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The arts and September 11, 2001
How should the arts respond to the events of September 11? This question is being asked from Broadway to Hollywood, from the studios of artists to the rehearsal halls of theatres to the offices of authors. It's even being asked by practitioners of my own art form, written science fiction. After all, in many ways, what we saw on our TV screens mimicked fictional disasters from science fiction books over the last 50 years. New York--indeed, the entire world--has been destroyed in any number of imaginative ways, from nuclear war to alien attack to flooding from global warming. But dare we continue to imagine such things in the face of the awful reality? Did we somehow ...Donovan Chester: the fiery art and craft of raku
Pottery is a unique form of creative expression, one whose practitioners must be as well-endowed with technical savvy as they are with artistic vision. That's particularly true of raku, the ceramic form practiced by Regina's Donovan Chester. Don's studio was the destination of the third Twilight Tour put on by the Mackenzie Art Gallery this summer. About a dozen of us crammed into the confined space, surrounded by bags of clay, buckets of glaze, finished and half-finished pots, and learned about the history of raku--and how Don himself practices it. Raku dates back to the 16th century, and historically is very much bound up with the Japanese tea ceremony. According to the Museum of Raku, the ...Wilf Perrault: playing with light
Wilf Perrault's art is among the most immediately recognizable work by any Regina artist. His landscapes capture, not the countryside, but the back alleys of this city and others, alleys where trees, bushes, power poles, fences, garages, puddles and snow come together to create unexpected beauty. Until recently, Wilf created his art in a small studio in Miller Collegiate, where a long row of windows provided light and a view outside and the door was always open for students and staff to drop in. But now Wilf has moved into a spacious new studio, formerly used by fellow Regina artist Joe Fafard, and last Thursday several people, myself included, visited it as part of the MacKenzie Art ...Professional entertainment, amateur audiences
Last night I attended the Conservatory of Performing Arts Ballet Program's outstanding production of La Fille mal Gardée at the University Theatre at the University of Regina. The production was just one more example of the incredible depth of talent we have here in Regina, demonstrated both by the young people who did the dancing and the adults who taught and guided them--in this case, Ana Maria Campos and Nathalia Barbara. The two young leads, Marcelle Pieri as Lise and Wade McLean as Colas, were wonderful to watch. Marcelle in particular was delightful, lighting up the stage so that the audience fell instantly in love with her. A personal highlight for me was the performance ...Who should fund the arts?
I emceed an event on June 5 that got me thinking about the ever-prickly question of funding for the arts. The event was the announcement of local recipients of grants from the Du Maurier Arts Council. I ended up emceeing because, well, someone had to do it, and they usually look for a local actor or performer of some stripe to do the honours. Apparently I was recommended. (Besides, it paid.) But I confess to certain moral qualms. Personally, nothing would make me happier than to see the habit of smoking vanish completely, along with all the tobacco companies that cater to it. Smoking is dangerous, nasty, unhealthy and antisocial. The mere sight of someone lighting up a cigarette causes me to ...Volunteers: vital to Canadian arts
When most people attend a performance of some kind, their attention is naturally focused on the performers--the people on stage singing or dancing or acting or reading from their novel or poetry collection. And that's all well and good--those people worked hard to get there--but there's another group of people that work just as hard behind the scenes for almost any type of performance you can name: volunteers. I've been thinking about the importance of volunteers to the arts for some time. Maybe it's because this year I've been serving on two boards of directors for two different arts organizations: the Regina Lyric Light Opera Society and the Saskatchewan Writers Guild. And as we discuss the ...The Saskatchewan Film Pool: bringing filmmakers together
It's not easy being an independent filmmaker. Of all the art forms, film is one of the most expensive, requiring specialized equipment and facilities. But filmmaking is like any other complicated endeavor: it gets easier when you pool resources with other individuals involved in the same pursuit. That's the philosophy behind the Saskatchewan Filmpool Cooperative. Much like the Neutral Ground Gallery, which I wrote about a few weeks ago, it's a non-profit, artist-run centre. It provides workshops, equipment and funding to independent filmmakers across Saskatchewan, and through its monthly bulletin, Infoshot, and its three-times-a-year magazine Splice, helps build a sense of community. Shane Eason, member services coordinator for the Filmpool, says the cooperative currently has ...Neutral Ground: art from the edge
"Edgy" is an adjective frequently used--maybe overused--these days to describe everything from movies to fashion. The avant-garde, it seems, has become just another marketing niche. But the concept of the avant-garde has a long and honorable history in the art world, where artists are always seeking to be on the edge, to provoke and disturb, to question and maybe even alarm. And for 20 years Regina has had an artist-run gallery designed to expose that kind of art, by both local and visiting artists, to the world. Neutral Ground, now located on the second floor of 1856 Scarth Street, was founded in 1982 by a group of about half a dozen local artists. "They wanted to ...Fauna Secreta
The current exhibit at the Dunlop Art Gallery in the main branch of the Regina Public Library may confuse you at first glance. It doesn't look like it belongs in an art gallery; it looks like it belongs in a museum. There are stuffed animals; artifacts in glass boxes; yellowing photographs and excerpts from scientific journals; even little headphone sets so you can take your own walking tour of the exhibit. "It" is Fauna Secreta by Joan Fontcuberta and Pere Formiguera, and don't let the looks deceive you: this is art, not science--an artistic exhibit deliberately disguised to look like a scientific one. The fictional story behind Fauna Secreta is that Fontcuberta and Formiguera made ...In defense of sweetness and light
It's Christmas, a time many people claim to dread because of what they might call "sappy" music, or "sickly-sweet" sentiment, or "corny" expressions of goodwill and happiness. For some reason, there are critics--a majority of them, I sometimes think--who believe art is only worthwhile if it's "edgy" or "dark" or "explores the seamy underbelly of life." To which I reply, "Bah! Humbug!" Oh, I'll be the first to admit we need art and music and books and movies and television shows of the dark, edgy persuasion--but I refuse to discount the art and music and books and movies and television shows that show us a happier view of the universe in the bargain. People ...
