Honouring and celebrating the life of Dr. Dick Au

A dear friend and champion in the community, Dr. Dick Au was our superhero

His supersonic heart made him attuned to the needs of others, although some may argue he also had mind-reading superpowers. Morphing and rolling with the punches, he was an ironman cast who could play any role. As a volunteer, Dr. Au waited until everyone signed-up, then filled the empty shifts he could. He teleported from managing fires to giant puppet stilt-walking, and even tried his hand at chestnut roasting. If he had a super-suit, it would have to include his signature finger-toe shoes.

Dr. Au was a familiar and friendly face at every Deep Freeze Festival and Kaleido Family Arts Festival. Each year, he made it a family affair by bringing along his family and their friends, also known as the “Au Crew.” He was a role model to the youth volunteers, and we’ve watched his son Eric grow into being the Robin to his Batman.

We’re so grateful for the traditions we’ve made together. Memories of Jingle Jammin’ and belting our hearts out together as we carolled through the streets of Alberta Avenue will be forever cherished.

Altruistic and full of energy, Dr. Au inspired many others to give back. We’ll always remember the year when Dr. Au found twelve friends to volunteer when his family couldn’t make it. His work and commitment to the community is a reverberating legacy that makes him the ultimate immortal superhero.

A private funeral service will be held at St. Thomas More Parish. A livestream of the service will be available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8q11evpZ_M. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in his memory to Arts on the Ave's Dr. Au Memorial Celebration Fund. To send condolences, please visit www.connelly-mckinley.com.

To help continue Dr. Au’s work of community making, click here to stay in the know about Arts on the Ave’s initiatives and how you can be a part of it.

Gallery - June 2021

Darren Kooyman - 2016 + 1

Darren Kooyman is an Edmonton artist whose work consists primarily of abstract acrylic painting. He also work in screen-printing, digital imaging, and musical composition.

Artist Bio

Darren Kooyman, June Artist

For Darren Kooyman, art has always been a part of his life. From creating mesmerizing art pieces, to performing with several bands, art flows in his veins, the same as blood. Drawing inspiration from everything around him, his creativity has no true bounds.

After receiving a Digital Arts degree from Red Deer college, Darren played in several bands in Alberta, eventually leading to him and his wife, Diane, to move to Vancouver. After the band he was performing with had broken up, Darren had decided it was time to “shake himself loose”, and express his artistic desires in other ways. His solution? Return to his roots of painting. Finding a warehouse close to Downtown where he could operate out of, Darren immediately jumped back into painting. Finding some success within the Vancouver art scene, Darren and Diane moved to Ottawa, Ontario. It was with this move where Darren began a proper practice. Immediately on the hunt for a new space for his arts, he began to make connections, leading to his art to be featured in galleries such as Studio Sixty-Six Art Gallery.

Eventually it was time for Darren and his family to move back to Alberta. However, this would not be done without one last exhibit. One last grad show; an accumulation of everything he had been through at this point. That exhibit was 2016 + 1. An autobiography of Darren Kooyman.

Now being featured in The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse for the month of June, 2016 + 1 has found a space within the 118th Avenue Community. When asked how Darren felt about being a part of our community and our mission, he stated that “What’s happening at The Carrot, and the whole, and how they’re throwing their weight behind the arts, more areas need to do that. It makes things better for everybody”.

As a group that agrees that art has the power to transform everything around them, we are excited to feature Darren Kooyman’s exhibit 2016 + 1 at The Carrot, and to have him be a part of the community.

Artist Statement

In this body of work my approach is from a technical area of painting. I wanted to put as little space as possible between the vision and the performance of creating the work. I used a limited palette and spent very little time mixing colours using most paint straight from the tube.

Many of the works are smaller than I have done in the past, which is largely due to a smaller work environment. This down sizing has also led to a more economical use of materials and a deeper connection from painting to painting.

Darren’s work will be on display and for sale from June 1 - July 4.

Website: darrenkooyman.com

Carrot Window Gallery - May 2021

Robin Light Window Gallery Feature

Robin Light, Alberta Ave Alleyway, 24” x 48”

Robin Light is an Edmonton-based artist in many respects; she acts and writes in addition to painting in oils and watercolour. Her paintings are influenced by the iconic painter Bob Ross, who emphasized simplicity and the incorporation of nature. Light’s work brilliantly thematically fuses both the industrialized urban landscape of the city, with gorgeously saturated trees, saplings, and shrubs. Furthermore, Light’s focus on traditional and rural architecture gives their work a dreamy rural-Albertan undertone.

