smells like Spring… Urban Infill is waking…
Definitely Superior Art Gallery presents,
URBAN INFILL: Art in the Core 12
Downtown-wide Exhibition & Performance Event
400 Artists/ 25 Locations/ 2,500 attended last year!
Join in the Downtown-wide Gala Opening,
Saturday, April 7th, 7-11pm (all ages/by donation).
Then stay for the Arty Lounge After-Party, 11pm-2am (19+).
Celebrating it’s 12th Anniversary year! Experience Thunder Bay transformed by multi-sensory art and unparalleled live performances in this Nuit Blanche-like event. One of the largest presentations of visual and media arts, unique to Thunder Bay.
Featuring works by 400 regional, national and international multi-disciplinary artists at 25 downtown locations, including DefSup, commercial art galleries & spaces, artist studios and empty spaces transformed into new art/performance venues.
See Wearable Art & Fashion Window Performances, 9 live bands & DJ’s, Couch Money Karaoke, World Dance Collective ~Bhangra & Flamenco, Fringe Performance Art, Drag Performances, Belly Dance, Fire & Street performances, Body Suspension.
Film & Media Art installations including 190 degree film immersion, Oculus Rift virtual reality experience, Glitch Art video installation, Arduino interactive electronics projects & projection mapping.
Artist studios & Commercial Gallery Tours, Interactive Art and Artist Talks, Catered Refreshments by Prime Gelato, The Sovereign Room, HomeSlice Bakery & Sweet Escape Cake Cafe & Bakery and so much more!
Start at DefSup [250 Park Ave.], pick up your Art Map and let Performative Tour Guides show you the way! You never know what you’ll see downtown!
Missed the Gala Opening and all the swishy fun? No worries…
Visual art exhibitions continue: Sun. April 8 to Tues. April 10, 12-6pm.
~Re-discover your north core Waterfront District through contemporary art!
—DefSup’s Urban Infill is about:
Revitalizing our downtown by capitalizing on assets of art and culture and creating connections between empty spaces and existing arts, businesses and social spaces. With an innovative vision of arts and business, we can fill up the empty spaces in our downtown, to create a unique niche of an urban arts in our entertainment district.
Urban Infill Series Sponsor: The Waterfront District Bia
Awarded Cultural Event of the Year 2017 by the City of Thunder Bay Arts & Culture Awards.
Nominated Winner of Best Exhibition in The Walleye Magazine, Best of Thunder Bay Survey 2017.
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◄ Featured Multi-disciplinary Arts ►
──At DefSup, see critically-acclaimed national/international artists:
• Erysichthon (multimedia-short film installation) by Jon Rafman (Quebec─Critically acclaimed International artist─not to be missed!);
• Glitched Memories (CRT Based Analog Glitch Video Art Installation) byDrew DeGruyter (Thunder Bay-Regional/National/International following);
• Canadian Contemporary 16- Dr. Bob Chaudhuri Art Collection-{works 16 acclaimed artists, big in the international art scene & featured in major art magazines);
> More info on above exhibitions: http://www.definitelysuperior.com/exhibitions/current/
──In the Downtown, Discover…
New Temporary Art Galleries (empty spaces generously donated and located in multiple downtown locations):
• Tomlinson Block(St Paul/Red River/Cumberland),
• White Macgillivray Lester LLP (Law Firm, 1 Cumberland St. S.),
• Ruttan Block (Red River/Court),
• Atmos-New Rental Venue-Now Open (211 Red River Rd),
• Former Eatons Bldg. (Park/Court/Red River)
–12,500 sq.ft. of new exhibition space!
… Featuring visual & media art works by: LU Visual Art Students, DefSup Members, Die Active/Neechee Studio (new generation art collectives), Confederation College Students –Interactive Media Development (Oculus Rift virtual reality installation/try the VR goggles!), Vox Popular Media Arts Festival (190 degree film immersion!), Arduino interactive electronics projects (sensors power robots, lights, music, motors etc), projection mapping by Doran & Kelly Saxberg.
Commercial Art Galleries & Spaces: Ahnisnabae Art Gallery, Chenier Fine Arts, Local Colour Art Gallery, New Day Records, St. Paul Roastery, Prime Gelato (Sat-open till 10pm).
Artist Studios: Lucy Nova, Candace Twance, David Winters, Christopher Stones, Lisa Loveday, DZ Photography & Spun Creative –Free Social Media Portraits! (7-11pm//upstairs-Tomlinson BK-Suite 201)
Gala Opening Performances/Features- Sat. April 7th, 7-11pm:
• ED/Artistic Director Talk at 7:25pm @ DefSup
• The first Tours of the evening, leave the gallery by 7:50pm. You can also join or leave a tour anytime during the Opening. –Performative Tour Guides: Lizzy Lee, Cortney Kennedy, Samuel Kent-Dion & Renee Terpstra
• Times/locations for special performances are also listed in the Art Map.
