Free Admission to Provincial Historic Sites and Museums During Alberta Arts Days

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September 14, 2011 Free admission to provincial historic sites and museums during Alberta Arts Days

Edmonton... Alberta’s provincially owned historic sites and museums will be offering free admission and special arts programming during Alberta Arts Days, September 30 to October 2.

All provincial attractions that are regularly open will offer free admission for each of the three days. Frank Slide Interpretive Centre Remington Carriage Museum Government House Reynolds-Alberta Museum Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Royal Alberta Museum Lougheed House Royal Tyrrell Museum Oil Sands Discovery Centre Rutherford House Provincial Archives of Alberta “There is so much to discover during Alberta Arts Days,” said Lindsay Blackett, Minister of Alberta Culture and Community Spirit. “Albertans can indulge their own creative side, enjoy a community event or explore our shared heritage at a provincial historic site or museum. It’s a great opportunity for people of every age, background and experience to celebrate Alberta’s arts and culture.” Now in its fourth year, Alberta Arts Days is a celebration of culture, heritage, artistic diversity and provincial pride. Community groups and organizations are encouraged to show their support for local art and culture by hosting an event or activity. In 2010, 91 Alberta communities hosted 681 activities. AlbertaArtsDays.ca provides event planning guides, customizable posters and many other resources to assist event organizers. The site also features the Alberta Culture Calendar, a listing of Alberta Arts Days events throughout the province. Organizers are asked to register their Alberta Arts Days event on the calendar and Albertans are encouraged to check the site often for new events in their communities. Alberta Arts Days is helping to achieve the goals of our province’s cultural policy, The Spirit of Alberta, which is designed around four keystones: access, capacity, excellence and cultural industries. It is also part of Culture Days - a national movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. -30- Backgrounder: List of activities at provincial museums and historic sites Media inquiries may be directed to: Parker Hogan Communications Alberta Culture and Community Spirit 780-427-6530; cell 780-914-2869 To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000. September 14, 2011

Alberta Arts Days Celebrates Alberta’s history and heritage The following activities are planned at Alberta’s provincially owned historic sites and museums in celebration of Alberta Arts Days. Frank Slide Interpretive Centre (Crowsnest Pass) The Frank Slide Interpretive Centre is celebrating Alberta Arts Days with an Alberta Society of Artists display featuring the remarkable Crowsnest Pass landscape, original music by Crowsnest Pass singer/songwriters, live theatre presenting the compelling story of the men trapped in the Frank Mine during the slide, award-winning high definition audio-visual shows, guided walks, demonstrations and four levels of interactive exhibits.

Government House (Edmonton, on the Royal Alberta Museum grounds) The Edmonton Poetry Festival and the Government House Foundation team up to offer Swinging Words: Words with Music, two special afternoons of poetry and music in the beautiful Alberta Room, rarely open to the public. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (Fort MacLeod) First Nations people demonstrate and display their artistic skills and products during Alberta Art Days at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. Visitors can enjoy First Nations entertainers and spectacular dance demonstrations and admire the Alberta Birds of Prey display. Door prizes and special presentations will add to the fun. Lougheed House (Calgary) Lougheed House celebrates Alberta Arts Days 2011 with a generous combination of music, storytelling, live theatre and tours. Georgy Tchaidze, 2009 Honens International Piano Competition First Laureate, will perform the narrated piano work Peter and the Wolf. There will be a Beltline Walking Tour, a University of Alberta display entitled The Other Side of Gold Mountain, tours of the splendid Victorian mansion, and more. Oil Sands Discovery Centre (Fort McMurray) The Oil Sands Discovery Centre, in collaboration with the Wood Buffalo Arts and Crafts Guild, celebrates Alberta Arts Days on Saturday, October 1 with a display of local art exhibits and hands-on arts crafts for the whole family. Provincial Archives of Alberta (Edmonton) On Saturday, October 1 at 8 p.m. the Provincial Archives hosts an evening of music and storytelling entitled Forget-me-not, based on songwriter Andrea House’s discovery of a collection of old postcards in her Grandfather’s house chronicling a love story from the First World War. Admission is free, but tickets are required due to limited seating at the Archives. To obtain tickets, call 780-415-4867 (dial 310-0000 for toll-free access in Alberta). Remington Carriage Museum (Cardston) The Remington Carriage Museum presents three days of artists, their art and their craft during Alberta Arts Days.

Reynolds-Alberta Museum (Wetaskiwin) The Reynolds-Alberta Museum offers interactive family fun, where visitors can design their own car in the Roaring Twenties Auto Salon, learn the power of the headlight in the Lighting Your Way exhibit, and make a glamorous 1920s head band, necklace or barber shop quartet-style vest to take home. Royal Alberta Museum (Edmonton) The Royal Alberta Museum will offer Spotlight Gallery Presentations, with ten of the museum’s curators on hand to share the art of their museum work in words, demonstrations and visual presentations - from First World War folk art to the “Artful Bison” to the art of the kimono.

Royal Tyrrell Museum (Drumheller) The Royal Tyrrell Museum presents three days of dino-sized art activities - visitors can learn how to photograph the badlands, make a dinosaur mask, or paint their own fossil cast to take home. Rutherford House (Edmonton) Rutherford House offers classic melodies and forgotten musical treasures during Alberta Arts Days. The whole family will enjoy live entertainment, historical crafts and relaxed tours of the magnificent home of Alberta’s first premier, celebrating its 100th birthday in 2011. -30- Media inquiries may be directed to: Alberta Arts Days: Remington Carriage Museum: Parker Hogan Robert Mein Communications 403-653-5139 Culture and Community Spirit 780-427-6530 Reynolds-Alberta Museum: Cynthia Blackmore Frank Slide Interpretive Centre: 780-361-1351 Cathy Pisony 403-562-7388 Royal Alberta Museum/Government House: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump: Bruce Bolton Quinton Crowshoe 780-453-9130 403-553-2731 Royal Tyrrell Museum: Lougheed House: Leanna Mohan Cassandra Cummings 403-820-6208 403-244-6333 ext. 109 Rutherford House: Oil Sands Discovery Centre: Alison Moir Shauna Allen 780-427-3995 780-743-7167