PTBOCanada Spotlight: Artist Brianna Gosselin

Brianna Gosselin is an up-and-coming mixed media artist whose work captures the spirit and light of nature. A graduate of PCVS, Brianna teaches courses and workshops at the Art School of Peterborough, inspiring others to find and express their artistic voice. Currently, her work is on display at the Gallery in the Attic and Stickling's Bistro. As well, she will be at The Venue competing in Art Battle Peterborough November 21st and her work will be featured at the Art School of Peterborough Auction on November 30th at the Market Hall. Find out more about her on her website or follow her on Twitter. Check out some of her recent work below from her online gallery...

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A Live Art Battle Is Coming To Peterborough

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Art Battle Canada is coming to our city for the very first time on November 21st and features live competitive painting. Art Battle is traveling coast to coast to look for artists that will compete at the 2014 Art Battle National Championship. Artists will have 20 minutes to come up with their best piece.

Tickets are $15, or $10 for students (and limited advanced pricing) and the event will be held at The Venue at 7:30 on November 21st.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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Glow Maternity Hosting A Mama Market To Showcase Local Mama Artisans

Glow Maternity, who we recently had in the DBIA spotlight, are hosting a Mama Market this Saturday at their location at The Loft at 188 Hunter St. More deets in fancy poster below...

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PTBOCanada Review: Every House Is Haunted By Peterborough Author Ian Rogers

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If you’re looking for a spine-tingling book to sit down with on a candle-lit All Hallows’ Eve, try local Peterborough author Ian Rogers’ collection of short stories, Every House Is Haunted.

While it can be found in the Horror section of bookstores, I found the stories to be more supernatural. Each story had a twist that took ordinary regular day-to-day events and shifted reality ever so slightly. You won't look at your cat, a house in the woods or even a school the same way after reading these stories.

Ian also has a gift for adjectives and had no shortage of different ways to characterize people or things. His work hasn't gone unnoticed. “The House on Ashley Avenue” short short which is included in this book was nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award in the novelette category, selected by Ellen Datlow to be included in The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 5. Also, "Aces" has been selected for Imaginarium 2013: The Best Canadian Speculative Fiction.

Ian loves Peterborough and is a huge fan of the growing restaurant food selection. I had the opportunity to go for coffee with Ian and I asked him if Peterborough provided any inspiration for any of his stories. He mentioned that the short story "The Candle" is entirely set in a house he used to rent on McDonnel Street, and even is inspired from scented candles that they light, and conversations he had with his wife about "who was going to go blow out the candle". He found there to be very human elements to the story and enjoyed making reference to Peterborough landmarks (one being the now closed I See France lingerie store).

There are a couple copies left of Every House Is Haunted at Chapters at the time of writing (one of them is even signed by Ian himself) and you can purchase them online to read as well.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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DBIA Featured Post: Shots Lounge

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The evolution of Peterborough’s downtown is ever apparent. Some businesses have come and gone, while others have undergone a complete re-branding like Shots Lounge, which was formerly known as Splice.

Opening as Splice in 2006, the lounge was meant to be a semi restaurant-lounge offering a wide array of drinks and dinner options. While the menu was constantly changing to provide its clientele with top quality food, it eventually turned into a full-on nightclub to the delight of its owners.

Eventually however, under the same ownership, Splice was essentially transitioned to the successful ARIA. Later, the idea came to bring back elements of the Splice atmosphere but in a remodelled setting. In March of this year, renovations began at 379 George St N, and since its June opening, Shots Lounge has become a hotspot downtown!

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Owned and operated by a group of locals including Lang Freeman, Shawn Stephenson, Andres (Sucho) Salazar and Sammy Shehadeh, Shots Lounge has
brought back a casual nightspot atmosphere that brings with it the same feeling as a pub, but in a different setting. This is what Splice use to have, and with Shots they have been able to recreate the old closeness and community feeling.

The owners like that it has become a spot again where everybody knows your name. Separated into two rooms, Shots is quite a versatile operation. The front room opened in June and is set up as a bar where patrons can order trendy drinks in a cozy lounge setting. The back room, which opened in September, is available for special functions such as birthday parties. Any kind of event is possible in this space and they love working with requests from clients.

Open 7 nights a week from 8 p.m.-on, Shots offers an intimate yet exciting venue with DJs constantly spinning only the best music while offering an absolutely massive drink menu with nightly specials. Their bartenders can create anything you can imagine! The lounge offers a nightly promo between 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. called “5 for 5” where you can order any 5 hand crafted beverages for $5 each.

Partnered with ARIA and Dolce Vita who supplies a full kitchen, Shots has become one of downtown Peterborough’s newest go-to nightlife establishments! They invite you to come down and experience what so many people have been talking about since its June opening. If you’re looking to throw a memorable party of any theme, they’d be happy to help you make it happen in this unique spot.

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For more on Shots Lounge (379 George St. N), go to:
Twitter: @shotsonshots
Facebook: Shots Lounge
Phone:
705.749.9315

For more on Downtown Peterborough and the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), click here.