Edward Willett is a Subscribe to my weekly science column for free!
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Magebane
“Spectacular” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Evil wizards, multi-level conspiracies, hidden kingdoms…Lee Arthur Chane…has done a marvelous job…Magebane is a very entertaining book and well worth the time.” – A.M. Donovan, Night Owl Reviews
I happily recommend Magebane and I’ll certainly give Chane’s next novel a try based on this one.” —Bill Capossere, Fantasy Literature
“…an original and delightful tale of epic fantasy and magic, steampunk science, adventure, tragedy, and love…” – Errant Dreams Reviews
Eight centuries ago, the world changed. A devastating war swept the lands, and the MageLords, who had long ruled by virtue of their spell powers, were driven to a distant place, separated from those they had ruled by a magical Barrier. With magic banished from the rest of the world, the MageLords became mere legend and people turned to science to improve their lives. But if one man has his way, all that is about to change….
Written as Lee Arthur Chane (the middle names of my older brothers, Jimmy Lee and Dwight Arthur, and myself, Edward Chane Willett).
Marseguro
Winner of the 2009 Prix Aurora Award for Best Long-Form Work in English
Water world Marseguro is home to the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from human DNA. When an unmodified human seeks revenge on a Selkie by activating a distress beacon taken from the remains of the original colony ship, a strikeforce is sent from Earth to eradicate the genetic abomination. Yet Marseguro will not prove as easy to conquer as the Earth force anticipates…
Terra Insegura
Finalist for the 2010 Prix Aurora Award for Best Novel in English
Marseguro, a water world far from Earth, is home to a colony of humans and the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from modified human DNA. For seventy years the colony has lived in peace. Then Earth discovers Marseguro, and a strike force is sent to eradicate this “abomination.” But Marseguro has created a genetically tailored plague to use against Earth’s Holy Warriors. With the enemy defeated, the people of Marseguro feel they are safe. But Chris Keating, the traitor who signaled Marseguro’s location to the Holy Warriors, has fled to Earth, unknowingly carrying the deadly plague within him. The people of Marseguro feel they must send a ship to Earth with a life-saving vaccine. Only time will tell what awaits them when they reach their destination.
Lost in Translation
Kathryn was a human empath whose world and life had been destroyed when the alien S’sinn slaughtered her parents before her very eyes. Jarrikk was a young S’sinn, an unproven warrior who’d seen his flight mates slaughtered by the humans who’d sought to colonize his world.
As humans and S’sinn found themselves on the brink of war, these two Translators had to work together to find a common ground and avert catastrophe. But whether their Translators’ oath and training could overcome the enemies leagued against them was very much in doubt…
Archives
Song of the Sword
My new YA fantasy novel from Lobster Press
Before the Lady called her, Ariane’s life was a mess. Two years ago, her mother disappeared. She bounced around different foster homes until her aunt finally took her in. The meanest clique at her new high school has decided to make Ariane their prime target. And to top it all off, she is having frightening premonitions, and they are becoming more intense. The moment water touches her skin, she sees visions of a lake, a lady, and a sword. When a staircase opens up in the middle of Wascana Lake and the water begins singing to her, she has no choice but to answer the call….
Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw
Ten walks to points of historic and architectural interest in the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw (eight walks for Regina, two for Moose Jaw).
Johnny Cash: The Man in Black
When country music legend Johnny Cash took the stage at Folsom State Prison in 1968, he solidified the public’s perception of him as a rebel who followed his own path. Born in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Cash endured poverty, the death of his older brother, and a difficult relationship with his father. He turned to gospel and country music to express the pain, and after many years of struggling, his songs of hardship and hope would finally reach the ears of those waiting for an artist who represented them, ordinary people fighting to survive.
Andy Warhol: Everyone Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes
“Paintings are too hard. Machines have less problems…” In the 1960s, Andy Warhol became the most famous creator of a new style of art called pop art, which transformed mass-produced items of popular culture into fine works of art. From Campbell’s Soup cans to photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol’s willingness to use anything and everything from the mass media in his work expanded the range of subject matter available to artists. His avant-garde films, artistic usage of American icons, and unconventional social life made him a controversial figure, both greatly admired and deeply reviled. A trendsetter rather than a trend-follower, a dispassionate observer of both the seamy and celebrity sides of life, Warhol was a true American rebel.
Disease-Hunting Scientist
The true stories of six real disease hunters. Epidemiologists travel the world trying to keep us safe from deadly diseases—from high-tech labs in Canada to remote villages in Africa. Learn how these “disease detectives” are coming up with new ways to fight disease, and find out if you have what it takes to become an epidemiologist, too!
The Bounty Mutiny
The Bounty was a British ship visiting Tahiti in 1789 when some of the crew overthrew the captain, William Bligh, and set him adrift in a tiny boat with sailors loyal to him. The mutiny resulted in a number of trials–both of the men who mutinied and of Bligh for losing command of his ship. These fascinating events have been the source for numerous Hollywood movies, most recently The Bounty. The Bounty Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie explores the famous case and the movies it inspired.
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