ARIANE MOFFAT WITH SPECIAL GUEST FANNY BLOOM
Singer-songwriter Ariane Moffatt has said that her goal as a musician is to “master the essence of each kind of groove.” Her live performances realize this goal, showcasing her seemingly effortless combination of electro, pop, soul, and rock. Featuring fellow Québécois singer-songwriter Fanny Bloom, this musical evening of French and English songs will enchant all audiences. From $25. Thursday, April 18, 7:30 p.m. National Arts Centre, NAC Theatre, 53 Elgin St., www.nac-cna.ca.

Love Lies Bleeding, presented by The Alberta Ballet Company, is loosely based on the life of Sir Elton John. Photo by J.J. Thompson

ALBERTA BALLET: LOVE LIES BLEEDING
Explore the trials, victories, and sacrifices of achieving super stardom set to 14 classic songs from the man who has been called “The Liberace of Rock ’n’ Roll.” This ballet-sequined spectacle from The Alberta Ballet, loosely based on the life of Sir Elton John, celebrates the fact that he’s still standing despite the hardships of the industry. From $45. Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20, 8 p.m. National Arts Centre, Southam Hall, 53 Elgin St., www.nac-cna.ca.

STIFF QUICKIES
Grab your favourite cocktail and settle in to your seat at this glamorous fundraiser for The Ottawa Fringe Festival. The soiree features short films by Craig Conoley, Shooter McNally, Gabriel Marchand-Herbert, Ray Besharah, and Pat Gauthier, to name a few. Drinks will be flowing by 7 p.m., and the films kick off at 7:30 p.m. $12, or two for $20 in advance. Friday, April 19, 7 p.m. Arts Court Theatre, 2 Daly Ave., www.ottawafringe.myshopify.com.

Titans of the Ice Age 3D offers viewers a chance to consider the environment of woolly mamoths and other extinct animals.

TITANS OF THE ICE AGE 3D
The human spirit of ingenuity is alive in Titans of the Ice Age 3D. Embark on a journey to the past, experiencing the harsh climatic conditions humans have survived and thrived in long before our time. You’ll be reminded of the human capacity for innovation as you consider the majestic woolly mammoth and other creatures that did not overcome the forces of nature. $11, students and seniors $9, children three to 12 $7. See website for showtimes. Canadian Museum of Civilization, 100 Laurier St., Gatineau, QC, www.civilization.ca.

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
The Gladstone’s 2012/2013 season comes to a close with a witty production of The Taming of the Shrew. An all-male cast from Bear and Co. takes the stage for Shakespeare’s outrageous comedy, wherein a romantic war is waged when a stubborn bride refuses to be a complacent wife. Watch the manipulation unfold when the groom learns to fight fire with fire! $39, seniors $34, students $23. Friday, April 19 to Sunday, May 5. See website for show times. The Gladstone, 910 Gladstone Ave., www.thegladstone.ca.

OTTAWA CONTRA DANCE
Sling on the baby, strap the little ones in the car seat, and head to Westboro to dance off some of the family’s excess energy. Participate in dance lessons as you swing and step the afternoon away along to traditional Irish and Québécois music performed live on the fiddle, the Irish flute, and the banjo. Don’t forget your indoor dancing shoes! $10, children 16 and under free. Saturday, April 20, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Churchill Recreation Centre, 345 Richmond Rd., www.ottawacontra.ca.

MATTHEW BARBER WITH SPECIAL GUEST MOLLY THOMASON
Ease your transition to the workweek with some Sunday afternoon song. Toronto singer-songwriter Matthew Barber combines folk, blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and country to produce his distinctive sound largely influenced by great North American songwriters of the 20th century. Joining him is the young, enormously talented Molly Thomason bringing her strong vocals and eclectic energy from the East Coast. $20, $15 in advance. Sunday, April 21, 4:20 p.m. The Black Sheep Inn, 753 Riverside Dr., Wakefield, QC, www.theblacksheepinn.com.

PHIL DELISLE: METAPAINTING (FREE!)
Phil Deslisle beckons you into the world of an artist with his exhibition Metapainting, allowing the viewer a conceptual glimpse into windows of the artistic experience. This unique display captures the essence of painting, featuring the artistic process on both micro and macro levels, from the washing of a paintbrush to bird’s eye views of a studio in disarray. Until May 19, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Ottawa School of Art, 35 George St., www.artottawa.ca.

