DR DISC-Raise the Roof Artcrawl music show, enjoy some local bands and add some music to your crawl!
NEEDLEWORK- 174 James N-Textile Workshop
Check out the spot and drop off your can goods during artcrawl for foodbanks!
MANTA CONTEMPORARY-is temporarily closed.
NATHSNIEL HUGHSON-(corner of John and King William)-Tina Newlove Under the Sun Show
YOU ME GALLERY -Karen Thiessen -Unity
Karen Thiessen textiles, collage and patterns in a brilliant collage style.
URBAN ARTS INIATIVE-Hamilton Hometown Love Video Premier (126 James North)
The Urban Arts Initiative is pleased to announce the showcase of the Push the Point, a youth media arts project. Push the Point was a six week, collaborative media workshop organized by the Urban Arts Initiative with funding from the Ontario Arts Council.
HOMEGROWN-Art Crawl afterparty
THIS AIN’T HOLLYWOOD-Art Crawl Afterparty
MULBERRY CAFE-Outpost
Kyle Reed works in 2D. He illustrates stories and worlds with traditional and digital collage. Drawing from his imagination, Kyle built landscapes and architectural sculptures. The environments created hint at a narrative for the viewer to expand.
FOCUS GALLERY-Fundy Shore and Focuso
Fred Franzen and Hollander Maui, expressionist landscapes and avant-garde photography
66 James Street North (before Wilson)
MCCARTNEY & SON Resturant-Kyle Stewart
Humorous and exciting pieces by up and coming art star Kyle Stewart
282 James North
B CONTEMPORARY-Rick Pottruff Oasis of the Seas
Rick Pottruff has had over 35 solo shows, both nationally and internationally. His work is represented in numerous public collections, including the McMaster Museum of Art, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, the Mackenzie Art Gallery, and the Robert McLaughlin Gallery. He has had an extensive teaching career.
226 James St N (Old Ricca Furniture Building)
THE FACTORY – Alternate Reality Walk
Bring a smart phone and earphones. goto their site for all instructions
HAVN-Boxes Still-26 Barton E
An accumulation of oddities…… group show
HAMMER CITY RECORDS -Tight Head-228 James North Basement at rear
Morbid hysteria, disconnected reality. A path betwixt this world and the nether. Drain from the piss alley, transcend into hyper-reality.
WAHC-Steel Town Views
Eight studio participants created collagraphs, a printmaking method that works with textures and layers of surfaces glued together. The exhibition at WAHC’s Community Gallery (second floor) also includes the plates from which the prints were pulled. Gallery visitors are invited to use the plates to create rubbings and add their own visual comments on the topic of the “Feel of Steeltown,” for the visitor’s wall. A workshop with children from the ICAA art education program adds another newcomer perspective to the exhibition.

HISTORY AND HERITAGE-Luna Martinez-Virtual History
Oscar Luna Martinez is originally from Mexico City. He grew up in Montreal and now lives in Hamilton. He is a trained graphic artist with a keen interest in architectural illustration. Oscar is another example of the content for HIStory + HERitage’s exhibitions walking through the front door. Oscar showed me his illustrations of the Lister Block and that led to a discussion of a broader exhibition which includes Oscar’s fully rendered 3D illustrations of the Lister Block, the Pigott building, and an amazing re-creation of Hamilton’s old city hall that was located on James Street North that was demolished in 1962.

