeo.ca