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SHOSTAKOVICH’S CELLO CONCERTO
Perhaps the rich and melodic sound of the cello will coax spring into arriving a little sooner this year. Superstar German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser performs pieces from Shostakovich, Haydn, and Brahms. From $22. Thursday, March 14, and Friday, March 15. National Arts Centre, 53 Elgin St., www.nac-cna.ca.

ELEGANT EGGS
Proof that Easter eggs aren’t just for kids, artist Valentyna Galadza-Park of ArtsyEggs.com leads a three-hour workshop in psyanka, eggs decorated in traditional patterns using dyes and wax. All supplies are included, so all you need to bring are your design ideas and willingness to get a little messy. $30. Thursday, March 15, and Sunday, March 17. Canadian Museum of Civilization, 100 Laurier St., www.civilization.ca.

The whole family can learn about our solar system at the Helen Sawyer Hogg observatory.

SOLAR OBSERVING (FREE!)
Get up close and personal with the sun at the Helen Sawyer Hogg Observatory, where you’ll safely observe solar activity and sunspots. It’s a fun way for the whole family to learn a bit more about our solar system. Saturday, March 16, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Canada Science and Technology Museum, 1867 St Laurent Blvd., www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE (FREE!)
Wear green and show up along the parade route with the whole family for a fun Irish-themed celebration. Bring (non-perishable) food and cash donations too: volunteers will be collecting them along the parade route to benefit the Ottawa Food Bank. Saturday March 16, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. See website for parade route information, www.irishsocietyncr.com.

LIVE ANIMALS FROM THE ST. LAWRENCE VALLEY
Local wildlife takes over the Museum of Nature! Zoologists from the Ecomuseum Zoo are on hand to introduce your family to the amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds from around our region, plus give talks on diversity and conservation. $12, students and seniors $10, children (three to 12) $8, children two and under free. Saturday, March 16, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Canadian Museum of Nature, 240 McLeod St., www.nature.ca.

CANTATA SINGERS OF OTTAWA: STABAT MATER IV
Ottawa’s Cantata Singers have been wowing audiences since 1964. For the final performance in their Stabat Mater series, the Singers, joined by Thirteen Strings, perform choral music from the Renaissance to the 21st century by Rheinberger, Mealor, and Mäntyjärvi. $30, seniors $25, students $10. Saturday, March 16, 7:30 p.m. St. Joseph’s Church, 174 Wilbrod St., www.cantatasingersottawa.ca.

Laila Biali combines the best of pop, rock, classical, and soul. Photo by Edith Maybin.

LAILA BIALI
What happens when you combine formidable jazz talents with the best of pop, rock, classical, and soul? Laila Biali. She’s performed in venues all over the world and now brings her award-winning sound to the NAC’s Fourth Stage. From $27. Saturday, March 16, 7:30 p.m. National Arts Centre, 53 Elgin St., www.nac-cna.ca.

VERSEFEST POETRY FESTIVAL
Versefest is further proof, if you needed it, that poetry readings and the art of the spoken word did not end with the beatniks. Celebrate the beauty and the versatility of the English language with some of the best the poetry world (and Ottawa!) has to offer. From $5.  On until Sunday, March 17. See website for festival passes and venue information, www.versefest.ca.

The post WEEKENDER: Laila Biali at the NAC! Easter eggs at the Museum of Civilization! An assortment of outings and activities to get you through March Break appeared first on Ottawa Magazine.

Anonyme, École de Cuzco. Unión de la descendencia imperial Incaica con la casa de los Loyola y Borgia. 1718. Huile sur toile avec applications de feuilles d’or. 175,2 x 168,3 cm. Museo Pedro de Osma, Lima. Photo : 2011 Joaquín Rubio.

At 2,430 metres above sea level, the “lost” city of the Incas, Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes, is often literally a city in the clouds. My first thought when I visited the otherworldly site many years ago was that gods must have walked those very streets 600 years ago.

