Day #10:  It may change in the coming decades, but my favourite memory from these almost 30 years of life is of a victory that was just mine. I was only fifteen and going through a lot with adolescence, sleeping long hours and all the drama involved with growing up. Writing has always been a big part of my life and as far as I can remember, I’ve always been writing some sort of poem or book. However, it was only after I came back from Europe that I really got into writing poetry and trying to translate into words what was happening in my head. It was actually Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People painting that inspired the whole thing.

It was 1997 and a women called Freedom who lead the French people into a new era really inspired me. Delacroix’s best known painting motivated me to write a poem on my way back home, which later I submitted to my high school’s poetry festival and anxiously waited to interpret it on stage. It was the first time that I was embodying something that I’ve written and I couldn’t be more excited. The poem got lost in time and, since I am living in Canada now, I have no idea of what words I used to talk about La Liberté. I remember the feeling of being on a stage defending my ideas. That day, when I had the spotlight on me for the first time, influenced most of my decisions later on.

My poem didn’t win that night, but I did take a trophy home and my parents took me out for dinner to celebrate. After that I started drama classes, wrote a collective play that was on at Planetário da Gávea for three months and followed my dream of making a living out of a passion. It all started with me staring at freedom and promising that I would be free from that day on…

I can’t believe it took me so long to go to the opera for the first time. And what a debut! Vancouver turned out dressed to the nines for the opening night of Vancouver Opera’s production of Marriage of Figaro at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. I went for the music and the opportunity to wear very high heels at the beginning of the week, but came home a true opera fan. Gosh, why did it take me so long?

Since I am a former TV producer and actress (I know… shame on me for taking so long to meet Mozart’s opera!), it’s always a challenge for me to truly appreciate any show. I am always looking for the behind the scenes gaffes, for the actor who forgets his line, for the lighting that missed the main character. Vancouver Opera’s Marriage of Figaro passed the test! Every single actor was fantastic and Jonathan Darlington’s orchestra nailed it from beginning to end.

Julie Boulianne’s Cherubino was the most delightful performance of Marriage of Figaro. I felt like a little girl when I noticed that it was a lady in a male role, but it took me less than 5 minutes of watching Boulianne to forget this detail. Chris Alexander’s stage direction is impeccable, his transitions are so smooth and involving that it really transported me into Marriage of Figaro’s world.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, May 4th) is Marriage of Figaro’s last night at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Yes… it’s sung in Italian, but you’re allowed to read the subtitles! If you need a second opinion before buying the tickets, Tris Hussey, Gus Fosarolli, Peter Andersen, Kelsey Dundon, and Vancouver Opera’s blog will provide  you with all good reasons to make this investment!

For those who don’t believe that social media is changing the way people interact and consume art, 300 people attended the Twitter/Art + Social Media’s opening reception at Diane Farris Gallery last Thursday to prove them wrong. In an informal setting, connected Vancouverites enjoyed the art over a beer while sharing how they discovered the exhibit on facebook or through a tweet, confirming that art is becoming more and more connected and accessible on a global scale.

Diane Farris Gallery has a history of forward thinking. The gallery launched its first website in 1996 when less than 1% of the world’s population had access to the internet, so when Mia Johnson presented the original idea for Twitter/Art + Social Media, it was a done deal. According to the exhibit’s curator, Lili Vieira de Carvalho, Diane Farris herself has always been interested in the possibilities of the internet and how online communities can support artists.

“If you are an artist who is sharing your process or artwork online, you are building an audience. You can also find people who care about the same issues as you and want be part of your creative process,” added Vieira de Carvalho.

Peter Combe, Iran’s Ahmadinejad Prepares for Avatar Premier, 2010.

The juried exhibit selected works from over 40 artists who use social media as an inspiration, a tool to connect with their audience, and to promote their work. However, Twitter/Art + Social Media is not only an art exhibit, it also intends to give back to the community through a series of free events:
On April 13th at 4:00pm, publicist Rebecca Coleman and photographer Kris Krug will facilitate a ‘Social Media for Visual Artists’ workshop.

On the 17th, Diane Farris Gallery will host an art and social media panel with the Twitter/Art + Social Media selection committee: Dr. Maria Lantin, from Emily Carr; Hank Bull, Executive Director of Centre A; Kris Krug, Vancouver-based photographer and Vancouver Film School professor; and Lili Vieira de Carvalho, Associate Director of Diane Farris Gallery.

On the 27th, the 8th edition of Draw by Night – A Drawing Party will take place at Diane Farris Gallery.

Please contact Diane Farris Gallery at (604) 737-2629 or email facebook@dianefarrisgallery.com to register for these events. Seats are limited.

Twitter/Art + Social Media exhibit is open Tuesday – Friday from 10am to 5:30pm and Saturday from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Diane Farris Gallery is located at 1590 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver, BC.