Wearable Art Window Performances @: Hill City Comics, Ahnisnabae Art Gallery, Perfect Fit Lingerie, Mars.Clothing, The Loop, former Teleperformance (Red River Rd entrance).
Live music by:
• The James Yeldon Band (folk/rock/country)
• Morning Light (lite) (duo-motown/funk/rock/disco),
• Mary Walker (singer-songwriter)
• Emily Kohne (singer-songwriter)
• Miss Temperance (DJ-deep house-Sugar Shakedown/Werq),
• DJ Luv (disco/house-Sugar Shakedown)
• Couch Money Karaoke (audience participation! @ New Day Records & St. Paul Roastery-lead by Shayne Ehman).
Special Performances:
• “The Dress” by Sam Shahsahabi – wearable art/analog drawing machine performance by Jay Chung,
• Fusion Belly Dance by Lisa Rose Macchione,
• Saidi Belly Dance by Samantha Jolene, performed w/ hand drumming & flute,
• World Dance Collective – Flamenco (feat- Rebekah Skochinski & Sarah Brown) & Bhangra East Indian Dance (feat: Lisa Audet, Cassandra Pereira & Chloe Audet),
• Highland Sword Dancing (feat- Tiffany Miller, Laura Gottfried, Heather Prus & Heather Morgan-Director) ─ sponsored by Morgan’s School of Highland Dancing
• Fire Grinding performances by Dee Marie. –Sponsored by Despres Metal Art Work,
• Fire + Glow Street Performances – Spinning by Jonesy & Juggling by Paul Mignon + Staff & Fire breathing by Sulphur The Clown (BC/Quebec),
• Suspension Serenity: A modern display of ritual flesh suspension. Presented by Holy Scar Body Art with Hook & Dagger. –Special mention to Creation Body Piercing. Lighting by Doran.
Interactive Art:
• Betty Carpick: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly ─ Free All Ages Stitch Session:
A physical map of our community showing landforms and waterways, stitched by artist Betty Carpick, will be a metaphor to speak to the fragility, strength and transitory state of our lives and surroundings. Blindfolds optional.
• Shoddy in a Box Clown Reception ─ by Melody Corvid:
Check in with Shoddy The Clown at the reception desk! Please ring the bell for service, and shoddy will be right with you (clowning/multi disciplinary performance on demand)
► 19+ After-Party Performances*-Sat. April 7th, 11pm-2am; featuring:
—(11pm arrival recommended to see opening performances):
• Fire Grinding performance by Dee Marie & Melissa Marie (sponsored by Despres Metal Artwork)
• Drag Performance by Paloma Marquez (Miss Thunder Pride 2015),
• BLVCKSHEEP (Joey Bergman /DJ-electro/base/house-opened for A Tribe Called Red- http://www.blvcksheep.com/),
—*ID required; After-Party Location listed in Art Map- pickup at DefSup 7-11pm.
For more INFO about the above Art Features of the Urban Infill exhibition, please visit: http://www.definitelysuperior.com/exhibitions/current/
──Thank you to our Generous Urban Infill Supporters!
► Series Sponsor: The Waterfront District BIA
► Donors of Spaces/New Urban Infill Galleries:
> JP Northern Corporation / Tomlinson Block [St. Paul/Red River/Cumberland],
> White Macgillivray Lester LLP [Law Firm Bldg; 1 Cumberland St. S.];
> MDM Developers [former Eaton’s Bldg; Park/Court/Red River]
> Dr. Brian & Gail Scott – Ruttan Block (Court/Red River)
> Atmos -New Rental Venue- Now Open (211 Red River Rd).
► Media Sponsors: The Chronicle Journal, The Walleye – Thunder Bay’s Arts & Culture Magazine, LU Radio – CILU 102.7 FM, TBshows.com.
► Catering Sponsors – Treat Notes for the Gala Opening (7-11pm):
> Cupcakes from Sweet Escape Cake Cafe & Bakery,
> Prime Gelato location (corner of Red River & Cumberland) Open until 10pm! + Free samples at Urban Infill (time & location in Urban Infill Art Map)
>Locally-made Bagels & Crème Cheese by HomeSlice Bakery
>Pizzas by The Sovereign Room
► Photographers: Flashback Photo, Kirvan Photography, Keegan Richard, Patrick Chondon, Dan Ventrudo, The Walleye Magazine, DZ Photography & Spun Creative.
►Performance Sponsors: Silver Cedar Studio, Despres Metal Art Work, Creation Body Piercing, Morgan’s School of Highland Dancing, World Dance Collective.
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Definitely Superior Art Gallery ‒ Ontario Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts: Laureate Winner-2013 & Finalist-2010/2011/2013 ‒ Thunder Bay & Northwestern Ontario’s non-profit/charitable Artist-Run Centre for the Multi-Disciplinary Contemporary Arts ‒ Funders: Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, City of Thunder Bay~Cultural Services, and the generous, arts-supportive people of Thunder Bay ~Engage Art!