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Arts & Culture

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Red Deer has truly turned a cultural corner. Since being named a Cultural Capital of Canada for 2003 - 2004 by Heritage Canada, and the injection of one million dollars to boost arts and culture that went along with it, the cultural scene in Red Deer is more vibrant than ever - and it's growing daily. Alexander Way One of the most exciting developments to look for in the city is the transformation of Alexander Way, a cultural meander through the downtown from Barrett Park to Bower Ponds via 48th Street. The phased development began in 2005 with public art installations - Red Deer Line, the Rabbit, Be-Bop and the Alexander Way Gallery mural. Banners, signage and benches were added along the street. Planned are attractive plantings, streetscaping including busker bubbles.  Long-term plans include events spaces and links to our beautiful Bower Ponds through the proposed Riverlands area development. With Government of Alberta support through Centennial Legacy Funding, Alexander Way is The City's response to the need identified in the Community Culture Master Plan for cultural development in the downtown. Alexander Way will change the face of downtown, making it more lively and vibrant - a cultural meeting place, people-focused and community-driven.

Ghosts & Murals

Red Deer's collection of life-size bronze sculptures immortalize the famous, infamous, humourous, animals, actions and events that have shaped Red Deer's past. The first work was commissioned by the Downtown Business Association in 1994. This unique and growing collection is one of the largest bronze sculpture collections in Canada.

The Reverend Leonard Gaetz sits on a bench on Ross Street looking eastward. He looks pleased with what he sees. It is a kindly look. It invites people to sit beside him and see Red Deer as it was when he arrived at the little settlement. Perhaps then he was looking at the same main street through the eyes of the future. Yes, Gaetz knew there was potential in this area and set about to make his contribution. You may be startled when you come around the corner of the Red Deer Library. You can feel the urgency of Sound the Alarm as two men struggle to bring the situation under control. The horses know their job and are eager to get to it.

When you visit the Recreation Centre next to the museum you'll see two children climbing on a rock. One is helping the other who has polio. It's a touching scene and a reminder of how science has eradicated many childhood diseases. Hazel Braithwaite achieved many distinctions in her lifetime including an appointment to the University of Alberta's Board of Governors and election to its Senate. Her most noteworthy accomplishment was her work in bringing recognition of the partnership, accomplishments and contributions of Alberta farm women to the agriculture industry. She was inducted into the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame in 1978. Her Ghost stands as a sentinel on Ross Street near the Old Court House as a reminder of the important role women have played in the development and growth of Red Deer. Recent contributions to Red Deer's legends and lore are plentiful. If you're walking by City Hall Park and hear the strains of a marching band in the distance, it's probably echoes of the award-winning Red Deer Royals being lead by their director, the late Keith Mann. His Ghost stands poised for the down-beat, and less than one block west is a mural of the Red Deer Royals as they marched down Ross Street in days gone by. Doris & Mickey is located east of downtown in Coronation Park. Doris found the mauled beaver along Waskasoo Creek in 1939 and took him in as a pet and loving member of the family, often playing with the family dog, attracting visitors and making headlines until his death in 1948. A walking tour of the Ghost Collection will reveal other colourful characters such as the elusive Francis the Pig. The crafty little porker decided to remove himself from the food chain in 1990. For nearly five months he was on the lam, roaming through Red Deer's parklands, eluding natural predators and captors. Each Ghost has a story to tell inscribed on a plaque beside it. Discover for yourself why the Ghost beside City Hall is holding a coffee cup and reading a newspaper. Learn more about the Ghost on 48th Street and his furry little friend. There are nine official Ghosts and two murals. Red Deer has Ghosts outside the official collection. For example, the soldier on the cenotaph in the middle of Ross Street is a constant reminder of the price of freedom. For information on the self-guided Ghost & Mural Walking Tour, contact the Downtown Business Association at 340.8696 or www.experiencedowntownreddeer.com or the Red Deer & District Museum at 309.8405.

Music

Looking for a little music? Red Deer is home to the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra, Kompany!, a professional song and dance troupe, and the Red Deer Chamber Singers, an accomplished group of 35 to 40 singers of Renaissance music accompanied by a harpsichord. The Symphony season runs the gamut from classical performances to contemporary music, while Kompany! offers high-energy cabaret-style performances and original musical comedies two to three times per year. The Chamber Singers also host several performances each year, including the very popular Renaissance Feast in November. And, of course, there's plenty of talented musical acts who play local pubs and clubs or larger concert venues, like the Memorial Centre, Red Deer College Arts Centre or Westerner Park's ENMAX Centrium. What's more, the Red Deer College Music Department hosts free musical evenings throughout the year in their smaller studios; the evenings showcase a rich variety of student performers. Theatre The College Theatre Studies Department also invites the public to attend a highly popular series of one-act plays produced, directed and performed by students each year. The Infamous One Acts are held each spring, and draw large crowds eager to see the theatre students' dramatic choices. The Red Deer College Arts Centre theatrical season of ambitious productions range from works by Canadian playwrights to everyone's favourite musicals and Shakespearean plays. Info - 342.3536 or www.rdc.ab.ca/showtime.

Central Alberta Theatre presents live dinner theatre from October to May at the Black Knight Inn, and occasional main stage plays at the 766-seat Memorial Centre. The notfor- profit volunteer organization has been wowing audiences for more than 35 years. Info - 347.8111 or www.centralalbertatheatre.ca or www.blackknightinn.ca.

