On a night like this Nuit Blanche hits its artistic stride on its ninth anniversary By: Erin Lebar  Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Thursday, Sep. 27, 2018

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This article was published 26/09/2018 (2185 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For one night only, Winnipeg will be turned into an artistic playground.

The ninth edition of Nuit Blanche, the free, all-night celebration and exploration of contemporary art, takes place Saturday from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m., mainly downtown, The Forks, the Exchange District, the West End and St. Boniface.

Since its start in 2010, Nuit Blanche — which is the marquee event under the larger Culture Days umbrella, a three-day, art-awareness-based festival — has grown quickly, now playing host to more than 100 independently organized exhibitions, installations and events. Last year, more than 20,000 people packed the streets of Winnipeg to view and participate in them.

The benefits of events such as Nuit Blanche stretch far beyond the surface entertainment value; the purpose of it is to dig a bit deeper, to engage people with their city and with each other in a way that they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to, and to offer that experience at no cost.

“People are taking up spaces that are not usually occupied by art, so it kind of transforms the city and really gets people out to explore,” says Culture Days Manitoba project manager Melissa Courcelles.

“And the fact that it is all free is a huge positive for those who may not be able to afford to explore art at museums or galleries. It creates that accessibility point we like to promote, for sure.

“Everyone has different opinions and different perspective, but art is something that can connect us. And I think it’s really inspiring to see so many different artists, whether it’s someone who’s emerging, like a student, or someone who has never done anything before that wants to participate. And then there’s artists that have tons of pieces of work or installations and have toured around the world, like the ones that are coming this year, Impulse and Control No Control.”

Impulse and Control No Control are the two featured installations of this year’s Nuit Blanche. Both will be set up in Old Market Square and play with ideas of sound, light and interactivity. Impulse — a series of illuminated see-saws presented by the Winnipeg Arts Council — will remain open to the public until Oct. 3 to motivate more folks to view and interact with it.

“This is perhaps the first experience or rare experience for a lot of people to experience contemporary art in a way that they haven’t done before. It’s comfortable, family friendly, interactive, it provides new experiences and, for many, an introduction to contemporary art,” says Carol Phillips, the arts council’s executive director.

“It’s so important to engage community at many levels and to open doors to absolutely anyone who wants to have this experience.”

From a participating venue’s perspective, Nuit Blanche also offers an opportunity for exposure and the ability to get more, and new, bodies through the door. ArtsJunktion, a creative-use depot that functions on a pay-what-you-can, take-what-you-need model, has been involved in Nuit Blanche for several years and is hosting a pom-pom party that invites anyone to come in and make their own pom-pom to take home.

“For us it’s just an important opportunity to meet new people and to share who we are and what we’re about and also create space for people to make new friends and try new things,” says Julie Kettle, executive director of ArtsJunktion.

“I think it’s important to have opportunities to celebrate art and artists and creativity, and to have opportunities for people to engage with that. One of the things I think is really brilliant about Nuit Blanche is that is draws a very diverse crowd of people and I think that’s really important, both in terms of socio-economic realities and cultural, ethnic diversity… I just love when art can become an intersection and a gathering place for all the different life stories, backgrounds and realities.”

For Kettle, Nuit Blanche also works to break down some the perceived barriers of viewing and creating art. For those who are unfamiliar with, or haven’t been exposed to, the creative process, the whole concept can be an intimidating and overwhelming affair, but by keeping things simple and accessible it encourages them to participate regardless of their past experience or lack thereof.

“I think there’s a lot of fear around art and a lot of vulnerability, and I think it’s really important for people to be in a space where they can explore and try out new ways of creating or learning new techniques,” she says.

“Something that’s really great about this opportunity is we’ll have hundreds of people in making hundreds of pom-poms and they get to take them home and celebrate this little moment of having a sense of confidence in their creative activities.”

For Nuit Blanche’s full schedule and a map of trolley stops (free transportation is available on the Winnipeg Trolley to participating neighbourhoods), visit nuitblanchewinnipeg.ca.

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel

Erin Lebar
Manager of audience engagement for news

Erin Lebar spends her time thinking of, and implementing, ways to improve the interaction and connection between the Free Press newsroom and its readership.

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