HAMILTON ARTISTS INC-Mexico ii-Beaverly Healey & Christopher Healey
Two generations of Canadian artists, mother and son, present two different visions of the same place. As tourists from outside of the culture, this is not really Mexico but rather alternate versions of Mexico framed within particular contemporary and modernist biases. Hence Mexico ii.
NEW HARBOURS MUSIC SERIES-n/a
Christ Church Cathedral
252 James Street North
BLUE ANGEL GALLERY- TBA
243 James St North 905-522-8735
BOOK CLUB GALLERY-Open Book Show (21 Rebecca)
Book Club Gallery launches at James North Art Crawl on Friday, June 14 at 7PM with the Open Book Show. Sculptures, paintings, photography and site-specific installations by Donna Akrey, Sarah Beattie, Andrea Carvalho, Margaret Flood, Svava Thordis Juliusson and friends.
ART WORD ART BAR -The Blues in Black and White (James and Colburne)
The Blues in Black and White, an exhibition of archival photographs by Robert Allison from the glory days of Albert’s Hall, the premier venue in the late 80s for blues musicians passing through Toronto.

CENTRE3–Arts Education Exhibit
Highlighting some of the student works made at the centre.

RELISH, 6 Cannon St. E. • Relish on Etsy
O”S Clothes beside Relish-Men’s Clothes
(right beside Relish)
Chaises Musicals-Furniture, books, music, dvds
152 James St North
THE CLAY STUDIO- 175 James St N.
MELAINE GILLIS STUDIO -126 James St N. (above the Factory 3rd Floor)
SYLVIA NICKERSON ILLUSTRATION-126 James St N. (above the Factory 3rd Floor)
HOTEL HAMILTON STUDIOS – 195 James St N.
Between the Mulberry Cafe and the Brain

NEEDLEWORK- 174 James N-Textile Workshop
Check out the spot and drop off your can goods during artcrawl for foodbanks!

MANTA CONTEMPORARY-Re-Visions
David Irvine of The Gnarled Branch and Keith Busher of Precious Mutations will be taking over the Manta Contemporary Gallery this May to show a collection of Recycled and Re-directed art.

YOU ME GALLERY -Unity
Karen Thiessen textiles, collage and patterns in a brilliant collage style.

HOMEGROWN-Temper Temper
Beautiful paintings of beautiful creatures by Lauren Olson. also there will be a selections of bands playing (no Cover)

MULBERRY CAFE-Outpost
Kyle Reed works in 2D. He illustrates stories and worlds with traditional and digital collage. Drawing from his imagination, Kyle built landscapes and architectural sculptures. The environments created hint at a narrative for the viewer to expand.

FOCUS GALLERY-Fundy Shore and Focuso
Fred Franzen and Hollander Maui, expressionist landscapes and avant-garde photography
66 James Street North (before Wilson)

B CONTEMPORARY-De Fabrica
Relief Sculputres by Rui Pimenta
226 James St N (Old Ricca Furniture Building)

THE FACTORY – Scene in Hamilton
A collection of Indie films screened in Hamilton. Event is happening during the James Street art crawl.
Curator: Nathan Fleet

HAVN-Boxes Still-26 Barton E
An accumulation of oddities…… group show

HAMMER CITY RECORDS -Tight Head-228 James North Basement at rear
Morbid hysteria, disconnected reality. A path betwixt this world and the nether. Drain from the piss alley, transcend into hyper-reality.
HISTORY AND HERITAGE-Luna Martinez-Virtual History
Oscar Luna Martinez is originally from Mexico City. He grew up in Montreal and now lives in Hamilton. He is a trained graphic artist with a keen interest in architectural illustration. Oscar is another example of the content for HIStory + HERitage’s exhibitions walking through the front door. Oscar showed me his illustrations of the Lister Block and that led to a discussion of a broader exhibition which includes Oscar’s fully rendered 3D illustrations of the Lister Block, the Pigott building, and an amazing re-creation of Hamilton’s old city hall that was located on James Street North that was demolished in 1962.

