Art Is Too Expensive and There’s Nothing to Do Anyway

it also takes too long and is hard to get to.

Don’t count on it. I have proved that statement wrong.

Wednesday, February 29th was the 12 hour Arts Marathon #12hAM. I left the house at 10:50 am, and returned to it just under 12 hours later at 10:37 pm, having spent my day in search of all the genres of art in one day, in one section of our city.

My rules were easy – transportation by TTC, and no comps or deals that an average person couldn’t find.

Here we go.

Literature – Toronto Public Library, Parkdale Branch – a book came in that I had on hold. Am almost finished The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and I recommend.

Cost: FREE. We`re at $0.

Visual Art – Off to MOCCA, somewhere I pass every day and had never been in. Three exhibitions: Tasman Richardson, Necropolis; Spectral Landscape Peter Doig, Tim Gardner, Sarah Anne Johnson; Daisuke Takeya .GOD Loves Japan. Loved Necropolis as it’s interactive and you walk through the art and it makes you face a primal fear – the dark. Admission is by donation.  I looked to see what most people had put in the box.

Cost: $5. We’re at $5 total for a work of literature and three art exhibits.

Dance: Down to the St. Lawrence Centre for a Canadian Stage Matinee of Crystal Pite/Kidd Pivot’s Dark Matters. Get a ticket now. It was incredible. Full house, BTW.

Cost: $39. We’re up to $44. Note: I expected this ticket to be a bit more, it’s a full-fledged production. I did find a deal on Canadian Stage’s website or Facebook page, so my $39 ticket was about a 30% discount. I was also sixth row centre. If you think $39 is still too much, I also could have gotten a ticket from the TAPA ticket wiki – Arts Worker price of $22.

Film – over to the Bell Lightbox for a screening of Monsieur Lazhar. Great movie. See it.

Cost: $12. We’re at $56.

Theatre – Factory Studio for The Big Smoke. The actor – she has a helluva set of pipes.

Cost: $25. We’re at $81.

Music – long day means heading home – or rather your second home. To the Cameron House – live music seven days a week.

Cost: $5. We’re up to $86.

Factor in service charges: add $8.50.

$94.50.

For less than one hundred dollars, in less than 12 hours I experienced a sampler of every major genre of art. On a WEDNESDAY. Mid week, mid day.

If I had a bucket list, I’d put this on it so I could cross it off. I had an amazing day of art and experience and talking to people who were also there to experience art. Totally worth it. You should try it sometime.

Behold my usual selection of blackberry pix of my journey. You may notice some production stills filling things out – I will credit them asap.

Thanks to everyone who helped! An excellent end to February, the month of Amazing Twicks. This was the most amazing yet.

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Sunday Roundup – February 26

Sunday is here! A great week – what went on, and what’s coming up?

To Do, To Don’t, To Done, ToDay – to do list vs not to do list – what do you think?

Some of My Best Friends are Equity Members, Vol. 2 – important CAEA meeting coming up tomorrow at the Gladstone.

Today I’m off to Totsapalooza with Small Print Toronto at Revival – I can’t wait. If you’ve got smalls you should completely stop by.

The 12 hour Art Marathon is coming along nicely – an absolutely stroke of luck has slotted in Crystal Pite (dance) at 1:30 pm at the Bluma, and Monsieur Lahzar (film) at 4:30. I’m especially excited about Crystal Pite – I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find dance within the boundaries of the marathon – I was going to see Pina and combine film and dance but I’m glad it’s getting it’s own time slot. I’m booking theatre and music next, and Wednesday will be here soon!

Something for the playwrights I know: Call for Submissions: New Canadian Plays, Embassy of Canada in collaboration with Heritage Canada – NEW  CANADIAN  PLAYS  is a bi-annual project which aims to introduce and to promote new anglophone and francophone Canadian plays on the German-speaking theatre scene. A jury consisting of German theatre experts reads, evaluates and selects the best plays.

We’ve all known this for a long time, and here’s an article about it – Tapping music’s power to heal the brain

Apps, Cellphones, Art and You

As you might know, I am on the Advisory Board for Social Media Week 2012, and a few weeks ago was featured in the Advisory Board Spotlight. One of the questions:

3) It’s common for the arts industry to be early adopters to innovative media platforms, what do you see as being the next big thing for Social Media in the arts in Toronto?

There’s been a wave of great promotional videos over the past while—some have the feel of trailers for the show, some are multi-part series of interviews posted pre-show. All of them are tapping into an audience in ways that weren’t possible before; the performing arts are a very you-must-be-there type of work, so I think these types of videos are a great addition to traditional marketing and media outlets. They’re obviously easily shared, easily talked about and easily re-posted on blogs, on Facebook, on Twitter. The best thing I’ve seen recently is the integrated interactive online piece Canadian Stage has created for their current production of Red. Go look—I think this one is a game changer. Rather than broadcast out information, it’s bringing the audience member in and creating a relationship. Very well done. Love it. And for me it’s not how much it cost or didn’t cost, but the idea of doing it and the execution that is exciting.

Yesterday’s Globe and Mail confirmed that belief.

“At least three Canadian theatre companies – Canadian Stage, Atomic Vaudeville and Praxis Theatre – have launched Web-based entertainments related to their stage productions..”

I’m delighted.

This on the other hand, I’m not so delighted with. Found it on a friend’s FB wall and agree with her comment: “WHY? There is no explanation of how this is supposed to be better artistically or even just plain commonsensically. It’s just…giving up.”

Sigh. Too early in the morning for a rant about today’s society. But I’m old enough to remember when people like doctors and lawyers were the only ones who had cell phones (actually – pagers) and they were expected to check them before the performance (check as in coat check) and if the kidney became available, or the governor called with a reprieve during the performance, an usher would come and get them.  I guess what I’m saying is – are the phone calls people receive mid-show as important as that? Usually – they are not.

About Red.

The colour red and I have had a special something since I was three years old and needed my hats to be red, my boots, my everything. My mother didn’t understand. Last year I found a children’s’ book called Red Is Best in which Kelly”s mom doesn”t understand about red. Sure, the brown mittens are warmer, but the red mitts make better snowballs. And the red boots aren”t just for rain; they take bigger steps in any weather. And, yes, a red cup does make a difference… juice just doesn”t taste as good in a green one. No doubt about it, red is best.

I gave it to my Mom last year. She now gets it. Sort of.

And last night I went to see Red at Canadian Stage – and indeed – Red is best.

This is not a review, that’s not what I do here but you MUST go and see it.  Jim Mezon can be described no better than a bear on that stage – he is brilliant.  The discussion, the debate, the argument had between Rothko and his assistant about just what red is – is brilliant. And the canvas priming scene is amazing. Half the audience burst into applause. This should tell you something – if an audience is applauding a base coat – you need to see this show. I was enthralled.

I see a lot of finished art – in galleries, on friend’s walls and we talk a lot about art, and usually of the finished variety. To sit and listen to a conversation about why art is, who art is, can you get it, can you not, where are lives and how is changes – incredible. The program is a truly rich source of information, things to think about

I absolutely loved the show  – granted when I read the program after and saw that Kim Collier was at the helm I thought, “of course.” I’m going to buy the play – there was too much wordplay last night that I want to re-read so I can absorb it.

Go see. And yes I am wearing my cheerful red hat today – because Red is Best.

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Sorry I have to re-post this – but it’s too important not to:  A Message From Friends of the Arts