Photographs and artifacts from Machu Picchu are among the first objects to greet visitors at a new, spectacular exhibition of Peruvian art that spans the ancient to the contemporary. The exhibit currently on view at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

But don’t linger in that room dedicated to Machu Picchu. Speed ahead because there are far more dazzling artifacts to be seen from other Peruvian peoples, notably the Mochica and Chimu, that predated the Incas, and left us treasures only rivalled by the golden loot from Egyptian pyramids.

The exhibition is titled Peru: Kingdom of the Sun and the Moon. There are scores of artifacts from Peru’s pre-Hispanic ancient peoples, the Viceroyal period during the Spanish colonial days, and more contemporary works from the style Peruvians call “Indigenismo”; a nationalistic type of art celebrating indigenous peasant life.

While the Spanish missionaries tried to stamp out ancient religions and customs, they were not always very successful. Many of the artists painting Christian religious scenes after the conquest of indigenous peoples were, in fact, indigenous, cleverly incorporating some of their own iconography into the scenes of saints and sinners so beloved by the Spanish.

These native artists had a fondness for floral decoration and gilded images. And that’s what they produced in their Christian paintings. The very Catholic Spanish loved portraits of the Virgin Mary. Well, the indigenous tribes had virgin goddesses of their own. Who could tell if that smiling woman in a portrait was the Christian Mary or some Andean goddess?

Lambayeque, North Coast. Funerary mask, 750–1375 A.D. Gold, silver, amber, emerald. 7 x 31 x 59 cm. Museos “Oro del Perú” – “Armas del Mundo,” Fundación Miguel Mujica Gallo, Lima.

Many of the 2,000-year-old treasures on display are ceramics or made of gold. Both types of objects age extremely well. Some look like they could have been created yesterday. The solid gold crowns and other bodily decorations will knock your socks off.

There are even examples of Mochica porn: Two stirrup spout bottles showing a woman masturbating a man and two other ceramic bottles made in the shape of female and male genitalia. Those latter ones look like something you could buy today at a joke shop. All that is missing is a whoopee cushion and some plastic dog vomit.

The star of the show is called “Peru’s Mona Lisa.” The name does not really fit, except like the real Mona Lisa, this golden object is awash in mystery and beauty.

The Peruvian Mona Lisa is a gold Mochican head ornament from 100 to 800 AD. In the centre of this ostentatious decoration is a feline head. Eight octopus tentacles sprout from that head. The ends of the tentacles curl into the shape of catfish heads.

That feline head represents the decapitating diety called Ai-Apaec. Decapitation was considered a good way to die back then, well, at least for those doing the decapitating.

Regulars at Gatineau’s Canadian Museum of Civilization will remember the 2007 exhibition, Sican, Ancient Peru Unearthed. That was a fine show focusing on artifacts from one Peruvian cultural group. Think of it as something of a teaser for the much larger and more comprehensive show in Montreal.

Peru: Kingdom of the Sun and the Moon remains at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts until June 16.

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A photo of silent film star Mary Pickford. Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1920s Library and Archives Canada, e010857304.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization is not just about to become the Canadian Museum of History but, as of March 21, it will also become a temporary stand-in for the Canadian Portrait Gallery.

Although Canada has no real bricks-and-mortar national Portrait Gallery, it does have a virtual one that pops into life now and then in various parts of the country. Most recently in Ottawa, the Portrait Gallery’s administrators, Library and Archives Canada, mounted an excellent small show at the Canadian War Museum displaying portraits of key players in the War of 1812.

Now the Canadian Museum of Civilization is on the verge of showcasing an exhibition of 100 portraits of 57 Canadians assembled by the portrait “program” at Library and Archives.

The exhibition is called Double Take: Portraits of Intriguing Canadians. It will be at Civilization from March 21 to Oct. 14. It has already appeared in Charlottetown at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery and at the McMichael Canadian Art Centre in Kleinburg, Ont.

The portraits span four centuries — including early explorers Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain, and more contemporary icons such as environmentalist David Suzuki and race car driver Gilles Villeneuve — using a variety of media, including paintings, photographs, cartoons, drawings, video, and sculpture.

There are the usual good guys: Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, author Margaret Atwood, and athlete Tom Longboat. But there are also some characters who tend to fall into a far different category: Ex-con Conrad Black, sports cheater Ben Johnson, Métis rebel Louis Riel. Think of the exhibition as Canada, warts and all.