HAMILTON ARTISTS INC-Stunt Double
Andrew McPhail and Leslie Furness
Andrew-His accumulative, craft oriented work reconfigures disposable materials such as band aids, Kleenex and pins into large sculpture and installations. in 2013 he was awarded the Canada Council International Residency in Paris, France.
Leslie-Growing out of her studies at McMaster, Leslie incorporates her love of the theatre with narratives describing the human condition dealing with memory, or loss of it, decay and reinvention. In her current art practice Leslie employs the use of ceramics, media, text, paint, fabric and storytelling to invite the viewer into her dystopic worlds

NEW HARBOURS MUSIC SERIES-Dreamstate w/Heiki Sillaste/Oureboros
Our final New Harbours concert of the spring season features an audio-visual performance of ambient electronics from DREAMSTATE and HEIKI SILLASTE, with an opening set from local drone worshippers OUREBOROS.
8pm – 10pm
Pay what you can (suggested donation: $5 – $10)

Christ Church Cathedral
252 James Street North
BLUE ANGEL GALLERY- TBA
243 James St North 905-522-8735

ART WORD ART BAR -The Blues in Black and White (James and Colburne)
The Blues in Black and White, an exhibition of archival photographs by Robert Allison from the glory days of Albert’s Hall, the premier venue in the late 80s for blues musicians passing through Toronto.

CENTRE3–Road Sign Project
The Road Sign Project is an outdoor art project presented by Centre3, Hamilton, ON, in partnership with Atelier Imago in Moncton, NB. Signs by sixteen artists, posted in various Hamilton locations (and in Centre3′s storefront gallery), offer directions on matters such as contemporary art, science, psychology, politics, romance, and the pathos of post-industrial urban existence. Viewers are invited to join the artists for a guided tour and picnic, participate in a t-shirt contest, and contribute observations on the signs and the signified for an upcoming publication

RELISH, 6 Cannon St. E. • Relish on Etsy

O”S CLOTHES beside Relish-Men’s Clothes
(right beside Relish)

CHAISSE MUSICALS-Furniture, books, music, dvds
152 James St North

THE CLAY STUDIO- 175 James St N.

MELAINE GILLIS STUDIO -126 James St N. (above the Factory 3rd Floor)

SYLVIA NICKERSON ILLUSTRATION-126 James St N. (above the Factory 3rd Floor)

HOTEL HAMILTON STUDIOS – 195 James St N.
Between the Mulberry Cafe and the Brain

MUSTARD SEED CO-OP GROCERY–will be open near Mulberry Cafe for information and taking memberships!

NEWOLDS-  240 James N-new clothing store/opening night

NEEDLEWORK- 174 James N-Textile Workshop Check out the spot and drop off your can goods during artcrawl for foodbanks!

MANTA CONTEMPORARY-Katrina Camilleri and Cheyenne Federiconi-Bombs AwayWar symbols, violence, politics and sexism are reborn with a new attitude and perspective as they analyze the naked reality behind the façade of political truth.

YOU ME GALLERY -We-Group Show
Tony Vander Voet   Quatre Mains Collective (M.Fleur-Ange Lamothe and Jennifer Boucher) Pat Bond   Patti Beckett   Barbara Townsend   Adrian Curelea   Linda Blakney

MULBERRY CAFE-Jen Hsieh-Thirteen
Jen enjoys exploring culture, both vintage and modern, through colour, pattern and line work.

FOCUS GALLERY-TBA
66 James Street North (before Wilson)

B CONTEMPORARY-Paul Cvetich-Shaboom Shaboom
Relief Sculputres
226 James St N (Old Ricca Furniture Building)

HAVN-Woven Still-26 Barton E
Video /Sound/Embroidered Photography

HAMMER CITY RECORDS -TBA

WAHC-Steel Town Views
Eight studio participants created collagraphs, a printmaking method that works with textures and layers of surfaces glued together. The exhibition at WAHC’s Community Gallery (second floor) also includes the plates from which the prints were pulled. Gallery visitors are invited to use the plates to create rubbings and add their own visual comments on the topic of the “Feel of Steeltown,” for the visitor’s wall. A workshop with children from the ICAA art education program adds another newcomer perspective to the exhibition.

