Artists on Rails 2005

Artists on Rails

2005

YEAR ONE

Some quotes from 2005...

"Music is movement, so what better place to play than on a moving
object. We had a good time performing for and with people - old
fashioned sing-a-longs, train songs, fiddle tunes - they all suited the
crowd and the feel on VIA rail", Musician and Entertainer, Bill Hamm

2006 Artists

Larisa Sembaliuk-Cheladyn

"We thought it was an excellent means of presenting art and music to a wide range of people from Canada and around the world. We hope that artists on the rails becomes a regular feature of train travel in Canada!" Musicians Cam Neufeld and Marianne Watchel

Many thanks to the wonderful folks at MacLab Hotels and Resorts for hosting these artists in 2005 when they arrived in Jasper!

In 2006 artists will be hosted by the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre Jasper.

BACK

So you have found your way to Edmonton and you're not exactly sure if you want to drive all the way to the mountains. Well, you don't have to!

RIDE THE TRAIN!

Edmonton to Jasper and back again...experience Alberta through the eyes of Alberta artists while swaying to the rhythm of the rails...

Riding the train will never be the same!!

Some stories from 2005...

John McLay and Valerie Pringle

John McLay and Valerie Pringle - ya' just never know who you will meet!!

authors painters musicians...oh my

Illustrator and Artist Diane Way, Author John McLay "On MountainTop Rock"

Thursdays on VIA from Edmonton to Jasper

Saturdays on VIA from Jasper to Edmonton

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"Travelers, more often than not, are open-minded individuals who are willing to risk finding themselves in new and interesting situations, they are seekers of the unfamiliar. The train trip to Jasper enabled us to engage with people from Australia, Canada, England, and the United States who were most appreciative of the opportunity to be exposed to the creative risks that we take as artists." Paul Leathers, metalsmith.

"The opportunity to discuss our artworks outside of a typical art context was fascinating, people wanted to make a connection by telling us their experiences. We heard lovely stories about first encounters with art and about artworks that they couldn't imagine being without. It was a heart-warming to hear that, even though they hadn't really identified it before, art was a part of their lives." Trudy Golley RCA, ceramic artist.

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Ravens End by Ben Gadd

"...reading from Raven's End to the kids in the activity car as a pair of ravens flew alongside the train, and hearing the sudden intake of breath as the kids' hands shot up to tell me they had seen them ... and getting to blab away up in the dome about the wonders of my favorite mountains in my favorite national park. The passengers were clearly enjoying the event as well, smiling and asking questions as they heard the story from a local. Many thanks to Via Rail and DTMI for making this possible. Alberta was built one town at a time along the train tracks. What a unique and fitting way to celebrate this province's centenary!" Author and Park Naturalist, Ben Gadd

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Artist Ray Syrja

"The Artists on the Rails program went very well. A highlight was, when I finished the first demonstration & painting in the first dome car and moved to the next dome car, the entourage from the first car followed along with us. Another highlight was the fascinating people we met. We had lunch with John, who had just won a masters silver medal in double rowing and is a retired nuclear physicist and professor. He worked with an international group in Hamburg & Detroit smashing electrons into positrons in huge particle accelerators. From this, they were able to infer the existence of neutrinos and quarks, which opened the discussion: do we exist or are we just a thought in our own minds (or something like that)?" Ray Syrja, visual artist and instructor

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