Light’s brick and mortar structures, picketed fences, and their vibrant pigmentation, calls back to an era of calm familiarity and captures Canadian traditionalist culture. The integration of nature into the city’s urban environment is seamless, the congested proximity of the buildings enhances the work’s sense of community and belonging. The rustic style of the buildings offers a homey and welcoming ambience. Their oil-based texture creates a highly stimulating sense of depth and detail that respects the complexity of the building’s architecture.

Instagram: @robinlight

Website: www.robinlight.com

Robin Light, In the Alley, 8” x 16”

Robin Light, Side Alley Stroll, 8” x 16”

Robin Light, Laundry Day in Parkade, 20” x 20”

Gallery - May 2021

The Haykowsky’s - Dother Maughter

Carmella and Mika Haykowsky — a mother/daughter duo based in Edmonton, AB, are featured in this month’s gallery.

Ten years ago, they presented their work together at The Carrot, which was Mika's first time exhibiting. A decade later, with more insights into their creative practice, more experience exhibiting, and more education, these two accredited artists are eager to show new work. The exhibition title is a play on the mother-daughter, "Dother Maughter," and their hope is to play on the collaborative influence of close family bonds on their creative work. This manifests in many ways, namely through depictions of each other in artwork.

Carmella Haykowsky contrasts her daughter Mika’s surreal work with a dramatic yet realist portrait-style. The work takes a darker approach to the ordinary life of a mother, with shots of women figures sitting alone, pondering, and of course drinking coffee. The use of a grey scale brilliantly contrasts the deep oranges and warm colours which brings the portraits to life. The scale offers a calming and authentic experience to its audience. While some of the subjects within the portraits express a sense of tranquillity and peace, others express a deep sense of anxiety and even distress which gives these works a true feel to the life of the ordinary individual.

Mika Haykowsky Drawing in Circles collection brilliantly exhibits a spectrum of colours with its astral and psychedelic vibe. The soft pastel art was created with the practice of automatic drawing, which gives the work its elegant and plasmic flow. Drawing in Circles offers a dimensional expedition into the unconscious through the complexity of its organic architecture. These works were manifested with the intention for the audience to stop, pause, and experience both the arousal and dormancy that they offer.

Instagram: @kahousemi

Website: www.mikah.ca

Gallery - April 2021

Angie Sotiropoulos and Edith Chu - Home: Near and Far

Angie Sotiropoulos, Zocalo, 18” x 14”, watercolour and ink

This April, The Carrot Gallery is pleased to present a duo exhibition, Home: Near and Far, featuring works by Edith Chu and Angie Sotiropoulos. From local Edmonton storefronts to the canals of Li Jiang, China, each artist immortalizes the places and stories of communities they have lived and visited. All artwork is available for sale.

Artist Bios

Angie Sotiropoulos is a visual artist based in Edmonton, Alberta. Formally trained as a Props Artisan and Scenic Painter for theatre at MacEwan College (now university), she has been working in the entertainment industry for over 20 years. In her personal artistic practise she is a sculptor and watercolour painter that puts storytelling and world building at the centre of her creations. A member of both the Sculptor’s Association of Alberta and the International Urban Sketcher’s Edmonton chapter, she loves creating quirky creature sculptures and drawing her community on location in urban sketches. She has exhibited her work in group shows in Canada and the UK and her work can be purchased at small local galleries and online through her web store or local art and craft fairs. A lover of all things nature, when not in the studio she enjoys travelling with her partner or can be found tending to her ever-growing menagerie of plants.

To learn more about Angie’s work and upcoming shows, visit her website at www.angiesot.com.

Edith Chu, Panda Chess, 9"X12", watercolour

Edith Chu was born in Paris, France, to Chinese parents who were originally from Hong Kong and immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta when she was 2 years old. As a child, she often felt lost in class because she didn't understand the teacher's instructions. Art became her favourite subject because she enjoyed creating art, and she was good at it.

She graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2001, with a major in Printmaking. From there she worked for F & D Scene Changes, painting sets and scenery for theatre and commercial use.

