Arts
Come hear some talented & budding musicians at the Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts!

Red Deerians are invited and encouraged to attend the Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts which begins Monday, April 9 and runs until April 20, 2018!
“We would love to have people join our audience some time over the next two weeks,” says Ashley Miller, Director, Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts. “Those who choose to attend will enjoy high quality performances which culminate a year of practice by student performers. Also when you attend you encourage our community’s youth as they develop their talents.”
Approximately 1,000 student performers from Central Alberta are registered to perform at the Festival in 10 disciplines: voice, choir, piano, strings, orchestra, bands, woodwinds, brass, musical theatre, guitar and speech arts. Most performers are youth, starting as young as five years old, although age of participants spans all the way to 65. Those who attend will enjoy select sessions that include solo work, group work such as choirs or bands, and small and large ensembles including duets, trios and bigger groups.
This is the 55th annual Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts, formerly known as the Kiwanis Music Festival. More than 90 volunteers will be assisting with the event. Also, community organizations and businesses have contributed more than $55,000 to the event. Combined with student registration fees, these funds pay for adjudicators who travel to Red Deer to provide feedback and encouragement to the performers. Funds also pay for facility costs at Sunnybrook United Church and Red Deer College.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support of so many in our community,” says Alison Weir, Board Chair, Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts. “All of our volunteers and donors make such a difference for students and for our whole community. We are grateful for their contributions. A Festival like ours is incredibly valuable because it provides an opportunity for performance, constructive criticism and observation of other performers, all of which help our students grow. Our festival contributes to the
cultural strength of Red Deer and to our community’s quality of life.”
In addition to many sessions, there are two culminating showcases that may be of interest to Red Deerians. The Musical Theatre Showcase runs April 20 at Red Deer College’s Arts Centre. The Performer’s Showcase is on April 28 at Sunnybrook United Church. For more information about the Festival, including information about sessions and where they are held, please visit the festival website: www.reddeerkiwanisfestival.org
Arts
Notre Dame Fine Arts Department presents: “Elf, the Musical!”

News release from Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools
NOTRE DAME FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT IS INVITING YOU TO OUR MUSICAL PRODUCTION OF Elf, the Musical!
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Directed by Jennifer Cocolicchio starring JM Amurao, Addy Penney, Please join the Notre Dame Fine Arts students for their interpretation of Matilda.
A title known the world over, Elf The Musical is a must-produce holiday musical that can easily become an annual tradition for any theatre. Based on the cherished 2003 New Line Cinema hit, Elf features songs by Tony Award nominees Matthew Sklar (The Wedding Singer) and Chad Beguelin (Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway), with a book by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone).
Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised, unaware that he is actually a human until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh realities that his father is on the naughty list and his half-brother doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.
This modern-day holiday classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner elf. After all, the best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear. (https://www.mtishows.com/elf-the-musical)
The shows take place at Red Deer’s Memorial Center on December 7, 8, & 9 at 7:00pm.
There are also Matinees on December 8 and 9 at 1:00pm.
TICKETS ARE $25.00
TICKETS AVAILABLE in advance at Notre Dame’s front office, and online at https://www.studentquickpay.com/rdcrs/MyAccount/Main.aspx or on the date at the theatre door.
Arts
First Fridays Gallery Openings for Red Deer September 1, 2023

