4th Line Theatre Seeking Retro Prop Donations For Upcoming Summer Production

Dig out your attic for some relics as 4th Line Theatre is seeking prop donations or loans of items from the 60s for their upcoming production, ‘The Tilco Strike’ which is running from June 27 - July 22.

CAST MEMBERS FROM IAN MCLACHLAN AND ROBERT WINSLOW'S CROW HILL: THE TELEPHONE PLAY OF 2018. PHOTO COURTESY OF WAYNE EARDLEY AND 4TH LINE THEATRE.

The Theatre is asking for 1960s items either for loan or donations. These include bowling shoes, bowling pins, a bowling bag, an adding machine, bolo ties, a punch clock and a cardholder.

Volunteers are also needed for the productions. Anyone who signs up can also view any show for free.

Those looking to volunteer, need more information or donate are asked to send a photo to e-mail admin@4thlinetheatre.on.ca.

Written by D’Arcy Jenish and directed by Cynthia Ashperger, The Tilco Strike recounts the year-long fight between 35 poorly paid women and their hard-nosed male bosses at Tilco Plastics in Peterborough. The company was determined to crush the women and their union according to 4th Line Theatre.

The strike began in December 1965 over a $25 bonus and escalated into an epic battle between organized labour and strike-breaking employers. The women lost their fight but changed labour relations in Ontario forever.

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Electric City Culture Council and the 2023 Artsweek Team Present LOOK OUT!

The Electric City Culture Council (EC3) and the 2023 Artsweek Team are pleased to present LOOK OUT! a suite of works by 4 local visual and media artists popping up in unexpected places in downtown Peterborough from May 8 to 14.

photo courtesy of ec3.

Artsweek brings some of Peterborough’s most engaging artists down from the walls and out of the galleries to appear on city streets and sidewalks. Curated by Artsweek Executive Producer Su Ditta this project introduces both established and emerging artists to the public with work that is evocative, cheeky and thought provoking. Look Out! and check out artists: Sioux Dickson, Cassandra Lee, LA Alphonso/Age of Moss (Paul Moss) and Sammy Tangir.

Project: Shadow Selves
Artist: Sioux Dickson
Description: A photographic conversation about being a part of and apart from.
Date: Opens May 8.
Location: 210 Hunter St. West, front window of PBO Kawartha (Prosthetics, Bracing, and Orthotics).

Project: An Ode to Trees
Artist: Casandra Lee
Description: “An Ode to Trees involves hanging painted tree cookies on five of my favourite trees in our urban landscape of downtown Nogojiwanong-Peterborough. Trees intrigue me whenever I am outside and are an important point of interest for me. I want to share the joy I feel from seeing a beautiful tree. The installation is an invitation to the public to pause and take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate the life of the trees we live amongst downtown. The artwork will be placed at various heights and tied to the trees in a non-harmful way. Cookies will be cut from a fallen cedar tree that was a victim of the May 2022 Derecho. The paintings will be colourful depictions of spring.”
Date: Opens May 8.
Location: Trees in downtown Peterborough:

· Tree to the right of the Peterborough Public Library (in front of the parking lot, 345 Aylmer St N).

· Tree in front of Sandy's Variety Store (near the corner of Aylmer St and Hunter St W).

· Tree behind Black Honey Café in the courtyard (through the alley off of Hunter St W, or the driveway off of Aylmer St next to GreenUP).

· Tree between La Hacienda and Sam’s Place (on Hunter St W).

· Tree in front of Kit Coffee (on Hunter St W between George St and Water St).

Project: POV
Artists: LA Alfonso, Age of Moss (Paul Moss)
Description: In places that act as a default audio/visual history archive, video artists LA Alfonso and Age of Moss (Paul Moss) infiltrate and activate the site’s media file systems for random ephemeral public consumption.
Date: May 8 from 10 pm to Midnight, and then May 9 to May 12, from 9 pm to Midnight.
Location: Paradigm Pictures, 161 King Street.

