ARTISTIC FACTIONS!
The Day The Arts Stood Still
Sat., Sept. 6 is the first-ever Alberta Arts Day, which Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett and the AFA’s Audrey Luft have both described — twice! — as an opportunity to “discover, experience, and celebrate” arts in the province. (Ah, government press releases: so full of “excitement” about “opportunities” to “celebrate”!) The Arts Day website (culture.alberta.ca/artsday) shows a shortage of Edmonton events, but a noon-hour panel at Stanley Milner Library on Friday called “Yes, But Is It Art?” caught our eye — John Mahon, Davina Stewart, Todd Janes, and Wallis Kendall will discuss the nature of art in Alberta.

LANDSCAPE FRACTURES!
Landscape Architect
“When you’re in an environment, you don’t see that ‘camera view,’” says Edmonton painter Arlene Wasylynchuk, whose new Earthbound series will be showing at Scott Gallery (10411-124 St) starting Sept. 6. “You see above things, below things. So in this series I’m deconstructing and reassembling the landscape — forcing the viewer travel through the painting to make sense of that complexity.” Wasylynchuk has been painting landscapes for most of her career, but now, for the first time, she’s started adding bits of civilization. “There is the human element in there now,” she says, “but very small!”

TINY FRACTIONS!
But We’re The Best 1/30th!
Angela Brunschot’s story in this issue about university students failing to apply for lucrative grants reminded us of PromArt, the cultural program administered by Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade — until the Tories axed it last month. Arts News was looking at the list of projects the department funded in 2006-2007 (the most recent fiscal period available online) and was shocked to see that, of more than 300 grants, fewer than 10 were awarded to Alberta artists or organizations. All we can say is, what a shame we didn’t take better advantage of the program while it existed.