HISTORY AND HERITAGE-Luna Martinez-Virtual History
Oscar Luna Martinez is originally from Mexico City. He grew up in Montreal and now lives in Hamilton. He is a trained graphic artist with a keen interest in architectural illustration. Oscar is another example of the content for HIStory + HERitage’s exhibitions walking through the front door. Oscar showed me his illustrations of the Lister Block and that led to a discussion of a broader exhibition which includes Oscar’s fully rendered 3D illustrations of the Lister Block, the Pigott building, and an amazing re-creation of Hamilton’s old city hall that was located on James Street North that was demolished in 1962.

HAMILTON ARTISTS INC-Michel Boulanger-Control Fields
Pictorial and graphic experiments are currently the concentration of Michel Boulanger’s practice. Through 3D works he manipulates and transforms objects by adjusting angles and lighting in order to create different textural compositions. Control Fields consists of a video installation of looped animated images. It is concerned with territorial problems in agriculture.  Which examines the overwhelming pig population verses human and the contrast between growing corn and pig farming which are common in rural Quebec.  The viewer is given a sense of mystery by exploring the never ending play between these concerns.

NEW HARBOURS MUSIC SERIES-Nadja and Knurl
This is a double bill not to miss: drone metal wizards NADJA (Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff) with veteran noise sculptor KNURL (Alan Bloor). Mind melting sound for the slow apocalypse.

http://www.nadjaluv.ca/

www.pantarheirecordings.com/
8pm – 10pm
Pay what you can (suggested donation: $5 – $10)

Christ Church Cathedral
252 James Street North
BLUE ANGEL GALLERY- TBA
243 James St North 905-522-8735

ART WORD ART BAR -David Nemeth-Drawings
David Nemeth recently made his home in Hamilton, the city that inspired him to create his latest series, “Between the Hammer and a Hard Place”, an evocative study of Hamilton’s architecture and the people who reside there, as seen through the eyes of the artist

CENTRE 3–Shelley Niro-M:Stories of Women
Stories of Women is a series of 12 large-scale digital photomontages. The imagery incorporates elements of portraiture, myth and irony to contest prevailing stereotypes. Niro began the series with the legend of Skywoman, as she felt that the heroine’s predicament was not so different from the experiences of her contemporary counterparts

THE FACTORY-Cybernetic Orchestra-Shift
Audio art from McMaster University’s Multimedia program
Diffusion of acousmatic compositions
Triple-screen videomusique projections
The release of the Cybernetic Orchestra’s 2nd full-length album
Live coding by the Cybernetic Orchestra and extramuros
O”S Clothes beside Relish-Men’s Clothes
(right beside Relish)
Chaises Musicals-Furniture, books, music, dvds
152 James St North

THE CLAY STUDIO- 175 James St N.

MELAINE GILLIS STUDIO -126 James St N. (above the Factory 3rd Floor)

SYLVIA NICKERSON ILLUSTRATION-126 James St N. (above the Factory 3rd Floor)

HOTEL HAMILTON STUDIOS – 195 James St N.
Between the Mulberry Cafe and the Brain

231 Bay St North Start @7pm

Gallery at the Bay, Bay and Barton….

So make up your own mind, here’s the links http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hamilton-s-live-unfiltered-news-even-better/  

Also a great article by Raise the Hammer about Joey Coleman

Check out this lovely video short about Madrid’s nice thriving small business culture. Something I hope Hamilton can imitate….

HISTORY AND HERITAGE-Luna Martinez-Virtual History
Oscar Luna Martinez is originally from Mexico City. He grew up in Montreal and now lives in Hamilton. He is a trained graphic artist with a keen interest in architectural illustration. Oscar is another example of the content for HIStory + HERitage’s exhibitions walking through the front door. Oscar showed me his illustrations of the Lister Block and that led to a discussion of a broader exhibition which includes Oscar’s fully rendered 3D illustrations of the Lister Block, the Pigott building, and an amazing re-creation of Hamilton’s old city hall that was located on James Street North that was demolished in 1962.

