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Finding arts culture and entertainment on a budget
Entertainment is an incredibly important part of the learning process. Since papers assignments and tests are placed sporadically throughout the semester it’s not merely a possibility that the day should arise when addressing the perfect storm of work looming on the horizon seems hopeless but inevitable. The maxim “work hard play hard” may seem trite but nowhere is it more applicable than the life of a university student. There are many budget-friendly sources of fun for the savvy scholar though and when the distant clouds seem darker than ever a night on the town might be just the thing to help in the hunt for silver linings.
FINE ARTS ON CAMPUS
When it comes to the arts there are many interesting things to be seen at post-secondary institutions which are generally considered a hotbed of new talent. The University of Calgary’s Nickle Arts Museum (www.ucalgary.ca/~nickle/index.shtml) hosts exhibitions from nationally and internationally renowned artists as well as installing historically interesting displays like ancient coin collections Persian rug collections and artifacts dug up by archeological research teams. Entrance is free with a student ID but hurry before the building is moved to the new Taylor family digital library.
The fine arts department at the university also hosts exhibits and events by its students. The sixth floor of the Art Parkade is a sure place to see such displays and they are rotated weekly so there’s usually new stuff to see. The dance drama and music departments put on concerts throughout the year. Event listings for fine arts can be found at their webpage finearts.ucalgary.ca/events.
The Illingworth Kerr Gallery (www.acad.ab.ca/ikg.html) at the Alberta College of Art and Design presents quality contemporary art in a range of disciplines and media. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. ACAD also has student artwork on display at the Marion Nicoll Gallery throughout the school and at several special events during the year.
LIVE RUSH TICKETS
Live Rush (liverush.ca) is a program to help students attend plays put on by Calgary’s theatre troupes. The plays most of which take place at the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts on Stephen Ave. near city hall cost $10 for students who have signed up with the program.
CAMPUS CLUBS AND EVENTS
Clubs on campus are a great way to meet people with similar interests and form long-term academic relationships — visit your school’s students’ union or association website for a list of campus clubs and organizations as well as special events. At the U of C you can join clubs at any time by going to the clubs office in MacEwan Hall or visiting the Students’ Union (SU) website (www.su.ucalgary.ca). In addition clubs and the SU often host events such as the weekly Cinemania at which movies recently out of theatres are screened for free for students in Science Theatres 148. For Mount Royal College club information is available on the Students’ Association website (www.samrc.com).
MOVIES THAT MATTER
Movies That Matter (www.moviesthatmatter.org) is an ongoing series hosted by the Epcor Centre and the Trimedia Alliance that screens recent important documentaries. The films cover diverse topics and with admission a mere $5 for students it’s a great evening for documentary fans.
CALGARY ZOO
There’s hardly a better way to de-stress than an afternoon watching some bears — nature’s hairy bipolar clowns. And if bears aren’t your thing giraffes and hippos might be. General admission to the Calgary Zoo (www.calgaryzoo.org) — which lies on the northeast C-Train line with its own station — costs $16 but you can get “bad weather” coupons through its website when the skies are less than sunny and many of the exhibits are indoors anyway.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
The Calgary Fringe Festival (www.calgaryfringe.ca) takes place in August each year and is a chance to discover emerging artists at an affordable price. Since every show in the festival is produced by its creator there’s an unbelievably wacky breadth of things to take in making it an excellent way for summer students or out-of-towners who arrive early to spend a week.
INDIE MOVIE THEATRES
If the high cost for an evening at a conventional cinema seems like too much head to one of Calgary’s independent theatres. The Uptown and Globe both on Stephen Ave. and the Plaza in Kensington are all places to head for low-rent high-culture alternatives to the expensive multiplexes. During the Calgary International Film Fest in September the theatres also host a bevvy of internationally renowned films.
