Monday June 6th, the Artel presents Zachary Lucky with Fisticuffs, doors open 8pm, show 9.

“Lucky’s music is a fresh take on traditional folk; a melodic and usually acoustic affair, with an accent on storytelling and a sparse, folky atmosphere. This all combines to create an often minimal soundscape that evokes homespun imagery and the realism of emotion. His sound is informed, both musically and lyrically, by the life experience he has already had — and those experiences he wakes up each morning striving to attain.” - Craig Silliphant

Zachary Lucky is quite possibly one of the hardest working singer songwriters to come out of Central Canada in the past ten years.  Having three releases under his belt and on the brink of a new full length album due out this August, and all by the age of 21 - Zachary is definitely an artist to watch.  

Zachary has found his niche as a touring artist.  Having crossed the country three times in the past eight months, playing to crowds as big as 500 and as small as 10 - Zachary does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Zachary Lucky - http://www.zacharylucky.com

Wed June 1st - Life Drawing, 7pm

Fri June 4th - Neighbourhood Potluck

Mon June 6th - Zackary Lucky concert

Tues June 7th - Poetry Nite w Bruce Kauffman

Thurs June 9th - Cinebox - “War/Dance” 8pm

Wed June 15th - Life Drawing

Thurs June 23rd - Cinebox

Fri June 24th - Collage/Tea Party, 7:30pm

Mon June 27th - Nick Faye with Jerry Stamp concert

Tues June 28th - Reception for With This Land,7pm

Wed June 29th - Tai Chi, 6:30-7:30pm

Thurs June 30th - Holzkopf concert

stat tuned more to come….

Join us on Wednesday May 25th from 7pm to 9pm to celebrate the Kingston book launch of Feminism FOR REAL: Deconstructing the Academic Industrial Complex of Feminism, edited by Jessica Yee. Co-presented with the Levana Gender Advocacy Centre.

With a traditional Indigenous opening acknowledging the territory, the evening will feature presentations and round table discussions from the editor and several of the book’s contributors. Venue is wheelchair accessible, we regret that the washroom area is not.

Proceeds from the evening will go to support the Sex Worker Action Group of Kingston (SWAG). For more information about SWAG go to http://hars.ca/programs/

For more information about the book go to:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/ourschools-ourselves/feminism-real or contact Erika Shaker at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives at erikas@policyalternatives.

ca

Mixed Media Exhibition by

Selena Zhang

 Reception Friday May 20, 7pm-9pm

17,989 compañeros stands against the legal and systematic elements that keep migrant agricultural workers in this province productive and invisible. This work stems from my experiences living and working with these exploited bodies on farms throughout South-Western Ontario. It aims to challenge the largely romanticised vision of the local food movement, and raise issue with the hidden faces that are harvesting our food. As a Canadian, I hope to make a statement that breaks the silence emerging from the public, which inadvertently becomes the voice of complicity.

Ontario receives more seasonal migrant labourers than any other province, and is also the only province in Canada that continues to deny agricultural workers the constitutional right to unionize, strike and bargain collectively. Despite decades of legal battles and a 2010 statement from the UN and ILO condemning the government for violating basic human rights and freedoms, attempts to appeal for reforms have gone nowhere. A recent ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada, and numerous shortcomings in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP), ensures that these bodies are continually forced into contracted slavery, and unable to speak out about it, for fear of losing their jobs.

Through this piece, I want to create a physical presence for the people farming our food. Each portrait has been individually worked, and the scale of the whole is aimed at overwhelming the viewer. It is difficult to visualise what 17,989 of anything looks like, and even more staggering to consider that each image represents a person with a family and dreams, and who is deserving of the basic human rights that Canadian citizens often take for granted.  I have modified my portraits to hide the identities of my friends and compañeros, but I hope what remains is a sense of the humanity tied to these ignored bodies. It is easy to see the number on a page and turn away, but by tying faces to this impersonal statistic, I hope to bridge the disconnect between local consumers and the migrant hands producing their food.

17,989 compañeros is a call to the too-often disinterested viewing public, which enjoys the fruits of this exploited labour without considering what it took to get to the table. Now, more than ever, the system is in desperate need of an overhaul. To lift the veil of silenced exploitation, it is up to the public to take responsibility for what is happening in our communities, stand in solidarity with SAWP workers and demand for change.

NEW FEELINGS // END TIMES is a four day musical event in Kingston, Ontario, featuring artists from several Canadian cities and a few countries abroad, including The Body, Fist City, Botborg, Tranzmitors, RKO, Statues, White Wires, and a truckload more.

From May 11-14, the Artel will host a sustained audio-visual act of resistance against everything that is boring, predictable and complacent.

Performances will begin each night at 9 PM, with doors opening shortly beforehand. Each show will cost $6. All of the money is going directly to the artists travelling through the region, who CAN’T EXACTLY DEPEND ON THE GOVERNMENT FOR ARTS FUNDING, NOW CAN THEY?

Everyone is welcome to attend, especially those who have lost their faith in the power of music.

Full lineup and details are available here:
http://newfeelingsendtimes.blogspot.com/

SUPPORT YOUR SCENE.

Brought to you by:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=332108718551
http://itsaftertheend.blogspot.com/

The Artel has a room availabe for a summer sublet or for a full year. If interested please email us at the.artel@gmail.com to set up a house tour and interview.

If you’d like to stay longer than the summer you’ll be asked to join the collective and contribute to the day to day operations. This is a great opportunity to learn how to operate a grassroots non-profit in a supportive collective environment.