Montreal Mural Festival

MURALS GALORE!

Montreal Mural Festival

Montreal is a wonderful city.  I went a number of years ago with a friend to the conference for the Association for Death Education and Counseling.  I was tagging along as the art viewer while my partner attended the Conference.  

It had just turned spring after a harsh winter and everyone was delighted to see the sun and flowers peaking out for growth.  I fell in love with the city.  It was quaint, charming, modern, and definite art town with wonderful galleries.  The food was delightful and a great ethnic variety.  

Montreal Mural Festival                      from google image for educational purpose only

I wish there had been a mural festival then, I would have absolutely stayed for it.  After viewing the mural program in Philadelphia I was hooked.  It is such a fantastic way for the general public to share the value and beauty of the arts.  

Jamie Rojo and Steven Harrington             Montreal Mural Festival

As museums have gone up in cost, it is not as easy for low income people of families to attend.  But murals beautify the city and they can be shared by all! 

Jamie Rojo and Steven Harrington                          Montreal Mural Festival

So when I ran across this on line I had to share it with you.  Recently cities near me and those I have visited have had a mural added to their venue, but a whole festival!!!! Wow!  So now lets take a look at the Montreal Mural FestivaL. A massive event took place this summer with over 20 artists form different countries and 800,000 people visiting over a four day period!  
When in St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida recently I observed two new large murals that had been added to the cities public art.  Now in Asheville, North Carolina I have seen several murals throughout the city. 
Perhaps, just perhaps, you can plan one for your community as well! Diego Rivera was right it is the art of the people!! 

 

MONTREAL MUSEUM OF ART

There a few cities one can fall in love with immediately, but Montreal was one of those special places for me. My partner had gone of a conference for Association of Death Education and Counseling. The conference was held at the Elizabeth Hotel. It was in spring after Montreal had a really rough winter with lots of snow. The tulips were peaking out when we arrived and in full bloom by the end of the week. I was taken with this beautiful city, with lovely architecture and a strong sense of history. The food, wine and restaurants were wonderful. We went to many galleries and I was impressed with the quality of art they carried. We also went to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was an expose of Cuban Art that was being held at the time. It is not something the United States would have carried and I felt fortunate to see current Cuban Artists. There was also a wonderful collection of African Mask and statues. It may have been a permanent part of the Museum collection, but it gave me an idea for a series of work that I would like to do with conceptual art. I would rant and rave about other Canadian cities, but Montreal is the only place I have been in Canada. I am looking forward to more experiences and exposure to more art and artist with our neighbors to the North.

Here is the website of the Montreal Museum of Art, and it is also listed in a clickable form on the right hand column, websites of interest.

http://www.mmfa.qc.ca/en/index.html

Montreal Lovers/ Which photo is the strongest?

I was traveling in Montreal for a conference a few years ago. As always I had my camera in my pocket handy. I came out of the art museum and looked up, this wonderful moment caught my eye. I took two photo's, one where the hearts seem as if balloons attached to the car and the other focusing on the heart and body language of the couple sitting near the sculpture. They are gazing off and appear to be in conversation, are they having an argument, are they bored, are they an old married couple, or tired tourist waiting on a bus...what is their story. For me the second photo is the most successful and interesting. What do you think?

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Artists as Carriers of the Truth

As artists, we belong to an ancient and holy tribe.

We are the carriers of the truth that spirit moves through us all.

When we deal with one another we are not merely dealing with our human personalities, but also with the throng of ideas, visions, stories, poems, songs, sculptures, art-as-facts that crowd the temple of consciousness waiting to be born.
As artist we are spiritual sharks. The ruthless truth is if we don't keep moving we sink to the bottom and die. The choice is very simple, we can insist on resting on our laurels or we can begin anew. The stringent requirement of a sustained creative life is the humility to start over again to begin anew.

Quote from Julia Cameron/Meditations from an Artist Way.