6:30 pm Monday 26 July 2010

Art As Mirror, 2009, 30 min & Baghdad To Peace Country, 2003, 28 min

Tonight we'll be featuring two films by local filmmaker Sherry LePage and a lobby full of paintings.

Art As Mirror A celebration of Canada's visual arts heritage (26 min) about Jeremie Gyles, a renaissance man who, as one of his many projects, painted a posthumous homage to seventy-two Canadian artists in each with a sample of their work in the image. A couple of retired teachers bought the collection and will be presenting some of the canvases.

Also Baghdad To Peace Country (28 min) about a giant artwork Victorian artist Derek Houston carved with a bulldozer in the northern landscape. printable poster

"This documentary is about Canadian artist Deryk Houston, who in 1999, had a life-altering journey to Baghdad. Unable to remain an outside observer of the crisis in Iraq, Deryk travelled to witness first-hand the impact of international sanctions on the Iraqi people. Compelled to speak out, the artist embarked upon a unique nature art project designed to call attention to the situation of the children of Iraq. Using rocks, gravel and hay, Deryk began to create large-scale art installations in the image of a mother and child against diverse landscapes around the world." You can watch it at: http://www.nfb.ca/film/from_baghdad_to_peace_country/ - but see it on our big screen with the creators Sherry and Deryk.

Canvases from both artists will be adorning our gallery/lobby with special guests filmmaker Sherry Lepage, Dianne Harding and Bud Huzyk, and artist Deryk Houston. more or even more. Also visit Deryk Houston's Art Gallery.

6:30 pm Monday 9 August 2010

Three films by David Laing Dawson, 100 min

with director Dawson in Person

Two about art and wellness:

The Brush, The Pen and Recovery (33 min) - about an art studio for people with mental illness and showing an exhibition of their work in Dawson's Hamilton, ON gallery. more

And, Painting with Tom, David, and Emily (14 min) - following the spirits of outdoor landscapists Tom Thompson, David Milne, and Emily Carr. trailer and another trailer

also one about a man with Schizophrenia

My Name is Walter James Cross: The Reality of Schizophrenia (53 min)Finding an abandoned theater, a man who lives with SZ stands on the stage alone and recounts his descent into mental illness and what his life is like now; what makes a difference for him, what is comforting, what he's lost. Created by a psychiatrist who has worked for many years with patients who have schizophrenia and based largely on a particular patient, now friend's, experience. all PG

With David Laing Dawson, psychiatrist, artist, gallery owner, novelist, and filmmaker from Hamilton, ON, on hand in person for discussion. contact

The Intern is my favourite of his books, of the two I've read. bio This article is a good read - gives you an idea about his style and sensibility. ...about a bipolar, brain injured client going out on the town for his birthday with his support workers. more Dawson's gallery and all more

He's coming to town for a family do in early August and MM Aug 9.

6:30 pm Monday 23 August 2010

The Last Station, 2009, 30 min

A tale of two romances, one beginning, one near its end, The Last Station is a complex, funny, rich and emotional story about the difficulty of living with love and the impossibility of living without it. After almost fifty years of marriage, the Countess Sofya (Helen Mirren), Leo Tolstoy's (Christopher Plummer) devoted wife, passionate lover, muse and secretary—she's copied out War and Peace six times…by hand!—suddenly finds her entire world turned upside down. In the name of his newly created religion, the great Russian novelist has renounced his noble title, his property and even his family in favor of poverty, vegetarianism and even celibacy. After she's born him thirteen children! A new male secretary comes to work with Tolstoy and finds a complicated scene, full of hypocrisy and intrigue. You will too! 2009 112min 14A some nudity and sexuality. Deryk Houston's Art Gallery.