Weekend AM

Ah ... cultural tourism. Just what the heck is it? What are the pitfalls of promoting your culture as a tourist destination? When is the culture we present authentic, what we see ... when is it constructed, what we want others to see? When are our lives authentic, what do we create for others to see? Michelle Butler Hallett asks some of these questions, and many more besides, in her new novel, deluded your sailors.

The sixth annual Women's Work Festival celebrates international Women's Week with a series of new play readings by, for, and about women.

Terry Penney is an award winning singer/songwriter. He has won a SOCAN song writing award, toured all over North America and parts of Europe and is gearing up for a 17 stop tour of this province. In fact he starts that tour at the Gander Arts and Culture next Saturday, March 3rd But Terry has a bit of a problem. He keeps telling his wife that his present guitar is his last guitar. He even called his latest CD release,"Last Guitar". But she knows the difference. Terry has owned over 60 guitars during his career.

This past Thursday, the Department of Folklore at Memorial University in St. John's hosted an informal gathering to celebrate the work and career of Dr. Pat Byrne. Pat Byrne is important not only because of his lengthy and illustrious academic career, but also because of his contributions to the writing and performing world of our culture. Pat practices and preaches. Along with his brother Joe and Baxter Wareham, Pat created one of the earliest and most influential recordings in the renaissance of Newfoundland and Labrador culture, Towards the Sunset, in 1982. Pat Byrne joined me in the studio to reflect and reminisce about his life in the arts in Newfoundland.

Scott Bartlett knew from a very early age that what he wanted to do was write. He's been at it every since. In 2007, he won the H. R. Bill Percy Prize for his second novel, Royal Flush. His first is still under his bed, I think. However, Scott took a peculiar route bringing this book to you - he has published it himself. Scott recently launched this publication and I invited him in to the studio after I'd had a chance to read Royal Flush.

ACI, the Association of Cultural Industries for the province, is an advocacy group that represents all fields of cultural enterprise, and it is asking some questions of the artists and the general public - what is the state of the arts in our province? Are current investment levels sufficient? how can arts organizations better represent the needs of the sector? George Murray is the executive director of ACI. I spoke with him this week and asked him what is the state of the arts in Newfoundland and Labrador?

Dr. Beverly Diamond holds a Canada Research Chair in Ethnomusicology at Memorial University as well as being a Trudeau Foundation Fellow. Her particular interest is in the indigenous music cultures of Canada and Scandinavia. Dr. Diamond exemplifies and exhibits this interest in a public talk she will present next Saturday in St. John's. Rethinking: Revitalization, Return and Reconciliation examines the many words beginning with "re" in indigenous studies, again, with a focus on how music plays a part in the processes and investigation.

Mary is currently in the middle of the premiere production of her new one-woman play, Dancing with Rage. There are costume changes, many of Mary's favourite and famous characters, a huge multi-media display complete with interaction and music videos ... and laughs! We'll have a song from the show for you in a few moments, but first let's hear from Mary Walsh. She joined me in the studio this week and I asked her to give me a thumbnail sketch of Dancing With Rage.

The Navigators have been...well navigatoring their way around the world performing their music to any and all who take the time to listen. And many do. Whether as the acoustic duo of Arthur O'Brien and Fred Jorgenson or the full fledged romping band of Arthur, Fred along with Ian Chipman and Paul Murphy, the guys only play what they know best....the music of the sea and their culture. This is evident in the Navigators latest CD release.

MUN has been holding these Engagment Framework sessions on particular themes for the past several months and last week they convened a session on Engaging in Creative Arts and Culture. You can see my interest was piqued. Tom Gordon and Danielle Irvine co-chaired the event. Rob Greenwood is the executive director for the Office of Engagement and the Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development. I asked Rob to describe the engagement frameworks, why they were established and what they were designed to accomplish.

The CCA has been a powerful and vocal advocate for art and artists, but now, too, their environment is changing. What is the future of arts advocay and of arts funding? Mack speaks with Alain Pineau and asks him where he thinks Candian arts and culture are in 2012.

Anne Marceau works at Gros Morne National Park. Anne had a wish to put the place she loves, Gros Morne, together with people she loves, artists. The result is the Artists in the Park program, putting artists in a residency at Gros Morne, one of the sublime places on this earth, where they can get all elemental.

Memorial University, through both its Office of Engagement and the Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, has established an initiative they call an Engagement Framework, hoping to create an atmosphere where the people who live and work inside Memorial become more closely involved with the people who live and work outside the University. Tom Gordon and Danielle Irvine co-chaired the event. Rob Greenwood is the executive director for the Office of Engagement and the Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development. I asked Rob to describe the engagement frameworks, why they were established and what they were designed to accomplish.

The Craft Council Gallery in St. John's opens two new shows this weekend. In the Annex, costume designer, carpenter, textiles major and props provider on the hit CBC television program Republic of Doyle, Jessica Waterman opens Light and Shadow, Wood and Cloth. I visited the Annex and asked Jessica how she puts together all these influences into her work.

Michael Flaherty is a ceramicist who is currently the sculpture technician at the Grenfell Campus of Memorial University. A couple years ago, Michael lived alone on the Gray Islands creating and documenting a location-specific art piece. But the islands enamored him and they still travel with him. His show Rangifer Sapiens reflects two histories of the islands. I asked him about the effect of the islands on Rangifer Sapiens.