Ottawa - Local not-for-profit organizations such as volunteer-based community or recreation associations are invited to apply for funding under the 2010 Civic Events Funding Program, to provide one to two-day civic events with free admission that foster civic pride and develop community cohesion. These events are linked to and celebrate a civic/statutory holiday (i.e., Victoria Day, Canada Day), are held in a specific geographic district in Ottawa, and encompass a broad range of activities (family entertainment).
Maximum Allocation: $2,000
Application Deadline: March 24, 2010
Application forms are available at City of Ottawa Client Service Centres or by visiting ottawa.ca/communityfunding. For more information on the program or for any clarifications, please contact Brenda Denault at 613-580-2424, ext. 26459.
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For more information:
Media contact
613-580-2450
Public inquiries
3-1-1

The Ottawa School of Art (OSA) is now accepting proposals of current or proposed work for the 2011 exhibition season for both its downtown campus gallery and Orleans campus gallery.
Artists working in all media are invited to submit proposals. Group exhibition proposals are also accepted. Artists should submit only one proposal and should indicate the gallery in which they wish their work to be exhibited (i.e. downtown or Orleans). Exhibition proposals can be submitted for consideration at both galleries.
The deadline for submitting artwork is Friday, April 23, 2010. All work must arrive no later than 4:30 p.m. local time (EST) in order to be considered for submission.
Mail or deliver (submissions will not be accepted via email) your submission to:
The Gallery Committee, Ottawa School of Art
35 George St. Ottawa, ON K1N 8W5
For more information, contact OSA Gallery Coordinator Cathy Brake at 613.241.7471 x 27
Download the 2011 Call for Exhibition Proposals and Guidelines for Support Materials online at www.artottawa.ca or stop by the OSA to pick up your copies in person today!

GORILLAZ
Plastic Beach www.gorillaz.com
Dist: EMI Music Canada


We rejoin the band as Murdoc the bass player is gathering musicians and collaborators to create the new album. The new Gorillaz empire is set on a strange floating island deep in the South Pacific at the furthest point from any land mass on the planet... Introducing Plastic Beach - an island made entirely of plastic, debris and the washed up remnants of humanity.

Amongst the collection of historical remains and discarded rubble, Murdoc finds a book detailing the history of Man right up to the present day, except the last chapter "The End of Days" has been torn out - the future is missing. Time to get the band together, finish this album and have fun while the sun still shines...To complete the task, Murdoc has assembled some other musicians to join the band at Plastic Beach, these select people would join him on his floating Hellfire Club, as musicians, players and contributors in this wonky, damaged Plastic opera. Mos Def, Bobby Womack, The Horrors, Lou Reed, Little Dragon, rappers Kano and Bashy, Mark. E. Smith, Syrian orchestras, global musicians and more would be subpoena-ed to collaborate on this visionary Gorillaz record. TRACKLISTING.

Now that Gossip Girl is finally, finally back (unlike, say, Glee), we can hopefully staunch our rivers of tears and let the show get back to the things it does best: scheming, complicated sexual dynamics, and dire stupidity. Though "The Hurt Locket" wasn't GG at its best, it was a nice warm up for the full tilt run toward the season finale (don't leave me again, show! I mean . . . ).

Scheming

Chuck's running around all over town (even missing out on Anna Karenina-role play with Blair) in search of mystery lady from his father's grave (the last ep was about two weeks ago for the UES). Or, as Chuck puts it, "I think that whore might be my mother." In an episode that was actually kind of boring, you know Ed Westwick's exquisitely expressive face* made me choke up a little over that one. We finally meet her, and Elizabeth's got the right weird face (sadly lacking in expression), a weird accent, and half a locket containing a picture of her holding baby Chuck. Or maybe some other Bart baby. I am going to be très disappointed in this show if she turns out to be Chuck's mom after all. I will be happy if this means Chuck gets more to do, though. When was the last time we saw him menace anyone?