Two brand-new professional theatre companies have set up shop in Red Deer, TAR (Take A Risk) producing contemporary plays with an edge and Ignition Theatre's contemporary theatre bridging the gap between theatre training programs at the post-secondary level and the professional theatre community. All in all, there's sure to be something for every theatrical taste.

Literary Arts

Literary readings abound in the city, with Red Deer Public Library and Red Deer College Library hosting intimate, informal readings for writers from around the country, as well as featuring some of our own world-class local writers. Red Deer College also hosts the Perspectives Series, bringing in high profile speakers from across Canada; past presenters have included such dignitaries as Michael Ondaatje and Arthur Kent. An annual Writer-In-Residence at the college adds another layer to the literary climate; Sharon Butala, acclaimed writer and Officer of the Order of Canada, spent time in Red Deer working with local writers. Dave Margoshes, a prize-winning poet, fiction writer, journalist and biographer.

Galleries and Museums

Red Deer is home to a wide range of art galleries, from the traditional to the eclectic. Red Deer's galleries host touring shows by local, national and international artists. Red Deer and District Museum, Red Deer College and the Allied Arts Council host an array of provocative shows in addition to permanent galleries. You will also find art exhibits in the Red Deer Public Library Kiwanis Gallery, the Red Deer College Library and the Harris-Warke Gallery. The Red Deer & District Museum and the Allied Arts Council host a student show each year, featuring artwork from talented high school students who have been mentored by professional artists. Red Deer College's year-end student show is one of the most popular art shows of the year; hosted by the Museum, the show displays and sells the work of Red Deer College first and second year visual arts students. Each summer, Red Deer College hosts Series, a widely acclaimed summer school offering courses in glassblowing, drawing, painting, pottery and more. Series attracts professional artists from around the world; while here, the visiting artists and instructors host talks about, and demonstrations of, their work to which the public is invited. For the emerging artist, courses in painting, drawing and sculpture are also offered at Series. The College also regularly showcases the talents of its art instructors in talks that are open to the public and free of charge. Local artists, performers and filmmakers discuss their crafts and the paths their careers have taken, accompanying their presentations with slides of their work and fascinating peeks inside the worlds of performing and visual artists, and into the minds and hearts of the artists themselves. Red Deer College Library hosts this fascinating series. Looking for information on Red Deer's heritage and its place within our lush parkland setting? The collections at the Red Deer and District Museum reflects Red Deer's history with special emphasis on First Nations Peoples, immigrant settlers, rural life and the birth of a city. Permanent and visiting exhibits explore the breadth of human experience through art, history and science displays. Info - 309.8405 or www.museum.red-deer.ab.ca.

Located next to the Museum is Heritage Square. The peaceful park houses historic buildings including the Norwegian Society's cultural centre, the Aspenlund Laft Hus, as well as the former library annex to the Gaetz's retirement home, the steeple from the old Knox Presbyterian Church, a replica of the 1887 log schoolhouse and Red Deer's oldest surviving building, the tiny Stevenson- Hall Block, which stood on the corner of Ross Street and Gaetz Avenue in the early 1890s.

Historic Fort Normandeau is a reconstruction of the original Fort at Red Deer Crossing. It comes to life through programs, exhibits and artifacts that illustrate the beginnings and early history of Red Deer. A large garden, poultry yard and teepees are set up for public enjoyment. The grounds include a beautifully treed picnic area and canoe launch, as well as lots of space to play. The Interpretive Centre open from Victoria Day to Labour Day kicks off the season with Fort Normandeau Days, a re-enactment of military skirmishes with black powder guns, cannon, costumed soldiers and rebels, held annually on the weekend following Victoria Day. Info - 346.2010 or www.waskasoopark.ca. Sunnybrook Farm Museum was developed to preserve and interpret the rich history of mixed farming in central Alberta. The farm was originally settled in 1899 by James Bower and family. The farm became known as Sunnybrook farm, where Bower raised pure-bred cattle and Percheron horses. The ten acres that now make up Sunnybrook Farm Museum include barns and workshops built by the Bowers and a pioneer log home moved to the site from the Evarts district. The collection at the museum includes Hudkins and Van Slyke plows, both of which were invented in the area, early tractors, binders, rakes, and threshing machines. There is also an extensive collection of dairy and blacksmith equipment. Info - 340.3511 or www.sunnybrookfarmmuseum.ca.

Nearer Spruce View, the Danish Canadian National Museum & Gardens features acres of traditional Danish gardens, exciting attractions and delectable desserts, providing a true Danish experience. Info - 728.0020. Completed in 1968, St. Mary's Church is one of the earliest works of the renowned Canadian architect, Douglas Cardinal, whose award-winning and controversial design was inspired by a spider web and is popular with visitors. Tour info - 347.3114.

Red Deer's cultural scene is thriving. Local artists from all walks plan and participate in grassroots festivals and events, and the city of Red Deer hosts even more. Red Deer is a proud home to visual artists who sell and tour their work internationally, to worldclass performing artists and musicians, and to professional writers who are recognized internationally as well as within the lively Canadian publishing scene. We're also exceptional hosts to visiting artists from around the country. Take a look around - you'll find music every night of the week; events, performances, readings and talks occur weekly through the fall, winter and spring. You'll see public art around every corner in our cultural hubs - downtown, tucked within our envied trail systems, at the college as well as Alexander Way. And in the summer, it's festival time, with even more new festivals being brought in and developed every single year. Check it out! Red Deer's cultural scene has something for everyone.

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