Title: Alberta Spirit Show
Kiwanis Gallery, 4818 49 Street, in Red Deer Public Library
Media: Various
Exhibition Dates: August 29 – October 15, 2023
#FirstFridaysRedDeer opening reception September 1 from 5:30 – 7:30pm with several of the Artists in attendance.
Exhibition Description: The Alberta Community Art Clubs Association’s Spirit Show follows the province-wide Zone shows each year. The Alberta Spirit Show this year is made up of the best of the works from the
Northern, Central and Southern Zone shows to produce the Alberta Wide Exhibition. Truly, the best of the best is an understatement!
Hours: Mon – Thurs: 9 am – 8 pm, Fri: 9 am – 5 pm, Sat & Sun: 10 am – 3 pm
Visit the interactive Gallery Guide with map and listings at: https://www.reddeer.ca/recreation-and-culture/arts-and-culture/art-galleries/gallery-guide/
Title: Here, There, and Everywhere
Artists: William Armstrong, Judy Brownlee, Marianne Harris, Lynn LeCorre, Lucy McKavanagh, Kristina Miko, Nicole Murray, Jan Raymond, Betty Schnell, Hazel Sheehan, Carmen
Therriault, Theresa Towers Rickard, and Eelkje VanderMeulen-Smart
The Red Deer Arts Council Community Gallery, 6–4919 49 Street
Media: Various
Exhibition Dates: August 31 – October 3, 2023
#FirstFridaysRedDeer reception September 1, 2023 from 5pm – 7pm.
Description: For our Alberta Culture Days group exhibition, artists were asked to submit works that considered the importance of place, and their responses included culturally meaningful places, places of solace, places we
live. Come see how these artists interpreted the places they love, here, there, and everywhere in both imagery and poetry. Presented in collaboration with Central Alberta Retired Teachers’ Association.
Regular (Summer) Gallery Hours: Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm
Title: The Oracles of Time
Artists: Eleanor P. Boyden
The Viewpoint Gallery, 5205 48 Avenue
Media: Acrylic Abstract Paintings
Dates: August 4 – September 22, 2023
#FirstFridaysRedDeer – the Gallery is open 8am – 8pm.
Artist’s Statement: This new body of work, developed during an extended period of isolation, poses the question – How might we reconsider our experience of time, both singularly and as a community, from the past, through the present, and speculatively into the future?
As a collection, these abstract paintings engage with the viewer to collectively shift our understanding of how time is segmented, layered, and communicated. The work operates both as a meditation on many difficult aspects of isolation I experienced during the Covid pandemic, specifically how my relationship with time was altered, as well as reflecting a desire to shift from a sense of the endlessness and recognize the gift of time to explore a new painting process and deepen the themes presented in this series. I am truly excited about this body of work. I feel that The Oracles of Time series provides an opportunity to reconsider perceptions of the past, through our present experiences, and to look into the future with speculative wonderment. I believe that this project can reach a large and diverse audience and will challenge people’s notions of how we experience time.
About the Gallery: The Viewpoint Gallery showcases original works of art by individual artists and collectives, and curated exhibitions. The gallery is in the lobby of the City of Red Deer Culture Services facility. Visit our Viewpoint Gallery page for more information.
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday: 8:00am – 4:30pm
Title: The Beauty of Our Natural World
Artist: Sharon Wright
Marjorie Wood Gallery, Kerry Wood Nature Centre, 6300 45 Avenue, Red Deer, AB
Media: Paintings
Dates: September 1 – October 16, 2023
#FirstFridays Opening Reception September 1 from 4 – 6pm in the Marjorie Wood Gallery with the artist in attendance.
Description: Come enjoy Sharon’s vibrant, impressionistic oil paintings of people, animals, and places.
Submitted Artwork by Sharon Wright
Title: Lines and Shadows
Artists: Carol Lynn Gilchrist and Guest Margriet Hogue
Riverlands Studio and Gallery, 5123 48 Street, Red Deer
Media: Mixed Media
Dates of Exhibition: September 1 -27, 2023
Opening Reception: September 1 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm
http://Facebook.com/RiverlandsStudioandGallery
http://Instagram.com/@clgilchrist_artist
http://Instagram.com/@margriethogue
http://Facebook.com/MargrietHogue
Website: www.margriethogue.com
Title: September Sunflowers
Artists: Marlene Kallstrom-Barritt, Betty Schnell, Elizabeth Schapansky, Wendy Meeres, Amanda Frost, Audrey Rits, and many more!
Curiosity Art & Framing, 5002 48 Street, Red Deer
Media: Various
Dates: September 1 – 30, 2023
Description: September Sunflowers is an exhibition this month that has the theme of Sunflowers and floral fall. Stop by our new gallery at the corner of Little Gaetz and 48th Street.
Continuing Exhibitions
Title: Drawings by Martin Dahl
Artists: Martin Dahl
The Corridor Community Gallery, 4501 47A Ave inside the Recreation Centre
Media: Ink, Pencil, Coloured Pencil Drawings
Dates: August 4 – October 3, 2023
Description: Martin is a self-taught Red Deer artist who enjoys drawing old barns and buildings with abandoned and decaying cars and trucks in the foreground, or partially sunken and beached boats or ships. The drawings are mainly inspired by Martin’s own photos taken in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia or from those sent to him by family and friends.
About the Gallery: The Corridor Community Gallery is hosted by the City of Red Deer Community Development. This space, adjacent to our clay studio spaces, provides a public venue for local artists and allows us to share in the talents of fellow community members.
Visit https://www.reddeer.ca/corridor for more information.
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday 5:30 am – 10pm, Saturday 8am – 10pm, Sunday 11am – 8pm, Stats 12pm – 5pm
For information on visual arts classes and programs offered by the City of Red Deer or to enquire about showing your artwork in the Corridor Community Gallery, please contact: The City of Red Deer, Community Development | 403-406-8820 | [email protected]
Title: Body Language: Reawakening Cultural Tattooing of the Northwest
Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery (MAG) 4525 47A Avenue
Friday, September 1 from 5 – 8pm
Drop in to see the current exhibition Body Language: Reawakening Cultural Tattooing of the Northwest as part of #FirstFridaysRedDeer.
NEW: The MAG is now open Wednesdays and Fridays until 8pm on a permanent basis.
Velvet Olive Lounge, 4928C 50 Street, Red Deer (or enter via Capitol Pkg Store on Ross Street Patio)
Artribute Art School, 212 – 4836 50 Street, in the Old Courthouse. Treaty 6 & 7
Solorzano Spa Cafe & Wine Bar, 4631 50 Street, Red Deer, AB
First Fridays Red Deer is the monthly event where downtown art galleries hold exhibit openings and special events.
Red Deer Arts Council
https://www.reddeerartscouncil.ca/news/first-fridays
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