She worked alongside many great artists. One of her mentors, Johnny Chong, encouraged her to pursue drawing in order to improve her art. She kept that piece of advice for later. In 2004 Edith went back to the U of A to further her studies by getting an education degree.

Ms.Chu became a professional teacher for the next 10 years. In between teaching she took several art classes that passed on the techniques of the old masters (Classical Realism).

Edith uses drawing and painting to depict nostalgic scenes. Her work often tells a story or makes a reference to how things used to be.

She currently resides in Edmonton.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edith.h.chu/?hl=en
Website: https://edithhchu.wixsite.com/mysite

Gallery - March 2021

Gallery - March 2021

March 2, 2021

Spyder Yardley-Jones

About the Artist

Spyder Yardley- Jones is an Edmonton artist whose art shows have shocked and awed the public in Canada and USA. He works in a variety of styles and mediums such as; cartoons, graphic art, murals, street arts, poster art, sculpture, watercolor, graphite, acrylic, and oil painting.

This March, we are exhibiting Spyder Yardley- Jones works “Euphoria”, where he demonstrates color harmony and abstract patterns to express thoughts and emotions. Viewers can interpret his works in various perpective, and with that it can start discussion about mental health.

For more, visit spyderyardleyjonesblog.wordpress.com/about/

Gallery - February 2021

Gallery - February 2021

February 2, 2021

Raneece Buddan

Artist Statement

My process is based on my research on traditional and contemporary art from each culture. I try to explore different processes from each as my foundation. The goal of each piece is to learn more about myself throughout the process.. 

About the Artist

Raneece’s work focuses on her cultural identity as a Jamaican woman of African and East Indian descent. She depicts the merging of both cultures with the use of fabric from each. The fabric is used as an additional identifier for who she is, rather than her skin tone. She discovers the figure within the grains of the wood adding the fabric and elements of realism.

For more, visit www.raneecebuddan.com

Holiday Hours

On behalf of The Carrot staff and committee, we want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! We'll be closed starting at 2pm on December 24th to January 4th. If you're in need of any support in that time, please email operations@artsontheave.org.

Toy Drive: How many times can we fill the train?

Each year, Spruce Avenue School hosts a toy drive to make the joy of Christmas possible for families struggling to make ends meet. You can make holiday dreams come true for kids in our community by donating a new, unwrapped toy. The school is looking for items suitable for their junior high students (ages 12-16). Drop-offs can be made at The Carrot from Dec. 5 –16th.

Gallery - December 2020

Breanna Barrington - Jam Today

Breanna Barrington, Lift Off, 12 x 16 inches, mixed media on canvas

This December, we welcome Breanna Barrington’s Jam Today to The Carrot Gallery. The exhibition will be showing from December 1st to 24th, 2020. All artwork is available for sale. Help support local this holiday season!

Artist Statement

The Queen said to Alice; “The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day.” Well I say, Jam can be lots of things if you get creative about it… so why not to-day? This body of work explores themes of making do with what you’ve got; whether it be time, friends, ideas, or little scraps of paper. 

About the Artist

Breanna Barrington is a multimedia artist based in Amiskwaciy-Wâskahikan ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Edmonton) on Treaty 6 territory - Land that has been a historic meeting place for many people, across deep time. She holds a BFA from the UofA (2018) and has shown at multiple venues, from the United Nations  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to the Alberta Council for Ukrainian Arts. Through painting, drawing, and bricolage, she works to arrange visual metaphors which explore the relationship between modern urbanity and the not-so-distant past. With recycling philosophy and cultural identity at the backbone of her practice; Breanna creates work to invoke whimsical awareness and an ethos of care around our shared environmental heritage.

For more, visit www.breannabarrington.com

Closed for Remembrance Day

In this time of remembrance, we honour and thank our veterans for the courage and sacrifices they have made for our freedoms. We hope that this will be a time of rest and reflection for our team. We’ll see you again on November 12!

Gallery - November 2020

Hollis Hunter - Touch Starved: A Masculine Mass Media Series

Hollis Hunter, Love Seat, 19 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

This November, we welcome local artist, Hollis Hunter, to The Carrot Gallery. This will be his first exhibition since graduating from the BFA program at the University of Alberta.