HAMILTON ARTISTS INC-Jack Butler-StoryBones
He explores concepts of money and economy in relation to his own life in the work My earliest memory of money is selling flower seeds door to door, as well as his visual observations as a member of Art and Cold Cash, an artists’ collective emerging from Qamanituaq (Baker Lake), Nunavut.
Members Show-Ben Burchert Ryan Clark, Bill Wehrens
NEW HARBOURS MUSIC SERIES-TBA
BLUE ANGEL GALLERY- TBA
243 James St North 905-522-8735

ART WORD ART BAR -Nicole Babjak-Open Air Sketches
emerging artist from Burlington showcases her open-air sketches from around the world. “Windows to the World” is a collection of miniature watercolour and pen & ink drawings featuring locations as Alaska, China, Italy and Croatia that Nicole has travelled to in the past 10 years.
Homegrown (King William)-Red Caravan Tour
PWYC HipHop show
RELISH, 6 Cannon St. E. • Relish on Etsy
O”S Clothes beside Relish-Men’s Clothes
After Artcrawl Party at Acedmica Bar! (lots of Dj’s and suprises)
(right beside Relish)
Chaises Musicals-Furniture, books, music, dvds
152 James St North
THE CLAY STUDIO- 175 James St N.
MELAINE GILLIS STUDIO -126 James St N. (above the Factory 3rd Floor)
SYLVIA NICKERSON ILLUSTRATION-126 James St N. (above the Factory 3rd Floor)
HOTEL HAMILTON STUDIOS – 195 James St N.
Between the Mulberry Cafe and the Brain

We were instructed to meet at The Pearl Company at 6:30pm and pay the fee of $15 ($10 for students and artists). We then received our itinerary for the evening. The itinerary is different for every tour so you can go numerous  times and always see something new! The Art Bus runs on the first two Friday’s of every month – so you can even hop on the bus to hit up the James Street North Art Crawl if you want. I was told they stop off for an hour and a half for you to wander the art crawl at your own pace. Last Friday’s itinerary started us off at the Pearl Company which had a quaint display of local art, jewellery and graphic prints!

Then at precisely 6:40 we headed to our first stop – You Me Gallery on James North to see Harold Sikkema’s show ‘Landscrapes’. Harold creates “digital tapestries” using amalgamations of his own photography and environmental sculpture. His pieces are “hyper-detailed, digital composite images”. All of his pieces are fascinating as every time you look at the work you see something new. They are so intricately layered and so detailed you could stand in front of one piece for minutes and just explore it. I have decided to share a snippet from Harold’s artist statement so you have an idea of how he describes it in his words.

“I make digital tapestries. They are hyper-detailed, digital composite images under acrylic skin, or to put it another way; constructed contemporary amber, preserving ephemeral traces of life. To gather traces, I employ a camera, recording a dance of movement and rhythm. It’s a relentless ritual of careful looking.”

Careful looking. I like that. With each piece there was also a small written paragraph, poem or quote which was a part of the piece as well. Harold was at the You Me Gallery to greet us and answer any questions. It was nice to have the artist explain how he created his work. You can see a few samples of his work here but these photos do not do them justice. If you would like better images and more examples visit Harold online at www.nsitu.ca. He has also documented the show in video and you can find that here. Although I must say – seeing his work on the wall in full size is far more rewarding an experience than on your computer.

Our next stop on the Art Bus was the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre (WAHC). There was tons going on at the WAHC last Friday night and we were glad to see the place so busy! First there was a book launchpremiering a book called ‘Boom, Bust and Crisis’ by John Peters. There was so much to see at the centre I did not have a chance to learn more about the book but I captured the display for anyone interested in knowing more. Secondly there was ‘The Spirit of our Movement’ which was a photographic show by John MacLennon. It documented in stunning photos the last decade of labour movement in Ontario including strikes, rallies, conventions, and direct actions. To compliment this show I also found a striking photo in a hallway called ‘May Day Parade’ from 1934 (see photos below). Upstairs we found a fascinating historical display called ‘Nine to Five: A History of Office Work’ as well as ‘Steel Town Views’ which is a collaboration between Centre3 and OPIRG. ‘Steel Town Views’ displays creative responses to Hamilton’s identity of “steel town” using a printmaking technique called collagraph. There was tons to see at WAHC and to top it all off there was a live performance in progress as well.