By Aaron Elliott

Smashing Pumpkins: The Art School of Peterborough Pumpkin Contest

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The Art School of Peterborough is hosting a Pumpkin carving contest. Post a photo of your carved pumpkin (this year or prior) on The Art School of Peterborough's Facebook page, and every "Like" that it gets will be counted as a vote. Voting ends October 30th at 11 p.m. and the "Pumpkin King" will be announced on Hallowe'en Day.

The Rules:

  • All photos submitted must be carved by the person or family entering.
  • The pumpkin does not have to be created this year, it could be a photograph of last year’s pumpkin.
  • Allow your creativity to soar, there are no limits as to what mediums you wish to add to your pumpkin.
  • You can vote for more than one pumpkin on their Facebook page.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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The Story Behind Jeff Macklin's New Book "Neighbourhoods - An Anthology of Words and Visual Art"

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Peterborough artisan Jeff Macklin has created a wonderful new analog chapbook Neighbourhoods - An Anthology of Words and Visual Art. This limited edition was produced in downtown Peterborough, with full colour plates throughout and letterpress printed two colour covers, and insert with a hand-sewn binding. An Artsweek Peterborough 2013 project, it features a range of fiction, short anecdotes, photography, paintings and prose about and for the people who live in the neighbourhoods of Peterborough. "Local artists and writers have very little formal voice outside of the internet where they have have their works published," Macklin tells us, adding, "This chapbook represents a love for the printed page, which is undervalued overall, but still has a place in our culture—especially our local culture." Below are some of the pages from the book, which you can purchase here.

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Art For Awareness Presents Erasing The Stigma

Art for Awareness, a local theatre group, is getting ready for their first original production to hit the stage at the Adam Scott auditorium. Erasing the Stigma, a multimedia dance performance, runs October 4th, 5th, 8th and 9th at 8 p.m., and seeks to normalize the stories of those living with mental illness.  Arts for Awareness has partnered with Canadian Mental Health Association, The Schizophrenia Society of Ontario, the LYNX Early Psychosis Intervention Program, and the Human Services & Justice Coordinating Committee for this show. Tickets are available at Black Honey and at the door. If you saw their first show Next to Normal, you'll know how talented and passionate this group is!

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[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]

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PTBOCanada Featured Post: Premiere Studio Of Dance

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Premiere Studio of Dance owner and teacher Robyn Carter knows what it takes to translate a lifelong passion into a blossoming career. The studio, now entering its 14th season, has seen itself transition from classes being taught weekly at a rented out Market Hall by Carter as a Trent student, to a full on 3 Dance Studio facility located at 1046 County Rd 19 in Peterborough.

Premiere offers one of the widest varieties of group dance classes around, with classes in hip hop, jazz, ballet, contemporary and acro (which has an element of gymnastics in it), to name just a few! Classes range in size from 8 to 16 depending on the style of dance and class level, which start at beginner for any age right up to competition teams that enter numerous competitions throughout the year.

The goal at Premiere Studio of Dance is to help its students learn the steps of course, but at the same time develop poise and confidence that they can take with them throughout their life. Time spent at the studio begins in September and runs right through until June covering what for most is the entire school year. This length of season allows the dancers to grow as both individuals and a team, creating bonds and fond memories that are sure to last a lifetime! At the end of the season, a large recital takes place at Showplace Performance Centre.

Inside the state of the art facility—it features professional sprung hardwood floors, close circuit TVs for viewing classes, and full length mirrors to assist in teaching—students and parents alike will find a space that caters to everyone. All instructors are B.A.T.D. (British Association of Teachers of Dance) Certified and they have full-time office staff that offer customer service which is second to none!

Robyn and her studio are constantly renovating and improving to give everyone inside its walls an even greater experience. They have recently begun offering dance classes in Lakefield out of St. John's Church to make themselves available to students from out of town.

With classes beginning this month, registration is currently ongoing. While students are always returning each season, Premiere Dance is open for new students of any age and dance experience to come join in the fun of dancing!

If you are looking for a new challenge for yourself or want to get your children involved in a constantly challenging, fun and empowering hobby, we suggest you contact Premiere Dance for more details. Chances are they’ll offer something that suits your style!

Their office hours are as follows: Monday-Friday 11am-8pm, Saturday 9am-1pm.

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For more on Premiere Studio of Dance (1046 County Rd 19), go to:

Web: PremiereDance.ca
Phone: 705-741-6545
Twitter: @premieredance
Facebook: Premiere Studio of Dance  

Premiere Studio of Dance Hightlights:

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Peterborough Woman's New Jewellery Shop Inspired By Trip To Haiti

Stephanie Guyatt is the creator of Under One Sun, a new jewellery shop in Peterborough located out of her home at 236 Cowling Heights. Under One Sun came to be after Stephanie travelled to Haiti last Fall on a mission trip. She fell in love with a artisan co-op there that crafts the jewellery and which offers fair wages to feed, educate and house their employees' families. Although the jewellery is sold by some in the United States, Stephanie is the only one that offers it in Canada. The jewellery offered is made from sustainable items and is environmentally friendly. Much of the jewellery is made from recycled paper, Haitian clay, and recycled oil drums. Here's some pics...

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Under One Sun will be hosting an Open House from September 6th to 8th and will be at the Creative Bean event on Saturday, September 14th.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]

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