Notice Board

Culture and Families Meet at New Festival 

Take music, magic, and hands-on art activities, add a Shakespeare comedy, and you have the recipe for an entertaining day for the whole family. On Sunday, July 26 from 11 am to 4 pm, everyone is invited to the first Coutts Centre Arts Festival, hosted by the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Lethbridge.

“The Festival features our students and alumni sharing their talents and using what they’ve learned during their studies,” says Dr. Edward Jurkowski, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts.  “We want to use the priceless gift that Jim Coutts has given the University and his glorious garden to broaden our outreach into Southern Alberta. It’s also an opportunity for people to find out what the Faculty of Fine Arts has to offer.”

A variety of activities are available throughout the day. The gates open at 11 am with a performance by the U of L Jazz Combo, a musical group of music students and alumni.  The afternoon continues with performances by a music student and faculty Saxophone Quartet, magician Benton Neufeld, and the classical guitar stylings of music studio instructor, Dale Ketcheson. The day is capped off with the hilarious comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, presented by Lethbridge’s Shakespeare Performance Society at 2 pm.  

“The cast of 24 and the creative team includes drama faculty, senior dramatic arts majors, and U of L alumni along with members from Lethbridge’s theatre community,” says Jurkowski.  Much Ado About Nothing features two intertwined love stories -- one follows a romantic courtship; the other, a couple desperately trying to give the impression they dislike each other and never plan to marry anyone. The play promises to delight with sabotaged the romances, faked deaths, mistaken identity, and, of course, a happy ending.

Artists from across Southern Alberta are also invited to paint or draw in the gardens all day long.  “The Festival provides a great opportunity for the public to watch artists in action and talk with them about their work,” says Jurkowski.  “Later in the fall, in conjunction with the U of L Art Gallery, an exhibition highlighting the works created by artists visiting the Coutts Centre will be installed in the Penny Gallery at the Dr. Foster James Penny Building.”

Admission to the Coutts Centre Arts Festival is by donation. Refreshments, provided by Market Street Vulcan, are on sale throughout the day. For directions to the Coutts Centre for Western Heritage, near Nanton, see below.

Events:

Live Music

11 am - U of L Jazz Combo

12 pm - U of L Saxophone Quartet

1 pm - Dale Ketcheson, classical guitar

Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing

2 pm - Performance by Lethbridge’s Shakespeare Performance Society

Family art activities all day

Visual artists in action

Glorious prairie gardens

Market Street Vulcan - wide range of hot/cold food and beverages

No pets please

Directions to the Coutts Centre

• Turn east off Hwy 2 on to Provincial Road 533. This intersection is across from the Ranchland Motel at the north end of Nanton, AB.

• Follow Provincial Road 533 east, past the Nanton Golf Club to Range Road 280

• Turn left (north) on Range Road 280 (gravel road)

• Travel north on Range Road 280 about 4 km (cross Township road 164)

• Coutts Centre is on the left (west) side of the road. Look for a number of rustic outbuildings.

See .pdf attachment for printable map. We look forward to seeing you there!