Out For Fun (Dionne Quintuplets). Andrew Loomis, 1950. Library and Archives Canada, e010836745.

The title of Double Take refers to the fact that the exhibition, through images and text, tries to show two sides of people — the well-known and the lesser-known aspects of their personalities. Example: Joni Mitchell is posed in front of one of her paintings to demonstrate that she sees herself as a visual artist more than a musician. And did you know Mitchell had polio as a child, leaving her with a weakened left arm and the need to develop a different style of guitar picking to compensate for the disability?

The exhibition, while at the McMichael, received a glowing review from the Toronto Star’s entertainment columnist Martin Knelman.

“While this might not have been the government’s intention, this stunning exhibition mainly serves to demonstrate the marvellous promise that was dashed a few years when the Harper government ditched plans to build a national portrait gallery where the country’s rich collection could be on display permanently,” Knelman said.

“The entire collection includes tens of thousands of pieces, so this show represents just a taste of it. But it’s a provocative selection that defies clichés about the presumed dull, self-effacing nature of prominent Canadians. And many of these memorable images are being showcased for the first time.”

The Canadian Museum of Civilization is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. Many thousands of people will visit the Double Take exhibition. So why not create a permanent home for the Portrait Gallery in the Museum of Civilization? The museum has loads of space, considering the Postal Museum there is being disbanded and the attic floor housing a Personalities Gallery is being dismantled.

We all love looking at portraits and the stories behind them. And there could be no better place to stick a small portrait gallery than in a building housing the Canadian Museum of History.

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By Paul Gessell

Pwen Ibo (Ibo point). Made from terra cotta, bone, wood, and cloth. Pwen possess the power of a lwa or the spirit of an ancestor. Made by maji practitioners, they offer protection to those who request them. © MCC/ CMC, Frank Wimart.

Mauro Peressini is walking, most respectfully, through the rooms of the Canadian Museum of Civilization that, come November 15, will be filled with sacred Haitian voodoo objects.

On this particular day, with many of the 300 artifacts still to be installed in the 15-month-long exhibition, the rooms are largely bare, except for a few man-sized scary figures called lwas. These are the voodoo spirits that can, according to adherents of the religion, enter people and take control.

These lwas have been deconsecrated by voodoo priests or priestesses. But they are far from simply inanimate objects. They are, for example, deliberately not being put into glass display cases. That would be disrespectful.

As well, these lwas still supposedly have the potential to cause people to go into a trance, not unlike evangelical Christians who claim they are visited by the Holy Spirit and, in a trance-like state, start twitching, fainting, and speaking gibberish or, what is often called, “speaking in tongues.”

Peressini, the lead curator for Vodou, says museum staff have been trained in how to deal with anyone who suddenly falls under the spell of a lwa in the exhibition. Such people are to be held closely and carefully guided to a seated position on a chair until the trance passes.

This is no joke. There are voodoo ceremonies regularly practised by some members of the 100,000 Haitian expats in the Montreal area and elsewhere in Canada. Peressini consulted widely with “voodooists” in both Montreal and in Haiti in preparation for this exhibition. It is very possible that some adherents of the religion could come to see the exhibition in Gatineau and encounter representations of lwas that have a particular connection to them. The reaction may be more than an urge to snap a photo.

Anyone who has ever witnessed a true voodoo ceremony knows that almost anything can happen to those who believe. Bodies can suddenly become immune to pain, emit strange sounds, or be bent into shapes that do not seem humanly possible. True believers can feel possessed by a lwa and forced to do things against their will.

Rèn Kongo (Queen of the Congo), made of concrete. This representation of Rèn Kongo is rich in symbols. The lwa bears the word “Guinée” (Guinea) on her right breast, a reference to a mythical ancestral Africa. Her left breast has been cut off, like that of an Amazon. Rèn Kongo is portrayed as a female warrior holding a machete, evoking the female cavalry and infantry units of the Kingdom of Dahomey (present-day Benin). The children at her feet represent the human race, over which she reigns. © MCC/ CMC, Marie-Louise Deruaz.

Voodoo is being treated as a respected religion in Civilization’s exhibition in the manner the museum might treat an exhibition about Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, or indigenous North American spirituality.

The exhibition will contain doll-like figures, sculptures, rattles, a sacred altar, baroque mirrors that act as conduits to the spirit world, and oddly-shaped “pakes” that are containers of magic ingredients.