Next on the itinerary was a double stop. First we visited Nathanial Hughson Gallery, then we walked around the corner to see Manta Contemporary. Nathanial Hughson Gallery is a lovely gallery with a wide variety of different artist’s work on display. Their main show this month is artist Ryan Price with ‘Yesterday and Tomorrow’. Ryan creates stunning graphite and mixed media pieces on drywall. His work is very inspiring and detailed. Nathanial Hughson Gallery also had on display work from artists such as Tina Newlove, Christina Sealey, Stephanie Vegh, Laurie Kilgour-Walsh and Fiona Kinsella – among many others! It was wonderful to see such a variety of work. I also love the space at NHG – they have some beautiful bare stone walls that really give the gallery a unique feel. Here are a few shots I took there.

At Manta Contemporary we saw a show called ‘LoveLust’ by Charlene Chua. In sharp contrast to Ryan Price’s work, Charlene’s art is a “visual exploration of the two most prominent elements of romantic love… through stylized renderings of the female form.” Her work has a very strong illustrative quality and her illustrations played well with the physical and idealistic views of women. Manta Contemporary is a fairly new gallery and is quickly making a name for itself on King William.

At this point in the evening it was 8:45pm and I will admit I was starting to become tired. Everything I had seen was so inspiring and we had been going non-stop for two hours. After a full day of work its no wonder some of us were beginning to lag a bit. But we still had two more stops to make before the night was over. L’Arche was our next stop. L’Arche is an international family of communities for people who have learning disabilities and for those wishing to share their life with them. The L’Arche community in Hamilton was founded in 1978. We visited the L’Arche studio space where we had the honour of meeting two very important community members who gave us a wonderful tour of the space. Homemade cookies and hot apple cider were also quite welcomed at this point in the evening. The art on display was all made with care by those in the community with disabilities and we could tell just by looking at the work how much they love to create. This stop was inspiring for us in a different way – but it was inspiring none the less. Take a look at some of the art these lovely people created. All sale proceeds get put back into the L’Arche community.

Our final stop was Gallery 205 on Cannon. Gallery 205 is “in the process of re-claiming, re-energizing, re-tooling, re-inventing, renovating and incubating an urban arts corner in downtown Hamilton.” The space had everything a musician, performer or audio artist could need! They had a small stage in the front room for a cozy and comfortable jam session, then they had a party room in the back where they had another stage with tons of equipment. Finally in the very back there was an even bigger stage for a large concert, and open area for anything from a wrestling tournament to a filming gig – and a massive green screen and mic boom to boot. They were in the midst of renovating so we did not have the chance to see the place in all its glory but I could see them providing an excellent service to many film, audio and music artists in the community. Check out some of the photos from the tour (apologies for the quality!)

And that concluded the evening for us. We all piled back onto the bus and made our way back to The Pearl Company. We made it back around 10:00 to give you an idea of how late to expect to be out. It was an awesome night and I met some great people. All the galleries were SO glad to have us come by and some of the food spreads were awesome (I missed my dinner but was full by the end of the tour!). If you are considering hopping on the Art Bus I highly recommend it – but make sure you wear comfortable shoes! You can find more information about each individual Art Bus tour and where they will be going by checking out their Facebook page or finding them on Twitter (@ThePearlCompany). You can also check out their website to see all the other events the Pearl Company has to offer. They have something on almost every night!

Have you been on an Art Bus tour before? What was your experience like? Do you have any suggestions for where The Pearl Company might stop off on a future tour?