Project:  Winter Weeds and Spring Shoots
Artist: Sammy Tangir
Description: Winter Weeds is intended as a spark of inspiration to notice plants at a time of year when they are not growing and are likely to be passed by and underappreciated.  This takes form as a zine with a collection of photos of plants in their winter wares! Spring Shoots is an activation that brings the intention of Winter Weeds into the present environment, inviting people to explore and notice the great diversity of spring plants thriving amongst the concrete around Water and Charlotte Street. 
Date: Tuesday May 9th and Wednesday May 10th from 4:30-6:30pm.
Location: Outside Ministry of Natural Resources 300 Water St.

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Call For Expressions of Interest; The Road Mural Mentorship Program

Expressions of interest for the City of Peterborough Public Art Program peer mentorship program are due by May 1.

photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.

The Road Mural Mentorship Program seeks applications from local professional artists interested in gaining hands-on experience in planning and developing a large-scale public artwork. Ten artist mentees will be selected and work directly with mentors on the 2023 road murals. This is a paid mentorship opportunity.

Applications from artists and cultural practitioners living in Peterborough City, Peterborough County, Hiawatha First Nation, and Curve Lake First Nation are welcome.

The application deadline is May 1 at 4 p.m. All applications must be submitted online.

The call for expressions of interest for the program and more information about the program parameters with tips about the application process are on the City’s Public Art webpage.

The Renaissance on Hunter public art projects are administered and funded through the City of Peterborough’s Public Art Program and presented in partnership with the Downtown Business Improvement Area and GreenUP.

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City of Peterborough Calling Poets For Renaissance on Hunter Poetry Gardens Project

The City of Peterborough’s Public Art Program is inviting local poets to submit expressions of interest to the Renaissance on Hunter Poetry Gardens Project announced on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

The Renaissance on Hunter public art projects have decorated Hunter Street for the past two years. The planters delineating lane closures in the café district have been transformed into a series of whimsical themed gardens created by artists.

“I’m excited about the vibrancy that the City’s Public Art projects bring to Peterborough – especially to downtown,” said Councillor Joy Lachica. "I encourage local poets to check out this unique opportunity to have your work featured in the Renaissance on Hunter Project and contribute to a thriving downtown.”

The vision for Renaissance on Hunter gardens this year is a meandering wildflower meadow that will serve as a backdrop for a rotation of poetry from June to September according to the City of Peterborough. The project is a partnership with GreenUp, which will design and install the gardens and Peterborough’s Poet Laureate, Ziysah von Bieberstein, who will provide curatorial oversight and support.

This is a two-stage call with the second stage having a short-list of candidates who will be paid an honorarium to develop their proposals. Four to six poets will be commissioned to compose three poems over the course of the summer. 

The call for expressions of interest for the project and more information about the project parameters with tips about the application process are on the City’s Public Art webpage at peterborough.ca/publicart. Applications are accepted from residents in Peterborough, Peterborough County, Hiawatha First Nation, and Curve Lake First Nation are welcome.

The application deadline is May 17 at 4 p.m. All applications must be submitted online.

“From the outset the Renaissance on Hunter projects have encouraged partnerships and collaborations to create more opportunities for artists, ­­and to present projects that reflect a cross-pollination of ideas,” said Wendy Trusler, City of Peterborough public art facilitator. “We are excited to extend an invitation exclusively to poets for this year’s garden project. Incorporating works by text-based artists, poets and writers into public art programming is important for the arts sector and for our community.”

The Renaissance on Hunter public art projects are administered and funded through the City of Peterborough Public Art Program and presented in partnership with the Downtown Business Improvement Area and GreenUP. 

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Hometown PTBO: Rachel Dalliday In Her Upcoming Performance "Something Rotten!" With the Peterborough Theatre Guild

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with Rachel Dalliday of the Peterborough Theatre Guild about how she broke into the arts, her upcoming performance in "Something Rotten!" and how it will be her last show in Peterborough.

Shows are April 28-30, May 4-7 and 11-13.

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A Crafter’s Dream: ARTISANity Show and Sale Hits Peterborough Square

Spring is in the air, and with it the return of Spring ARTISANity 2023 from April 28 to 29.

photo courtesy of the ARTISAN centre.

ARTISANity will be taking place Friday, April 28 from noon to 8 p.m., and Saturday, April 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the lower level of Peterborough Square (across from the Artisans Centre.)

The show and sale will feature the beautiful, hand-crafted works of local artisans. fibre arts, gourd arts, woodturning, pottery and jewelry will all be available.