Various exhibits will demonstrate how voodoo fits into Haitian history, the hierarchy and power of the lwas and the religion’s power to heal. Throughout the exhibition will be videos of real voodoo disciples discussing aspects of the religion.

This collection of artifacts has been touring Europe since 2008 with stops in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and The Netherlands. Now it comes to Gatineau. Afterward, it is expected to tour Canada and the United States.

Voodoo is a religion rooted in Africa, brought to Haiti centuries ago by slaves and then influenced by the Caribbean country’s now extinct indigenous people, the Taino, and by Roman Catholicism. Many Haitians consider themselves simultaneously followers of both voodoo and Catholicism.

The overwhelming majority of the voodoo artifacts in the exhibition were collected by Marianne Lehmann, a Swiss woman who moved to Haiti in 1957 and still lives in Petionville, an upscale area of Port-au-Prince.

Vodou opens November 15 and will be on view at the Canadian Museum of Civilization until 2014.

The post THE ARTFUL BLOGGER: A sneak peek at the Museum of Civilization’s voodoo exhibition, opening Nov. 15 appeared first on Ottawa Magazine.

By Paul Gessell

"Bethune" by Gary Haggquist. Acrylic and collage on canvas, 36"x 36", 2008.

Some of Stephen Harper’s Conservative backbenchers flew into a rage this summer upon learning the federal government was spending $2.5 million on a new visitors’ centre at the Norman Bethune Memorial House in Gravenhurst, Ont., the birthplace of the famed battlefield doctor 170 kilometres north of Toronto.

The outraged Tories complained Bethune (1890-1939) was a Communist, so federal tax dollars should not be spent to honour his memory, even though the Gravenhurst centre is a magnet for tourists, especially from China, who hold a more positive view of the doctor lionized by Mao Zedong.

“I don’t doubt there’s a lot of people who get warm and fuzzy when they think of Norman Bethune,” Conservative MP Rob Anders was quoted in the Sun newspapers as saying. “They’re probably left-leaning. But he doesn’t warm the cockles of my heart.”

So, expect to hear similar comments in coming years as the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa prepares a joint Bethune exhibition with China’s Soong Ching Ling Foundation Research Centre.

A memorandum of understanding was signed in June by the museum’s chief executive officer, Denise Amyot, during a visit to China. That agreement was one of 12 between Canadian museums and Chinese organizations planning to collaborate on future projects.

These agreements were the culmination of the third Canada-China Cultural Dialogue organized by the Canadian Fund for International Understanding through Culture (Can4Culture) and its counterpart in China, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, an agency of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meetings built upon talks by Prime Minister Harper and the Chinese President, Hu Jintao, in February this year calling for greater “cultural exchanges.”

Yves St. Onge, vice-president of public affairs and marketing at the Canada Science and Technology Museum, says a date has not yet been set for the Bethune exhibition. But it is coming and it will involve artifacts from the Canadian museum and from China.

Bethune became famous for developing lifesaving battlefield medicine techniques initially in the Spanish Civil War and later in China during the Communists’ long march to power. Bethune’s work in China made him a hero of the Communist revolution.

Other museums that signed agreements in China in June include Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Markham Museum and the Varley Art Gallery, both in Markham, McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinberg, and the Museum of Vancouver. So, expect to see many Chinese-themed exhibitions in coming years across the country.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization signed a similar agreement in China in the lead-up to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Civilization created an exhibition of First Nations artifacts for China and, in return, Canada received an exhibition of ancient Chinese cultural treasures.

These agreements are win-win situations. Civilization has signed such agreements with Japan, Mexico, and other countries. The Science and Tech museum is new to the game, but is keen on the Bethune exhibition and has, on its wish list, an exhibition some day that would focus on ancient scientific achievements by Arab countries. There will surely be a backbencher to complain about that, too.

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By Paul Gessell

Head of man with a headdress. This modeled head may depict Kan B’alam II, one of Palenque’s rulers during the late 7th century CE. Late Classic Period (600-900 CE). Photo ©CONACULTA.-INAH.-MEX. Jorge Vertiz 2011.

