If you are a First Nations Canadian between the age of 14-29, your creativity is needed. The Southern Alberta Art Gallery, the Medicine Tree Friendship Centre, and the Aboriginal Council of Lethbridge are hosting a evening of culture, creativity and celebration where you can come and work on your submission to the Canadian Aboriginal Writing & Arts Challenge, March 29 from 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
 Your work will be reviewed by some of the foremost First Nations artists and could win cash prizes and even have your work exhibited in a gallery.

 Use the SAAG's TD Creativity Centre to develop your own artwork or written work reflecting a moment or theme in Aboriginal History. Bring your own materials, SAAG will have some basic materials for your use but any specialties need to be provided to you.

The Southern Alberta Art Gallery will assist in the submission of any artist or writer wishing to enter the Canadian Aboriginal Writing & Arts Challenge.

Local artists are looking forward to exploring the netherworld with the second annual Trap/Door  artists collective, Psychic Fair, March 19 at the Bowman Arts Centre.

“It will feature real psychics, pseudo-psychics and  straight out charlatans,” said Darcy Logan, one of the organizers who will also be  running four booths —  Tarot Card reading, i-ching, aura cleansing and  sin eating.

“We’ll have an actual Fiji mermaid. They used to be a staple of traveling sideshows in the early twentieth century. People would pay their money expecting to see an actual mermaid …” said Darcy Logan, participant and one of the organizers, not wanting to spoil the mermaid surprise. There will also be Ouija boards, mind reading and art alchemy, and even a  cyclops. So it will be a lot of fun for a great cause — supporting the Trap/Door artists collective.

“They are a  collective without a home, but they have meetings and a board and  they do programs to showcase their artists,” explained artist Aaron Hagan. The collective is open to any artist, even those without formal art training including masters students and others. Trap Door artists have exhibited at the SAAG, Trianon, Yates Centre and the Bowman.  Among the many programs they offer is an art residency in the Crowsnest Pass.

“It’s a really small version of what the SAAG does,” Hagan continued.
“But it’s for emerging artists— artists who aren’t established yet,” he continued.
“It emerged in the ’60s and ’70s as an alternative to more formal institutions,” Logan added noting the members create cutting edge contemporary art.
This year’s psychic fair has grown since  the debut last year with the addition of new organizers  like Len Komanac.
Logan will be  running four booths — aura cleansing, Tarot Card reading, i-ching and sin eating.

“Last year I did a little magick, this year I’ll be showing off some of my more esoteric abilities,” he said adding he will also be predicting lucky lottery numbers.

Art aficionados look forward to the  Bowman Arts Centre’s  art themed weekly  film series  Forum: Documentaries on Contemporary Art. The film series began Feb. 28, but films will be shown every Monday night until April 18.

“ It highlights various artists who have different ways of presenting their voice, so it gives some insight not only into their work but  how their process of creativity works,” said Bowman Arts Centre curator Darcy Logan, adding as an art and film buff, he always has his eye out for films about art.

“I haven’t seen some of them. You can’t see these films anywhere but here because a lot of them are European and don’t have North American distribution,” he said.

“But I research them and keep a running list of producers, directors and films,” he continued adding the Bowman Arts Centre has a variety of films on site.

If people missed one of the screenings in this season or previous season, they can arrange their own screenings  at the Bowman Arts Centre. This year, the  series  has explored several different artists including Kiki Smith (March 7), several Nordland, Norway artists including  Dan Graham, Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley and numerous others.

 Coming up on March 21, there will be a film examining German artist Christian Boltanski, which takes the viewers into his sombre yet humourous universe, following him through Paris, Rome, Berlin and Japan. In addition to  giving viewers a look into some of his  monumental, yet little known  works, it also has previously unaired footage of the artist’s past and future.