One hour free parking is available on April 28 and all day free parking on April 29.

For more information, visit the website.

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New Art Gallery of Peterborough Exhibit Features Award-Winning Artist Tim Whiten

Explore the art work of award-winning artist Tim Whiten through the Art Gallery of Peterborough’s (AGP) current exhibition Elemental: Earthen until May 21.

photo courtesy of the art gallery of peterborough.

The exhibition features a selection of the artist’s early to recent work – from the beginning of the 1970s onward – alongside several antiquities generously loaned from the McMaster Museum of Art.

“It is an honour and a privilege to share Whiten’s work during this exciting time in his long and impactful career,” says AGP curator Fynn Leitch.

photo courtesy of the art gallery of peterborough.

Tim Whiten was born in Inkster, Michigan in 1941. He does not consider himself an artist but an "image maker who also creates cultural objects," and in a career that spans over forty years, he has sought to navigate the territory of the human condition with the intent of inviting experiences and encouraging “sensing” over “reading.”

Whiten recently won the esteemed Gershon Iskowitz Prize.

The exhibition, Elemental, is part of an expanded, multi-venue survey celebrating Whiten’s extensive career, developed in partnership between the Art Gallery of Peterborough, Art Gallery of York University, Robert McLaughlin Gallery, and McMaster Museum of Art from 2022 to 2023. This series of exhibitions is thematically linked by the classical elements of air, water, earth, and fire - a reference to Whiten’s interest in alchemical practices. Elemental: Earthen is the third of four exhibitions and focuses on the element of earth and its associations with home, sustenance, power, transformation and alchemy.

“Together, these objects create a space to explore Whiten’s ongoing engagements with the fundamental composition of the universe and who/what we are as human beings,” shares Chiedza Pasipanodya, guest curator of Elemental: Earthen.  

The AGP is located at 250 Crescent St. Admission is free.

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4th Line Theatre Seeking Male Actors and a Baby For Upcoming Productions

4th Line Theatre is male actors for their upcoming productions of D’Arcy Jenish’s ‘The Tilco Strike’ and Robert Winslow’s ‘The Cavan Blazers’ announced on Monday.

Cast members from Alex Poch-Goldin's The Great Shadow in 2022. Photo courtesy of Wayne Eardley and 4th Line Theatre.

For The Tilco Strike, 4th Line is searching for two adult men or teenage boys. The Cavan Blazers requires an adult man and a baby to join the production.

Cast members from Ian McLachlan and Robert Winslow's Crow Hill: The Telephone Play of 2018. Photo courtesy of Wayne Eardley and 4th Line Theatre.

The Tilco Strike is written by D’Arcy Jenish and is directed by Cynthia Ashperger.

It recounts the year-long fight between 35 poorly paid women and their hard-nosed male bosses at Tilco Plastics in Peterborough who were determined to crush the women and their union according to 4th Line Theatre The strike began in December 1965 over a $25 bonus and escalated into an epic battle between organized labour and strike-breaking employers. The women lost their fight but changed labour relations in Ontario forever.

Cast members from Robert Winslow's The Cavan Blazers in 2011. Photo courtesy of Wayne Eardley and 4th Line Theatre.

The Cavan Blazers was written by Robert Winslow and directed by Kim Blackwell. 

It is a gritty, intense play that has the audience on the edge of its seat from start to finish. This drama chronicles the religious conflict between Catholic and Protestant Irish settlers in Cavan Township in the early to mid-nineteenth century. Violence erupts when a Protestant vigilante gang known as the Cavan Blazers tries to stop a Catholic settlement from being established as stated by a press release.

Any questions about auditions can be directed to 4th Line Theatre’s artistic administrator Emma Hale at 705-932-4505 or emma@4thlinetheatre.on.ca.

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Third Annual Painted Paddle Public Art Exhibit Tour in Downtown Peterborough

The Downtown Vibrancy Project will be holding an outdoor public art exhibit to celebrate the community’s connection to the water through a series of painted paddle installations across downtown Peterborough from March 3 to 24.

The Gardens of Peterborough residents' Joanne B (right) holding her painted paddle titled ‘Call of the Loon’ alongside Joanne W (left) holding her painted paddle titled ‘Spring in the Air.’ Photo courtesy of the Peterborough DBIA.