Every day by 11 a.m., the parking lot at the magnificent Mayan archeological site at Chichen Itza, Mexico, is filled with busloads of tourists, many of them Canadian, from the rows of highrise hotels at the Yucatan beach resorts of Playa del Carmen and Cancun.

That huge wave of sunburned humanity that descends every day at Chichen Itza and other Mayan sites, such as Palanque and Tulum, are so huge and overwhelming that it becomes difficult to enjoy the 1,500-year-old pyramids, temples, ball courts, and other structures that should leave you in awe. But it is difficult to be awed when camera-clicking tourists speaking a dozen languages keep stepping on your toes and blocking your camera angles.

The enjoyment of these archeological sites is further diminished by the endless souvenir stands scattered throughout the ruins selling T-shirts, onyx chess sets, and “genuine” Mayan artifacts.

Strangely, many of Mexico’s Mayan sites lack adjoining museums of any note to display the sculptures, pottery, jewellery, and other artifacts that have been found at these sites. Those are usually stored in museums in faraway Mexico City or other urban centres.

So, if you have visited these Mayan sites and left disappointed, there is a solution right at home. The Canadian Museum of Civilization has just opened an exhibition titled Maya: Secrets of Their Ancient World. Frankly, your will see more artifacts up close at the museum than you will encounter at the actual archeological sites, although Civilization can not boast a steep pyramid to climb, a ball court to test your athleticism, or “genuine” Mayan souvenirs made in China.

The Mayan exhibition arrived in Gatineau after a successful run at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. There are many splendid sculptures, friezes, ceramics, jade jewellery, bone carvings, and other artifacts.

Note that the heads of people portrayed in many of the sculptures are cone-shaped. That’s because the soft skulls of Mayan babies were intentionally shaped this way by being squeezed between two boards for long periods of time. Faces were often decorated with intricate patterns of scars. People, it seems, have been slaves to fashion since time immemorial.

A favourite artifact in the exhibition is titled “Tablet of the Warriors From Temple XVII.” Carved from stone, it comes from Palanque, well in the interior of the Yucatan peninsula. Almost life-sized, it depicts a ruler of Palanque called K’inich Kan B’alam II towering over a kneeling enemy captive. Such captives were tortured, humiliated, and killed. The fun was just about to begin in this scene.

We see this ruler again. Well, at least archaeologists think it is the same man in a clay sculpture of a head, simply entitled “Head of man with a headdress.” He’s not quite so fearsome in this work.

Another gem, this one tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand, is called “Figure of a death god decapitating a captive.” It needs no further explanation except to say the death god is quite terrifying and the captive’s head is grimacing as it falls from the shoulders.

Yes, the Mayan were cruel at times. But what civilization was not cruel 1,500 years ago?

The Mayans were also smart. They even did brain surgery of a sort. And they were astronomers. Some interpretations of Mayan legends say the world will end Dec. 21 this year. So party hard for the next few months. It might be your last chance.

Maya: Secrets of Their Ancient World opens May 18 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization and continues until Oct. 28. For information visit www.civilization.ca.

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By Paul Gessell

This miniature chest, by Skidegate artist Thomas Moody, was modelled after the wooden chests designed to hold ceremonial objects in a chief’s home. 1900-1925 Thomas Moody (about 1877-1947). © McCord Museum, M5922.1-2 Photographer: Marilyn Aitken

The Canadian Museum of Civilization recently announced it is making plans to tour an exhibition of West Coast aboriginal art around several European countries during the next few years.

The exhibition — titled Haida: Life. Spirit. Art — previously appeared at Civilization and at the McCord Museum in Montreal. Most of the artifacts are owned by the McCord Museum but Civilization is spearheading the travelling project because of expertise developed over the years in forging foreign partnerships.

The announcement of this deal raises important questions: Why do foreign museums only seem interested in Canadian aboriginal art? Or is that all we offer them?

Civilization has, over the years, struck deals with China, Japan, Mexico, and other countries to give them aboriginal art exhibitions in exchange for exhibitions from those countries.

Aboriginal art seems to be the subject of practically all exported exhibitions by Canadian museums, with the exception of occasional travelling Group of Seven shows, usually organized by the National Gallery of Canada. One Group of Seven show just ended in London and was next to appear in Oslo, Norway.