Russell Smith of the Globe on why we should lament the decline of the book:  "[W]e lose forever the pleasure known to humanity for 500 years of taking a stroll up and down the aisles of someone else’s brain by perusing their bookshelves."

Also: some recommendations for books to read: De Niro's Game, by Rawi Hage;  Evelyn Waugh's satire of Fleet Street journalism, Scoop (featuring the nature columnist William Boot's immortal line, "Feather-footed through the plashy fen passes the questing vole"); and, in the non-fiction aisle, The Lost City of Z, the journalist David Grann's story of following in the footsteps of the British explorer Percy Fawcett, who disappeared in the Amazon rainforest in 1925 while searching for a mysterious lost civilization.

TWoP has a photo gallery up about why The Vampire Diaries is so addictive (don't they know I already wrote all those posts for you in pursuit of what makes the show awesome?), but let me save you the trouble of clicking through with these three words: the Brothers Salvatore. I like Elena, I love Bonnie, Caroline's cool, and mad props go out to my dearly (sexistly) departed ladies Vicki, Lexi, Bree, and Grams. But the Brothers Salvatore make the show. Thanks to the writing and the wily performances of Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder, Stefan and Damon are never who you think they are.

At first blush, Stefan's the earnest, brooding good guy and Damon's his dangerous, bad boy older brother. While Stefan can be earnest and does brood (specifically with his forehead,  Damon would tell you), he's also far more dangerous than Damon could ever hope to be. Damon kills to feed or to protect himself: he's motivated entirely by his emotions. He views humans as a lesser life form, and it comes across in his every action.

Stefan, on the hand, tries to simultaneously embrace the benefits of being a vampire (longevity, super speed/hearing/strength) while rejecting that which sustains him (human blood). The wistful way he spoke of all the different jobs he's held for as long as he could didn't betray a longing to return to his human form: it spoke of someone determined to get as much as he could out of the life he chose. He's not self-loathing like Edward or Bill. He accepts, and he moves on. But you know what it takes to do as much accepting and moving on as he has? Motherfuckin' sangfroid, which he has in spades. Unlike Damon, Stefan readily forms human attachments, and his determination to protect them (not himself) from things that go bump in the night (although sadly not from Bumpits) leads him to some pretty dark places. We've seen him stake and flame-throw other vampires without hesitation. What will he do if another human ever threatens Elena? How far would he go? He's smart, funny, passionately in love, and loyal to both people and place. He's also an icy dispatcher of foes and not above poisoning his own brother. He's a study in contrasts.

Why limit your gallery openings to one night a week?

GCTC's FRITZI gallery presents:
Eric Sze-Lang Chan (eepmon)
March 4 ~ April 11
A visual art dialogue with “blood.claat"
Meet the Artist Reception (free)
Thursday March 4   6-8pm 1233 Wellington Street West (at Holland Avenue), 2nd Floor Level

Brian Jungen: Thursday, March 4 at 6 pm
Brian Jungen will discuss his artistic practice. A bilingual question period will follow.
Brian Jungen creates thought provoking sculptures through the reconfiguring of familiar objects. His work comments on a range of issues, from mass production and globalization to the consumption of Aboriginal imagery through museum practices. He first came to prominence with Prototypes for New Understanding (1998–2005), in which he reconceived Nike footwear into objects that suggest Northwest Coast Aboriginal masks. Since then his work has been exhibited extensively in Canada and internationally including at the Vancouver Art Gallery (British Columbia), Tate Modern (London), the New Museum (New York), the Biennale of Sydney (Australia), and Vienna Secession, (Austria).  The National Gallery of Canada collection currently holds four works by Jungen including Peoples Flag, 2006; Vienna, 2003; Vernacular, 1998-2001; and Shapeshifter, 2000.
In the National Gallery's Lecture Hall. Free admission. 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa

American author/actress/socialite/designer Gloria Vanderbilt is establishing a literary prize for Canadian short-story authors. The prize is dedicated in the memory of her son Carter V. Cooper, who committed suicide in 1988. So, she's responsible for real life hottie Anderson Cooper, fictionally related to hottie Nate Archibald, and giving to the literary community in Canada? Gloria Vanderbilt is some kind of magic.