Artist Statement

Hollis Hunter considers figurative painting to be a strong medium for exploring the politics of trans and queer identity, bodies, and representation. In this series, each painting is based on a film still, magazine clipping, or printed photograph. Hunter references these mass media images of masculine-coded bodies to visually deconstruct social ideas about sex, gender, and sexuality. Abstract figurative painting challenges the perceived “authenticity” of photographs and addresses assumptions about what certain bodies or identities look like. Hunter adapts these mainstream images of “men” into his own narrative: feelings of vulnerability, and a search for intimacy as a man who is queer and transgender.

About the Artist

Hollis Hunter (he/him) is a recent graduate of the BFA program at the University of Alberta, and is working as a visual artist in amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (Edmonton). Hunter is passionate about activist art involving transgender rights and visibility. Within his practice, Hunter aims to address the challenges of LGBTQ+ representation through personal narratives. Transfeminist activism paired with visual arts is powerful for navigating our precarious socio-political climate.

For more of Hollis Hunter’s work visit Instagram @ poisondartist.

Call to Upholstery Artists

Showcase the art and craft of upholstery and transform this victorian sofa into a unique centrepiece for The Carrot Community Coffeehouse. This is a unique opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind functional centrepiece for The Carrot, show off your craft and skills, and have fun with design – funky is appropriate.

Requirements & Support:

• your own space to work on the sofa starting November

• $500 towards supply costs from The Carrot if needed
  
  

If you’re interested, please contact strategy@artsontheave.org.

Gallery - October 2020

Pam Baergen and Rick Rogers - Home, Home on the Brink

This October, we welcome local artists, Pam Baergen and Rick Rogers to The Carrot Art Gallery.

Artists Statement

It began with a conversation. We talked about the scarcity of clear choices while navigating our new normals. We thought of people being 'out of their element,' and adapting to otherness that they aren’t ready for. We talked about the edges of being human...what are we willing to change, or lose, to survive as a species? We imagined other worlds. We discussed how gains in resilience can come at the price of a loss of natural habitat. We talked about control. We discussed how distance can create otherness and lead to adversity. We saw value in visually exploring these concepts together, and so we agreed to collaborate at each stage of the creative process as safely as we could. Face masks were donned, hand sanitizer became as necessary a tool as our brushes and blades, and we took advantage of online tools like Pinterest and videoconferencing.

Even the show title was collaborative. It started with Old Ways for New Days as a proposed title and next came many ideas: Resettle, Remix; Evolution of the Commonwealth; Moving Forward, Standing Still and many more. When we discussed these we realized we wanted the concept of an alien-ness or change to be included in the title. This resulted in The Uncertain Frontier and Strange New Worlds, which triggered the words edge, verge, threshold and brink, and the title Home on the Brink. The addition of sentimentality and idealism in the form of a traditional song resulted in the exhibition title Home, Home on the Brink, an interesting shift of the same underlying theme as the original working title, but more evocative. And this title-finding process was an early indicator of success in our collaboration.

About the Artists

Pam Baergen obtained a Fine Art Diploma from Grant MacEwan University in 2005. During her studies, Baergen was exposed to a wide range of contemporary artists and artmaking practices, which inspired her to begin exploring visual art's communicative power and potential beyond reproducing a convincing image. She was compelled to learn more about the art that came before her - who made what, and why? What effect did it have? Enrolling in an art history program seemed like a logical next-step. In 2008, Pam graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts Degree with distinction, majoring in the History of Art, Design, and Visual Culture, and minoring in Christian Theology. To see more of Baergen’s work, visit  www.livingportraits.ca

Rick Rogers’ background as a systems architect and scientist has been leveraged to experiment with various media, researching existing techniques and developing his own, and evolving his own processes for creating art. In Rogers’ words, “Science and art are never so far apart as our modern culture would make them seem. As an experimental artist, I see these ‘opposing’ bodies of knowledge as deeply intertwingled. The aesthetics and science of composition, the theoretical and practical pursuit of a deep understanding of the interaction of textures, and the physics and chemistry of paint manipulation are three areas in which I am particularly involved. My work is inspired as often by a scientific principle or an experimental eureka moment as it is by an aesthetic vision.” To see more of Rogers’ work, visit www.rickrogers.art

Window Gallery - August 2020

Genevieve Ongaro - Promises

We welcome Genevieve Ongaro to The Carrot Window Gallery.