Why is that? Don’t we have much more to offer than aboriginal art and gaudy landscapes? Such questions were recently put to Mark O’Neill, director of the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

O’Neill says that foreign interest in Canadian aboriginal art remains high but he would like to see other types of travelling exhibitions, such as shows on Canadian design and shows harvested from the 13,000 artworks in the collection of the Canadian War Museum.

Foreign visitors are often amazed at the size and quality of that war art collection, says O’Neill. Surely our allies from the two world wars would be interested in seeing how our artists depicted battles on their homelands. Has anyone ever tried to organize such a show?

The Dutch, for instance, see Canadian soldiers as their liberators. They treat Canadian war veterans with great respect and affection. Surely, they would also embrace our war art, including paintings by superstar Alex Colville done in The Netherlands.

O’Neill also says that all the national museums, including the National Gallery, should be co-operating in creating travelling exhibitions of art and artifacts in their respective collections.

“I think we can do more,” says O’Neill. “I think we need to do more.”

He is right. The National Gallery especially could do more to tour Canadian artists. A-list contemporary artists such as Janet Cardiff, Jeff Wall, David Altmejd, and Brian Jungen are frequently the subject of solo exhibitions abroad. But those tend to be organized by foreign institutions. Surely, the federal Foreign Affairs Department could do more to promote contemporary artists abroad. Instead, the department has decreased its aid over the years. Such retrenchment hobbles any attempts to rebrand Canada, so it is perceived as something more than a land where the only art worth viewing is aboriginal art.

The post THE BIG PICTURE: Why are foreign museums only interested in Group of Seven or Aboriginal art? appeared first on Ottawa Magazine.

CHRISTMAS FANFAIR CONCERT (FREE!)
The musicians of the NAC Orchestra once again pick up their instruments for this free Christmas concert in support of the Ottawa Food Bank and the Snowsuit Fund of Ottawa. Listen to some great Christmas tunes and then join the sing-along. Special guests include CBC radio host and mezzo-soprano Julie Nesrallah, and Laureen Harper, as conductor. Sunday, Dec. 11, noon. National Arts Gallery, Main Foyer, 53 Elgin St. www2.nac-cna.ca

An image from The Company of Fools play A Midwinter's Dream Tale. Photo by Andrew Alexander.

A MIDWINTER’S DREAM TALE
Looking for a laugh? Then look no further than the Company of Fools performance of A Midwinter’s Dream Tale. This local troupe, mainly known for their outdoor summer events, has been entertaining audiences for 10 years with their signature characters Pomme Frite and ‘Restes. This show combines elements of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Knight’s Tale, but features all-new gags and adventures. This year sees the return of original cast members, including Jesse Buck, who has just come back from a stint with Cirque du Soleil. Until Dec. 18. See website for show times and to purchase tickets, or call the box office at 613-236-5196. Great Canadian Theatre Company, 1233 Wellington St. W. www.gctc.ca

OUR CHRISTMAS SHOW (FREE!)
Work by nearly 30 local artists will be on display at Patrick Gordon Framing Studio this Saturday afternoon. Check out pieces by Dalal Chuaqui, Daniel Martelock, Cindy Sherman, Mirana Zuger, Jean-François Provost, James Lahey and many more — there’s even a new room to explore. Enjoy a drink, support artists, and avoid the mall by picking up holiday gifts. Vernissage Saturday, Dec. 10,  7 p.m. – 10 p.m. Patrick Gordon Framing Studio, 160 Elm St. Check out the Facebook page for a full list of artists.

OTTAWA LOCAVORE ARTISAN FOOD FAIR (FREE!)
As if the holidays don’t have enough temptation, the Ottawa Locavore Artisan Food Fair (LAFF) is back for a second year. This Saturday, 25 local food artisans will be coming together to sell their delicious products, including cookies, pies, cheeses, jams, chocolates, and more. A silent auction of select products will raise money for the School Breakfast Program, which feeds 11,000 children in Ottawa daily. Saturday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Crichton Cultural Community Centre, 39 Dufferin Rd. www.ottawalaff.ca

Editions of You by Julie LaPalme is among the works for sale at Lemonjellow's Christmas show.