CALL TO ARTISTS
Blink Artist Collective is currently accepting submissions for the 2010 exhibition season. Blink Gallery can be found in Header House, a small, stone NCC heritage building in Major's Hill Park, across the bridge from the National Gallery. Blink will be mounting another exciting series of one-week shows from June to September, which will feature the work of Blink artists, as well as showcase a variety of guest artists. Blink is encouraging artists of all disciplines to apply.
Please apply with a non-refundable application fee of $25.
Please go to www.blinkgallery.ca and look for the application form - all the necessary information for application can be found on the form.
For any questions regarding application go to: karina_kraenzle@sympatico.ca
All submissions will be juried by Blink.
DEADLINE - March 15, 2010
Please mail applications to:
Blink Gallery for the Arts Inc.
PO Box 53070
RPO Rideau-centre
Ottawa, ON   K1N 1C5

The New York Post's NYPD March 3 blotter includes the following little gem:

Brooklyn

He just wigged out.

I'm a big believer in making your own fun. If the Daily Show has taught me anything (oh, how it has), it's that the news can play a big role in said fun-making. All you need are a few headlines. Such as: 

"Victoria dancers sparkle in the limelight"
Misread that as daylight, and you might think Stephenie Meyer attacked Victoria.

"J'ai tué ma mère fails to win César"
So not only did Xavier Dolan's film lose, it also came home to face a very disappointed parent Montreal Gazette.

Galerie SAW Gallery presents / La Galerie SAW Gallery présente :

FREE SCHOOL / ÉCOLE LIBRE

A new initiative proposed by members of the Board of Trustees of Galerie SAW Gallery, Free School is a free workshop and lecture series geared toward professional visual and media artists working in the Ottawa and Gatineau regions. Providing an exceptional opportunity to delve into a curriculum that few learning institutions deliver, Free School features leaders in various fields related to the arts, who will speak to artists in practical terms on subjects ranging from crating and conservation to working with curators and running a studio. Informative and accessible to a wide range of artists from emerging to established, this series is meant to enrich your artistic career all the while providing a unique networking opportunity.

Call to Artists
THE NEW ART FESTIVAL 2010
(formerly known as Art in the Park)
Saturday, June 5th & Sunday, June 6th, 2010
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Central Park, The Glebe, Ottawa
Application deadline: Monday, March 8th, 2010
Information & Application Process: www.artinfoboy.org
The New Art Festival is a celebration of original, one-of-a-kind art & fine craft and the artists who create it. This unique event is geared to strengthen the connections among visual artists, craftspeople, art educators, galleries and the public.
Ottawa's hugely popular outdoor art exhibition is a free, family-oriented event in a beautiful park setting. This exhibition attracts thousands of visitors annually (previous years' estimate: 10,000 over two days).
Participating artists are selected by a jury comprised of practicing artists and arts professionals. We invite local food vendors to participate, provide shaded rest areas, do excellent publicity and work hard to make sure that the two days are fun and comfortable for the artists and the public. We know that art does sell at this show and that it is a tremendous networking opportunity.
Prizes are awarded in several categories.

RENT AND SELL YOUR ART as an artist member of ART LENDING OF OTTAWA
Next jury date is Tuesday, April 27, 2010.
More information on the News page of our website.
Or telephone: 613-224-8028

ALMOST ALICE
Various Artists
Dist: Universal Music Canada


Almost Alice features an eclectic array of artists with original songs based on the wonders of Lewis Carroll's beloved books and visionary director Tim Burton. This album featuring 15 brand new tracks is a companion release to Danny Elfman's soundtrack score. The Lead single is the Avril Lavigne end credit song "Alice." Track Listing.

