EDMONTON Feature


"Opposite Sir Winston Churchill Square in the heart of downtown is the impressive Art Gallery of Alberta, whose swirling design evokes thoughts of the Northern Lights"


roving character actors, dancers, mimes, musicians, puppeteers and much more. Away from the festival scene


Edmonton’s downtown area is great for strolling. Start at the aforementioned Sir Winston Churchill Square, where fountains and a pool is used for swimming, splashing and paddling in summer and ice skating in the winter. Standing tall over the square is City


Artistic Producer of The International Street Performers Festival, the longest- running ‘fringe’ festival in North America. “Our festival alone uses over 220


volunteers – there’s a grass roots pride in Edmonton that we can stage such events and a city-wide culture of ownership that shines through when the festivals begin,” she said. The free 10-day International Street


Performers Festival, held each July (6-15) in and around Sir Winston Churchill Square, features international artists who are ‘icons’ in the world of street performance. Expect to see


Opposite page: Skyline and Folk Music Festival; Fringe Theatre Festival; This page: Fort Edmonton; International Street Performers Festival; Art Gallery of Alberta


Hall, whose pyramid-style shape, interesting art and sculptures inside and out is doubtless more entertaining than the business that goes on inside. Edmonton is also in the vanguard


when it comes to the finest things in art and culture and boasts one of the 'highest per capita consumptions of culture' of any Canadian city. Opposite Sir Winston Churchill


Square, at the start of the Arts District, is the impressive Art Gallery of Alberta, whose swirling design evokes thoughts of the Northern Lights (or Aurora Borealis) that dance in the skies of Alberta and provide another reason for visitors to be in the city between September and April. The Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) is


currently featuring the works of Cezanne, Matisse, Piet Mondarin and Dali in a ‘Modernism’ exhibition. Close by, The Francis Winspear


Centre plays hosts to concerts that this summer will range from Beethoven to the Blind Boys of Alabama to a Beatles tribute band. Try to catch a performance by the 56-piece Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, which this spring captivated New York’s Carnegie Hall for the first time. For theatre-goers suggest the highly-


rated Citadel Theatre, recognised as a leader in Canadian theatre where professional productions and national premieres are put on across five stages.


ART FOR ART'S SAKE When it comes to arts and crafts with a truly Albertan flavour, whether modern, traditional or native, visitors can embark on a hosted or self-guided Gallery Walk which takes them to many innovative galleries by following a route just west of the downtown core, between 100th and 120th streets. For example, The Alberta Crafts


Centre is both a showcase for provincial art and a retail outlet where you will find truly unique pieces. The gallery, which has a mandate to develop the skills and profile of Albertan artists, is dedicated to fine crafts in jewellery,


woodwork, woven goods, glass works, stone, pottery and much more. At the Society of North Alberta Print


Artists (SNAP) art students produce stunning printworks that employ both traditional and experimental practices. Visitors can design and print their own silk scarfs and other gifts. The Agnes Bugera Gallery is one of


four galleries in close proximity along Gallery Walk, on the central Jasper Avenue. Its owner Agnes Bugera says the attractive gallery is dedicated to emerging, mid-career and established contemporary Canadian artists. Over the road the Bear Claw Gallery


is dedicated to First Nations (indigenous) work, with highlights that include soapstone carvings by Cree tribe artists. Great food is another reason for


recommending Edmonton. “Our culinary scene is booming and


we have incredible restaurants,” says Edmonton Tourism’s Natacha. “This sector has expanded and


improved beyond recognition in recent years... Our ‘100-mile diet’, which commits city restaurateurs and chefs to create menus using locally-sourced food, is proving popular with both locals and tourists." One of the current in-vogue


restaurants is Zinc, housed inside the Art Gallery of Alberta. It serves up


SELLING CANADA • SUMMER 2012 9


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