Local Arts and Culture

The Gazette will feature art created by local high school students twice per month as part of with.draw.all, a project championed by art teachers at Bellerose Composite High School, Paul Kane High School and St. Albert Catholic High School.

Three local high school art teachers have teamed up to make sure that their students keep up with their studies. Putting art online isn't an abstract concept any more. Welcome to with.draw.all, a new place to check out high school artists' work.

Don't care for COVID-19 then who ya gonna call? The Alberta Ghostbusters normally functions as a charity fundraiser for Alberta's children's hospitals but during the pandemic, well... let's just say that they've turned off their proton packs and turned on their sewing machines and 3D printers.

St. Albert's poet laureate made a virtual and poetic presentation to city council on Monday, issuing a challenge to all in celebration of National Poetry Month.

The St. Albert Public Library has programs that patrons can attend and participate in from the comfort of their homes. Online book clubs, virtual escape rooms, book clubs, crafting, and more await through the library's various social media channels.

The two Metro Edmonton library writers in residence have busy schedules with their own writing projects on the go and lots of burgeoning writers to help over the phone, through email, and via Zoom conferencing.

Tired of the radio but still want local content? St. Albert's Rob LeLacheur started up a new podcast last year that is all about the interesting people of metro Edmonton. Dial YEG.me up for your new local fix.

François Girard's new film The Song of Names is a beautiful historical detective story where one brother searches for decades for the other, a violin prodigy with more tragedy weighing on him than any performer could bear.

François Girard knows a thing or two about making movies with heavy subject matter but nothing except his experience could have prepared him for the monumental challenge of The Song of Names, an intergenerational detective story about one brother's search for another. Of course, the music is there, but it's the story and the performances that hold up the emotional weight.

British director Ken Loach is a master at putting out bleak, important cinema. He doesn't disappoint with his newest work called Sorry We Missed You, a look at how the gig economy does a major disservice to those who work in it, and their families. Don't expect a happy ending here.