If you watched the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, you may have come away with the impression that Russia's culture is a little more...mmm...high-brow than Canada's. (Please don't think I'm necessarily complaining about this, though.) They have the Bolshoi Ballet, we have giant floating beavers; they have Valeri Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra (who, incidentally, will be at the National Arts Centre on March 15), we have William Shatner and a sadly under-used Catherine O'Hara telling very poor jokes. (We do, on the other hand, have Neil Young, who is probably worth a couple of those wordy 19th-century Russian novelists all on his own.)

The Russians have always taken their culture seriously - sometimes too much so. The poet Osip Mandelstam famously said, "Only in Russia is poetry respected - it gets people killed." (He himself would eventually become one of the victimes.) Joseph Stalin had been a well-known, even admired, romantic poet in his youth in Georgia, and showed a lively (and deadly) interest in Soviet writers and composers after he became dictator.

But still - they were also able to produce something like this:

Not a lot to choose from from Hollywood this week. If you're a die hard* Kevin Smith fan, you may want to check out the heinous looking Cop Out, which would have you believe that road hauling should be played for laughs. Are funny lynch mobs next? You also have the remake of The Crazies, starring Timothy Olyphant. Anything featuring the triumphant return of Olyphant in law & order mode or with a moustache gets a pass in my book. Theatres in town are being a bit daring with World Exchange Centre picking up Helen, in which Ashley Judd stars as a professor coming to terms with her depression, and To Save a Life, in which a former friend's suicide rocks to boy who seemingly has it all, premiering at South Keys. 

Over at the Bytowne, you must check out The Young Victoria, one of the 10 best movies of 2009. You can also see The White Ribbon, if you're into Michael Haneke, or La Donation, un film québécois about a dying doctor searching for someone to take over his small regional practice.

At the Mayfair, you must check out Red Cliff, which plays at times like a John Wood parody, but he still rocks action sequences harder than most. You haven't live until you've seen what Tony Leung will do after you shoot him with an arrow. There's also original The Crazies, classic Some Like it Hot (possibly the best last line in a movie ever), The Horse Boy, Thundercast are Go!, Black, and new midnight movie The Room on Saturday night. 

Friday

THE OTTAWA ART GALLERY PRESENTS
Friday 26 February at 12:30 pm
In the context of the exhibition "Exploded View," Jennifer R. Angus will present and discuss her work.
Arts Court, 2 Daly Avenue

Research Fellowship Lectures: General Idea
Friday, February 26 from 2 pm to 5 pm
Three presentations by Fellows from the 2009/10 program focus on the Canadian artists' group General Idea. The Research Fellowships Program encourages and supports advanced research. The Fellowships emphasize the use and investigation of the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, including those of the Library and Archives.
In the Lecture Hall of the National Gallery (380 Sussex Drive). In English with bilingual discussion. Free admission.

OAG | GAO : Subjecting Figures (from the Firestone Collection of Canadian Art)
The official opening will take place on February 25 at 5:30 p.m.
Arts Court, 2 Daly Avenue

Spring Thaw Craft Fair is looking for vendors for an upcoming event at the Routhier Community Centre on Guiges Ave. The event takes place on Saturday March 27th from 10am-5pm. We're searching for about 20-25 vendors. The tables are 6 feet long, and you are welcome to share a table and the fee ($30) as long as you can make the space work for you.
Please e-mail the following information to kate@operationcomehome.ca
Name
Company Name
Contact Info (e-mail and phone)
Brief description of your product and some sample photos.
Kate Greenland
BeadWorks Staff
613-230-4663
www.operationcomehome.ca
kate@operationcomehome.ca

The votes have been tallied and it's time to announce the nominees for the third annual Rideau Awards, which celebrate achievement in professional theatre in the region of Ottawa-Gatineau. This year for the first time, Les Prix Rideau Awards will be fully bilingual, with a full slate of awards to be presented for both English and French-language productions. The awards will be handed out during a celebration to take place on Sunday, April 18, 2010, at De La Salle High School.

The nominees for English-language productions are:

Outstanding Performance – Female