People's Squares
Election? What election? There are plenty of other chances to have your say elsewhere. Singing, modelling and house renovating contests on television, for example. Or, much more appealing to readers of this page no doubt, Strathnairn Arts' annual People's Choice Award. Voting begins this week for the audience favourite Squares, a yearly event at Strathnairn that's open to people of all ages and abilities, as well as all artistic media, as long as it fits on the allocated 300-millimetre x 300-millimetre canvas. The entries are now on display, and the winner will be decided through the votes of all who see it, be they friends, peers, or visitors to the gallery. The prize will be presented on September 1 at 3pm. Squares in now showing at Strathnairn Arts, 90 Stockdill Drive, Holt.
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100 quilts about Canberra
No, this isn't the same as the last show we talked about that had ''100'' and ''Canberra'' in the title, or the one before that. I guess there's no real need to come up with a standout name for a show when the whole year is devoted to celebrating Canberra's centenary, but still … The tACTile group, made up of six accomplished quiltmakers, have created 100 quilts between them with a range of perspectives on Canberra, as well as a collaborative work inspired by the ''cycloramic panorama of the site of the future capital city painted by Robert Coulter''. It's an intricate and fascinating business, quiltmaking, and there'll be a chance to meet and talk with the artists tomorrow at Belconnen Arts Centre at 3pm. 100: Celebrating Canberra is on at Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen, until August 25.
Korea wrapped up
Also at Belconnen, Beverley Thomas has an interesting show that responds to her trip last year to South Korea for the first international conference held on all aspects of Bojagi, the traditional folk art of ''making wrapping cloths as a form of self-expression''. Thomas has long been fascinated with the use of textiles in art and their meaning in other cultures. She'll be giving a workshop on Saturday August 17 - Your Bojagi - in which you can use coloured fabrics or paper to create your own wrap, and learn how to develop your own style. The workshop costs $70. Thomas will also be giving an artist's talk on Sunday, August 18 at 2pm. Enclosures runs at Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen, in the foyer until August 21.
Different Perceptions
M16 has three solo exhibitions on, and as usual, they're all different but complementary, and under the same heading - Perception. Nicola Dickson, in her show Frames of Reference, examines how her ''feelings and thoughts have been informed by different historical and cultural factors''. Dominic Aldis, in Vagar, is ''interested in states of mind and in animations of morphing hand drawn portraits he explores different ways of approaching the introspective''. Ian Robertson, in Landscape on the Line, paints Canberra landscapes, and through this explores ''connection to land: his own remembered connections, those of indigenous people and those of European settlers''. Perception is on at M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith, until August 18, and Nicola Dickson will be giving a floor talk on her show at the gallery today at 2pm.
Tudors and Tsars
Occasionally, a book will land, unheralded, on my desk, that is too beautiful to keep for myself. Treasures of the Royal Courts: Tudors, Stuarts & the Russian Tsars is one such book, a gorgeous hardcover from V&A Publishing exploring the ''diplomatic, trade and cultural exchanges between the courts of Britain and Russia, from the reign of Henry VIII to the death of Charles II''. Like the best of historical fiction, but in pictures, the book is a privileged glimpse at the good life in the 16th and 17th centuries. Amazon tells me it's worth at least $40, and it's for the first person to email arts.editor@canberratimes.com.au to tell me why it should be theirs. Any references to Hilary Mantel and/or Jonathan Rhys Meyers will be welcome.
Lady's Mantle
There are so many spaces around Canberra that have fabulous acoustics (not just the Fitters Workshop), and the High Court is one of them. Lady's Mantle, the Canberra-based women's choir directed by Maia Harrison, is made up of experienced singers who perform a variety of music, from the medieval to the modern. They'll be presenting Songs - Sweet and Sublime at 2.30pm this Sunday in the hallowed hall of the highest court in the land, as part of the Centenary of Canberra's daily Musical Offering. And as a sidenote, the Lady's Mantle website says they are currently looking for ''experienced, committed soprano or alto singers who can read music and hold a part''. For auditions or more information, phone Maia Harrison on 6287 1948.
An afternoon with Brahms
Perhaps Brahms is more your thing? If so, head over to the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Blackall Street, Barton, at 2.30pm this Sunday and listen to the Llewellyn Choir perform the love songs and other music of the German composer, followed by afternoon tea. Musical director Rowan Harvey Martin and pianist Anthony Smith will combine for a selection from a violin concerto. For more details, see llewellynchoir.org.au.
Summer in the library
To all you library nerds out there, applications are open for the National Library's six-week summer scholarships, for Australian postgrad students who are under 30 and undertaking research that can be supported by the library's collections. Recipients have privileged access to the library's materials and facilities as well as airfare, ANU accommodation and honorarium. Applications close September 30. For more information, see nla.gov.au/awards-and-grants/summer-scholarships.
