Art, design & music live in Old Strathcona
We are so excited to once again partner with the SkirtsAfire festival. From March 4-14, experience amazing art, design, and music come to life right here in Old Strathcona. With a strong history of featuring women-identifying and non-binary artists, it was a perfect opportunity to match this year’s Skirt Design competition finalists with a women owned business in the area to display their work.
Covid Comfort 2021
“This skirt is the perfect mash up of weighted blanket and snuggie. It can accommodate everything you need to isolate safely: toilet paper, wine, chips, candies, etc. It has a hard surface included to provide support for binge watching devices. It is also big enough to hide the fact that you are wearing sweatpants underneath; no one will ever know. And best of all, it has an elastic waist so it can grow with you!” – Skirt Designer, Jennifer Lee Arsenault
Photos courtesy of April MacDonald Killins Photography / @april_mac_killins
About Jennifer
Jennifer Lee Arsenault is a Calgary, Alberta based theatre designer and artist. She has designed sets, costumes, props and projections for theatres across Canada, including: Theatre Calgary, Alberta Theatre Projects, Theatre NorthWest, Lunchbox Theatre, The Shakespeare Company, Handsome Alice Theatre, Chromatic Theatre, Cowtown Opera, Eye Eye Eye and L’île Imagin’air. Jennifer holds a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Design from the University of Calgary, and a Bachelor of Arts in Scenography from the École Supérieure de Théâtre of the Université du Québec à Montréal. She has completed assistantships nationally at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, and internationally at the Théâtre des Zygomars in Namur, Belgium. In her visual art, she uses mixed media, including paint, collage, found objects and digital illustrations. She is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.
The Paint Spot
You’ll find Jennifer’s skirt on display at The Paint Spot, a local art store run by artists since 1985. You might be familiar with The Paint Spot’s longstanding history with the Whyte Avenue Art Walk. But they are also a go-to supply shop for artists of all mediums! Think: fancy fountain pens, decorative papers, glass paints, face paints, textile dyes, calligraphy inks, printmaking, pastels, pencil crayons, watercolours, oils, and acrylics – a true artist’s hub.
“The best part of our day is talking to artists about their art projects, researching hard questions, and then seeing the finished work. Artists are amazing and no ideas are too crazy. We have helped so many beginners get started and enjoy watching them blossom. It’s rewarding to know you helped someone find their passion. We have been in business long enough to see three generations of families shop with us.”
– Owner, Kim Fjordbotten
There are SO many ways to experience The Paint Spot! You could take a tour inside of the store on Google Maps! Or, sign up for a class through their online learning platform, Artelier. And if that wasn’t enough, you can also find easy to follow tutorials on YouTube! Of course, you are always invited to “add a splash of colour to your life” and visit in person – for store hours and online shopping, visit paintspot.ca.
Instructors are all local working artists, willing to share their time and talent. Oksana Zhelisko, Karen Bishop, and Andrea Lewis are a few of the names you’ll enjoy learning from on Artelier!
The Paint Spot / 10032 81 Avenue, Edmonton
Grab a warm drink and a (masked) friend and join us for a COVID-safe stroll around Old Strathcona to experience the Visual Art Exhibit, Skirt Design Competition, and Key of Me singer-songwriter series.
About SkirtsAfire
Founded in 2012, SkirtsAfire is Edmonton’s only theatre and multidisciplinary arts organization featuring women-identifying and non-binary artists. In conjunction with International Women’s Day, our 10 day programming runs each March at various venues in Edmonton. We present powerful and insightful stories to a diverse audience that is hungry to be moved by passionate performances and exhibitions. Programming reflects the true diversity of the thriving arts community in Alberta and Canada, and is adaptive in its approach in order to remain responsive to the needs of artists and audiences.
SkirtsAfire values diversity in the women we represent and therefore welcomes women artists of all diverse backgrounds including trans women, self-identifying women, non-binary people, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, all ethnicities and all abilities.
About International Women’s Day
IWD provides an important moment to showcase commitment to women’s equality, launch new initiatives and action, celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness, highlight gender parity gains and more.
Collectively every person and all groups can make a difference within their sphere of influence by taking concrete action to help build a more gender equal world. From small powerful grassroots gatherings to large-scale conference and events – International Women’s Day is celebrated everywhere. It’s a day for big inspiration and change.
Read more about IWD’s herstory here.