Locals and visitors will be able to tour the Painted Paddle art exhibit by visiting a number of storefront windows scattered throughout the downtown through this art crawl experience.

Local artists and graphic designer Susie Armstrong painted one of the 31 canoe paddles on display.

“I was inspired to paint a pollination scene for my paddle. Peterborough is a hub for urban pollination gardens, and I see them everywhere on my spring and summer walks,” said Armstrong. “I hope to evoke a bit of warm weather with my painting, which depicts swamp milkweed, a pollination plant specifically enjoyed by monarch butterflies.”

Many creative community members lent their artistic skills to the Painted Paddle project, including executive director of the DBIA Terry Guiel.

“This is the third year we have run this project and it continues to be a success, bringing beautiful art to our downtown, raising funds to support a meaningful project, and inspiring hopefully thoughts of spring paddling.” Guiel remarks. "I am one of the artists and my painted paddle reflects on two themes on each side of the paddle, one being Every Child Matters and the other Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.”

Other local artists taking part in this year’s project include Samantha Chuisolo, Residents from Empress & Princess Retirement Residence, Salvador Haines, Bri Gosselin, Brooklin Stormie, Tim Wales, Nuin-Tara Wilson, Sarah St.Pierre, Jason Wilkins, Jenni Johnston, Terry Guiel, Raine Knudsen, Nichelle Leeson, Kate Powell, Val Yeo, Justine-Marie, Trent University, Ash Hughes, Hearts 4 Joy, Jeff Macklin, Tayler Morencie, Students of Lakefield College School, Karin McLean., Students of Thomas A. Stewart School, J McKay, Jennifer Baici, Ginny Stammers and Maggie O'Rourke.

The paddles will be displayed in store windows throughout downtown Peterborough including Bluestreak, Tragically Dipped, Watson and Lou, Art School, Cork and Bean, The Food Shop, The Night Kitchen, Avant Garden, Boardwalk Boardgame Lounge, Mark Jokinen Books, Kit Coffee, Chesler's Shoes, GreenUP, Cheek, Gerti's, The Toy Shop, Plant Goals, Cahills, Wild Rock, Tiny Greens and Bike!

The Painted Paddle exhibit will be on display until March 24. Exhibition paddles will be available for auction from March 3 at 8 p.m. to March 24 at 8 p.m. with proceeds going to support the DBIA and One City Peterborough Employment Program Partnership to create two part-time jobs through The Green Team. For the virtual auction visit the link.

To participate in a self-guided tour of the Painted Paddle, community members can access a full map of paddle exhibit locations by visiting the Love For The Boro website online.

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Haliburton School of Art and Design Launches Summer Course Calendar

Discover a new passion and embrace creativity this summer with 55 new classes and workshops at the Fleming College Haliburton School of Art + Design (HSAD).

photo courtesy of fleming college haliburton school of art + design, facebook.

The new Summer 2023 course calendar for HSAD is out and features new courses, plus the return of some of HSAD’s most popular programs. Featuring 55 new classes and workshops, programs cover everything from Art as Activism, Contemporary Rug Hooking to Forging-Damascus Steel Construction.  

HSAD says they are also excited to welcome more than two dozen new teachers to the campus this upcoming summer to both inspire and teach students. Juno Award winning artist Susan Aglukark is hosting two four-day workshops in August, and other instructors include Julie Moon, Naomi Smith, Daniel Scott Tysdale and Lisa Barry, part of the team behind Homestead Pottery. Barry will be teaching an evening class on Wheel Throwing and Hand Building in the spring.  

There are day camps for children and teens and week-long workshops for adults yearning for an artistic getaway in the Haliburton Highlands.  

Join HSAD as they open the doors to the community through lectures, live music and a chance to get a first-hand look at what’s going on at the Haliburton Campus this summer.  

Art Talks run Wednesdays from July 5 to Aug. 9 in the Great Hall, featuring discussions on topics ranging from Mad Comics to the Story of Seedbeads. All are welcome to attend a Walk About at the campus Thursday afternoons, and there will also be free live music in the Great Hall Thursday evenings from July 6 to Aug. 10.

Summer program registration begins on March 1. Find the full catalogue by contacting the College by phone (ext. 4) or email to order a 2023 summer program.  

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