DANCING FOR JOY
If you can’t make it to the professional performances of The Nutcracker this season, head out to a dance show more focused on local dreams. The holiday recital of Old Ottawa South dance studio Makin’ Moves’ features a nice Tchaikovsky number — as well as choreography to music Aretha Franklin, Raffi, ABBA, and LMFAO. Join the neighbours for the first show featuring students ages 3 – 14 (2:30 p.m.), or be inspired by older kids and adults at the second show (5:30 p.m.). Sunday, Dec. 11, $5; children free. Southminster United Church, Lower Hall, 15 Aylmer Ave. Check the Facebook page for more details.

CHRISTMAS MARKET (FREE!)
Visit this stress-free holiday shopping event to shop for wares by over 30 artisans (products include food, crafts, jewelry, and other handmade goods). In addition to shopping, there is live music to enjoy as well as family activities; wander into the David M. Stewart Salon to have a look at the Christmas trees on display as part of the annual Christmas Tree Decorating Challenge. Friday, Dec. 9, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Canadian Museum of Civilization, 100 rue Laurier St., Gatineau. www.civilization.ca

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By Paul Gessell

There is much to marvel at God(s): A User’s Guide, the new nine-month-long exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

And there just might be a few things to make your cringe.

Conquistador and Lady on Horseback (Mexico, 20th centur, CMCy) recalls Mexico's Day of the Dead festival, when boundaries between the living and the dead are temporarily erased.

The exhibition walks you through all the major, and some of the minor, religions of the world in an attempt to show similarities among the various faiths. They all have marriage rituals, religious pilgrimages, sacred music, and spectacular architecture, for example.

The similarities are so striking that, if you are a religious person, you may suddenly feel an instant connection to people you once thought were very different from your but actually live very similar lives, spiritually speaking, albeit with different headgear and sexual mores.

The differences in religions, the centuries-old struggles and the armed conflicts between adherents of different faiths, were given short shrift in this show. The Crusades, Northern Island’s Catholic-Protestant battles, the partition of India, and other religious hot spots over the millennia do not seem welcome in this somewhat Pollyannish extravaganza. Anyway, those are perhaps best left to another exhibition or perhaps the front page of your newspaper.

But back to the exhibition’s marvels. The most striking feature of God(s), in my mind, was the news that this exhibition, supposedly imported from The Museum of Europe in Brussels, is actually simply inspired by an exhibition in that Belgian institution.

The truth is that most of the 225 artifacts in the show were not exhibited in Europe; they were replaced with ones mainly from the collection of the Canadian Museum of Civilization itself. Indeed, many of the Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, and other artifacts were created by people of those faiths residing in Canada.

Thus, an exhibition originally intended to explore the world’s religions was transformed into an exhibition exploring Canada’s religions, complete with made-in-Canada Islamic calligraphy, a Jewish Torah Ark constructed in a folk-art style almost a century ago in Glace Bay, N.S., and serigraph print — in Tsimshian iconography — of Christ’s head by aboriginal West Coast artist Ron Vickers.

Timothy 2:111 (Tsimshian) by Ron Vickers. The familliar image of Jesus Christ depicted in the distinctive graphic style of Tsimshian, a West Coast First Nation.

This exhibition is probably the best example of how Canada has become a mainly peaceful multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious state that, despite some problems, has never exploded in sectarian violence the way Ireland, the Middle East, or India have. Maybe that, too, sounds Pollyannish. But it’s the truth.

The tone of God(s) tends to be serious and respectful. Humour is kept to a minimum, although it is difficult to know whether to cringe or to laugh at the Pope John Paul II bottle opener designed as a souvenir for Christian pilgrims to Rome. Is the opener just bad taste? Or does it cheapen the more high-minded Hindu and Islamic pilgrimage souvenirs sharing the same exhibition wall?

Likewise, how should one respond to a glass box, found among other display cases with images of religious deities, containing a portrait of crooner Elvis Presley and a photograph of Latin American freedom fighter Che Guevara? Both men have developed cult followings akin to those of religious leaders.

But the exhibition organizers are careful not to equate Elvis the Pelvis with Christ or Confucius, there being a big question mark scrawled onto the outside of the display case. You, the viewer, can decide what kind of category, immortal or otherwise, to which Elvis and Che belong.

God(s): A User’s Guide. Until Sept. 3, 2012. Canadian Museum of Civilization, 100 Laurier St. www.civilization.ca

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