Kingston Arts Council’s Cultural Animator, Irina Skvortsova, is one of the many participants in a collaborative, multidisciplinary art project, The Kingston Shebang, set to take place at the opening of the Tett Centre. The Kingston Shebang will celebrate the inauguration of the arts cluster by building bridges between the diverse artists and artistic organizations set to take up residency in the revitalized facility.
By Hollie Pratt-CampbellChantal Thompson had just moved from Kingston to Toronto to study at the Ontario College of Art and Design when she got the news that her friend and former bandmate Joe Chithalen had died unexpectedly.
By Hollie Pratt-CampbellMichèle LaRose is living proof that it’s never too late to follow your heart.In 2002, she left behind a successful, decades-long career in national museums and archives and management consulting to pursue her dream of becoming a full-time painter.“I had started to paint again on a part-time basis when I had the time, and I realized that I was having a hard time staying focused on my paying job,” says LaRose, noting that she had a childhood interest for making art that never really died. “It just became a more consuming passion, I suppose.”
By Hollie Pratt-CampbellIt’s no real surprise that Greg Tilson’s son, George, is demonstrating some serious musical skill (particularly for percussion) at the early age of eight months. Greg and his wife, Annie Clifford, are both talented musicians themselves as members of the sprawling music collective The Gertrudes, and Greg has spent many years organizing music events and festivals in Kingston.
Are you curious about the latest construction at the Tett Centre? The City of Kingston has recently released a video detailing the work to date and you can check it out here.
By Hollie Pratt-CampbellFor Gillian Baker, dance is life.“It’s kind of like breathing for me,” says the 15-year-old Kingston School of Dance (KSD) student. “I love it, but it’s beyond that, to the point where I need it. I almost don’t even have to think about it because it’s just always there.”
The renovation and rejuvenation of The J K Tett Arts Complex has been in progress for many years. The City of Kingston purchased the circa 1820’s site in 1971 at the urging of John K. Tett, then the Director of Parks and Recreation. Decades ahead of his time, Tett envisioned the former brewery and distillery as a community arts complex. Fittingly, though unofficially, the complex took on his name.
Construction will soon begin on the re-creation of the ‘malting tower’, a pyramid like structure that was originally part of the building. The area underneath the tower will become an event room with a soaring ceiling and dramatic natural light and framed vistas out over the lake.
