If You're Between 15 and 24 Years Old Step Into The Artists Den is a relatively new program that brings youth aged 1 5 - 2 4 together with professional artists w h o serve as mentors, guides and teachers as they introduce the participants to the techniques and processes specific to their particular medium This is an amazing opportunity for young people w h o are interested in pursuing careers in the arts to w o r k directly with practicing artists in their community. The workshops are free to the first twelve participants, thanks to funding from the E x p a n d i n g Opportunities for Y o u t h in the Arts subcommittee. The w o r k shops take place on Friday evenings from 7pm to 9pm at the John Braithwaite C o m m u n i t y Centre, with a new w o r k s h o p starting each month. In February, Artist Babak G o l k a r led an exciting film w o r k s h o p where students developed storyboards of their ideas, and proceeded to complete their o w n films. In M a r c h , painter H o l g e r Kalberg w i l l lead a painting w o r k s h o p (accessible for all skill levels) where students w i l l create paintings w o r k i n g from found images such as photographs. WHAT: Artists Den mentoring workshops for youth WHERE: John Braithwaite For more information or to register, please phone the North When: Friday evenings, 7 - 9pm at John Braithwaite Community Centre MORE INFO: Call North Shore Neighbourhood House, 604.987.8138. Check outwww.artistden.biogspot.com. Artists realize the importance of this program and have been thrilled to participate despite their full schedules. Babak is a professor at the E m i l y C a r r Institute, U B C and the Vancouver F i l m School, as well as maintaining a thriving art practice. Holger is an E m i l y C a r r graduate w h o was recently a finalist for the R B C C a n a d i a n Painting C o m p e t i t i o n . In a d d i t i o n , Holger is represented by the M o n t e C l a r k e Gallery in Vancouver and shows his w o r k internationally. W o r k i n g with mentors of this caliber in an intimate setting like the Artist Den is a golden opportunity for young aspiring artists. explore.... GYMNASIUM WHAT: The Gymnasium show WHEN: April 18 - May 13,3 - 6pm daily, 1 2 - 4 weekends WHERE: Artists for Kids Gallery, 810 West 21st Street MORE INFO: Call Bill MacDonald 604.903.3797, www.artists4kids.com " G y m n a s i u m " is a massive collaborative sculptural installation created by five well k n o w n C a n a d i a n artists-- Douglas C o u p l a n d , G r a h a m G i l l m o r e , Angela G r o s s m a n n , Attila R i c h a r d Lukacs and Derek R o o t . Reprising their collaboration in 2003's wildly successful "Basement Show," the quintet are converting a former N o r t h Vancouver elementary school gymnasium into an elaborate meditation o n the links between schools, the human body, mass culture and the rituals and spaces that mold a person's sense of self. Says Douglas C o u p l a n d , " W e all went to these schools. We k n o w their smells. We k n o w how the locker doors sound when you shut them. We k n o w what the painted lines on the floors are all about. T h e G y m n a s i u m piece is meant to be walked in and around. It should help you reshuffle your o w n memories of s c h o o l . " 18 March | April Used in the installation will be a large index of artifacts taken from soon-to-be demolished urban schools. Individually and collectively, the five artists will modify and regroup these objects--gym equipment, film projectors, textbooks, chalkboards and so forth--in a way that foregrounds the deeper rules and codes underlying our notions of public and private. The project is curated by Bill M a c D o n a l d , M a n a g i n g Director o f Artists For K i d s -- a n art education Trust founded by C a n a d i a n artists, G o r d o n Smith, Jack Shadbolt and Bill R e i d in 1990. In scope a n d a m b i t i o n , the project reflects Artists For Kids new sense of engagement with the community and the city, and its plans for future development as a contemporary art museum o n the N o r t h Shore.