“The main question behind my motivation for these works is what is the value of a promise, if not kept? What does it mean to make a promise, and why do we do it? The landscapes that I have chosen are metaphors for the in- transience of the world around us: constantly changing and shifting, yet permanent and stable. These hazy scenes are meant to evoke a sense of timelessness, and the sea is a representation of nature’s constant inconstancy, ever-changing and unpredictable, whereas the knots, built up by multitudes of tiny strokes or fibres at the mercy of time, space, and entropy, are symbols of human relationships and the promises we make. Creating the knot visually by means of small, intricate lines is an important part of how I want to illustrate these objects as entities that are both binding and incredibly fragile, delicate and at risk of unravelling.

The tension between the subject and its environment is meant to illustrate the question of whether fabrications of the human mind can in fact exist within the transience of the ubiquitous natural world. Do we make promises in an attempt to reach for transcendence from our impermanent lives? To create something that is larger than ourselves, and perhaps more beautiful and everlasting...which will live on beyond our short lives.”

Gallery - August 2020

Norma Callicott - Summer Dreams

Norma Callicott, Green River I, 6 x 8 inches, paper collage with resin

We welcome Norma Callicott to The Carrot Gallery.

Norma Callicott started her artistic journey over 20 years ago working in oils, acrylics, and pastel. The artist started exploring various mixed mediums and processes since retiring in 2016. Callicott fell in love with working with altered paper to create paper collage. The artist alters the pages of discarded magazines by melting the ink with a solution then drying the pages on a clothesline on bright summer days. The result is an interesting array of texture and pattern, some of which the artist manipulates to the desired result. As Callicott sits at the studio table, the pages in front of her speak to and inspire her. Memories and emotion come out, each telling a unique story. The use of recycled materials and Canadian made birch panel are important and meaningful elements of the work.

Gallery - July 2020

Michelle Paterok - I Woke Up, It Was a Dream

We are pleased to announce that Michelle Paterok will be the featured artist of the July Carrot Gallery. Paterok’s recent work in painting draws upon photographs as a means of tracing memory. These photographs, taken in rural Japan where the artist lived for two years, are used as a starting point for improvisation, allowing for abstraction and reinterpretation of the images. Through altering the original images, the artist aims to give an ephemeral experience a kind of permanence, reconfiguring these snapshots to reflect how the original place may be experienced and subsequently remembered.

Learn more about Michelle Paterok’s works here.

Dine the Ave: Choose Dine-In, Take-Out, or Delivery

Dine the Ave is back! Presented by the Alberta Business Association, Dine the Ave is an opportunity to taste authentic ethnic and local dishes right here in Edmonton. The Carrot and participating restaurants on and around Alberta Avenue will be offering a special menu item for $15-$25. This featured item is outside our regular menu and consists of 2-3 items, and can be ordered throughout the month of July.

There will be take-out and dine-in options, as well as delivery available exclusively through DoorDash.  Dine the Ave is a perfect opportunity to try lots of new foods for a great price.

Dine-in Soft Opening June 23

The Carrot will be open for dine-in again starting Tuesday, June 23! To ensure your safety, our team will be wearing masks when serving you, and all surfaces will be disinfected after each use. We’ve also expanded our patio seating to give your more seating options. Please observe all signs and maintain a safe physical distance from others.

We can’t wait to see everyone again!

Hours
Tuesday to Saturday: 10am - 5pm
Sunday: noon - 5pm

Easter (ART) House Hunt

Come by the Carrot’s window and take a good look at our original art houses in person. 

Start your neighbourhood search and try to identify each house! Write the address for your best guess under each on this sheet.

 Hint: All the houses are located near Alberta Avenue from 112 Ave to 120 Ave and 92 St to 96 St. Some of the titles for the pieces include hints of where the house is located so be sure to take a look at the labels!

HOW TO PLAY: 

1. Submit your sheet by email to: coordinator@thecarrot.ca (You can take a photo with your phone, or scan it). 

2. The person to get the most correct will win a prize! 

All Artwork © Robin Light

GOOD LUCK! ENJOY THE FRESH AIR AND REMEMBER TO PRACTICE SAFE PHYSICAL DISTANCING