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Friday, March 26,1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVERr i FOR ENTERTAINMENT THEt/FA O a k v i l l e LISTINGS, SEE PAGE 39 C E N T R E 130K)« TMt KfSKMMMC *HT5 '» CXttu N AV Y ST. 815-2021 35 A rts & E n te rta in m e n t An Oakville Beaver Feature Editor: CAROL BALDWIN. 845-3824 (Extension 254} Fax:337-5567 Artistic observations of a commuter Tracy MacDonald's piece, Channels is a wall hanging of heavy canvas fabric, done in three panels. The 23-year-old says, as a commuter, she never got an opportunity to see much of Oakville. So, she took her trusty camera out and explored the land, shooting pictures of every­ thing from Oakville's two harbours to old coun­ try bams. Three of those pictures are screened in black- and-white onto one of this year's Mayor's Award, one in each panel in the upper right-hand comer. The panels themselves are silk screen enlarge­ ments of those photos in varying shades of blue. The effect, says the third year textile student, "has to do with memories and how we keep memories. The transition of colour (from dark to light) represents the way in which memories fade, and the shapes that join the panels witff1 words are channels for linking thoughts and memories." MacDonald says it took her two weeks of solid work to complete the panels. "I'm going to invest in industrial sewing machine," she quips. r Larisa Kallaur Awards of art T he Mayor's Awards for Business and the Arts, a program that celebrates partnerships between businesses and the arts in Oakville, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Organized by the Oakville Arts Council, the Mayor's Awards program gives Oakville arts groups an opportunity to publicly acknowledge companies that have provided them with in-kind or sponsorship support. The five small business finalists for this year are Bookers Bookstore, Catered Fare, Charles Havill CA, Green Light Graphics and Thomas Pigeon Design. The five corporate finalists are Erin Park Lexus Toyota, Mattamy Homes, Pro- cor Ltd., Royal and Sun Alliance Financial, Royal Bank, and SmithKline Beecham Pharma. This list will be narrowed down to the final six award winners, who will be announced at a Gala Dinner on Thursday, April 22nd at Glen Abbey Golf Club. Proceeds from the dinner will go to the Oakville Arts Council Endowment Fund. In partnership with Sheridan College, 41 stu­ dents from the School of Crafts and Design com­ peted for one of five commissions to create one- of-a-kind awards that will be presented to the six ultimate winners (one student creates two small awards). The six awards and their five creators are fea­ tured in today's Arts and Entertainment section. (Story and picture of the fifth artist is on page 38) Fountain is overflowing with prosperity Running water, especially in an gold leaf, the fountain is self- inside." entranceway, is supposed to bring prosperity. Larisa Kallaur, 25, has created a bit of prosperity for her­ self and the winner of the award she created. Her prosperity, of course, came in the form of the commission to create one of the Mayor's Awards, and the award-winner's prosperity will forever flow from the ceramic fountain she created. Created from black clay and replenishing. "I did a fountain because I like nature," says the sec­ ond-year ceramics student, adding that she has enjoyed discovering the nature paths in Oakville during her time at Sheridan. "I've always liked water, some­ thing that is moving. If so much energy between arts and business, then this (water) would give ener­ gy to the piece. It almost looks like a oyster shell with the pearl The water flowing from the centre "pearl" into the outer "shell" of the large 24-inch round Ceram­ ic Fountain, she says, represents the creeks on either side of Oakville. And the size of the fountain allows it to be used either indoors or out, she adds. "I don't know who is going to get it, so it can stand on its own or be incorporated into other areas," she explains. Stories by Carol Baldwin Photos by Barrie Erskine Catherine J. Hibbits Where lake meets shore Wall Sconces of kiln cast glass, cast glass, patinated cop­ per and steel were designed to reflect the natural qualities of Oakville, says Catherine Hibbits, 25, creator of one of this year's Mayor's Awards. The third year student in Sheridan's glass studio explains that the undulating copper on one half of each sconce represents Oakville's topography while the other half of glass represents the lake meeting the shore. "The glass has ice-like quali­ ties, and I chose patinated cop­ per because it ages the copper. Patinated copper was applied foj the topography lines and it turns different shades of green," she says, adding, "The water and land meet in a symbiotic rela­ tionship like the arts and busi­ ness." When candles are lit behind the each of the sconces, that symbiotic relationship will be reflected along with the "recipi­ ent's service and support of the arts in Oakville." Aeronautical representation Aerial is an ideal title for the very aeronautical looking table that Drew Nener created for one of this year's Mayor's Awards. The circular metal table is supported by three angled aluminum legs which are held in position by steel cables. The table top is made of cedar and basswood, carved and sandblasted to emulate the con­ tours of Sixteen Mile Creek. The 27-year-old student says he has been working with metal ift the furniture studio as a complement to wood. "This gave me an opportunity to push it one step further," he says, adding that he believes Sixteen Mile Creek to be the "most striking part of Oakville! It's the most powerful image, I think. And the metal part of the table is my take on the industry, representing business." The title of his piece, he says, blends the aerial image of the creek and the materials used in the construction of airplanes, a reflection atf the values and directions that will ultimately lead to future successes in both business and the arts. (A picture of Nener and his table is on front page of today's paper.)