Windsor Ontario News / Arts & Entertainment

Patrons lament closing of Palace Cinemas

The Palace Cinemas closed for the final time Sunday night.

But already one of the fourplex’s theatres had been decommissioned, with seats torn out and for sale.

The silver screen had been shredded, speakers removed, revealing an austere black wall where the screen used to be.

Meanwhile staff was good-naturedly handing out movie passes for future screenings at the Lakeshore Cinemas, also owned by Windsor-based Imagine Cinemas.

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Recreation centres can also be about arts

A community rec complex doesn’t have to be only about sports.

Especially when the word “culture” is part of the building’s title.

The Windsor Endowment for the Arts (WEA) and Town of LaSalle this weekend have a special exhibition called Celebrating Homegrown Talent.

It’s taking place at the Vollmer Culture & Recreation Complex, perhaps not as widely known for arts exhibits as for sports, despite the name.

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Rembrandt's 'Face of Jesus' coming to DIA

Two of the world’s most iconic religious and artistic names are coming to the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).

Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus – 64 works by renowned Dutch Renaissance artist Rembrandt van Rijn, will run Nov. 20 to Feb. 12.

The exhibit is organized by the DIA, Musée du Louvre in Paris, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The exhibition includes more than 50 small, intimate drawings that Rembrandt and his students did of Jesus, breaking way from earlier representations of Christ.

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Leamington's Bank Theatre taking shape

This time next year an all-new theatre in Leamington should be up and running.

The Bank Theatre and Meeting Place is currently raising money, and undertaking construction in phases, on the former Bank of Montreal branch on Erie Street in Leamington’s downtown core.

The town, which was given the property by the bank, decided in turn to donate it to the theatre group when it made other plans for its new town hall.

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First local artists' studio tour hits region

Local visual artists are throwing open their workplaces in the first ever Windsor and Essex County art studio tour.

The tour takes place over September 30 & October 1 and Oct. 7 & 8 and features more than 30 artists – some in group settings, others at their individual studios.

Gulnaz Turdalieva, an artist who works in acrylic painting, is coordinating it.

Turdalieva moved here from Montreal four years ago and noticed that the area, unlike others in Canada, didn’t have an artists’ studio tour.

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Harrowing rape film screens here Aug. 20

The Queen’s Daughter, a book by Melissa McCormick about her harrowing mugging in Detroit many years ago, has been made into a film called Determined.

It will have its local premiere Aug. 20 at Lakeshore Cinemas.

The 20-minuite film by Scott Scheirich isn’t a documentary but is based on McCormick’s book.

Jennifer Polansky plays McCormick in the film.

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Langlois leaves arts council for university

Justin Langlois, who was hired as executive director of the Arts Council Windsor and Region early last year, has taken a full time job at the University of Windsor.

Langlois had also been holding a part time sessional lecturer job at the university.

The new two year “limited term appointment” will be for the position of assistant professor in arts and sciences.

He had been teaching in the university’s communications, media and film department.

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Call for public art to enhance Parkway

Calling all artists.

Planners of the Windsor-Essex Parkway are calling for public art submissions.

The Parkway – the new innovatively-designed border route between existing Hwy. 401 and the proposed new bridge to Detroit – won’t just be a corridor of concrete topped in certain areas by natural vegetation.

According to Parkway planners it will also be a people place.

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Windsor's Pawley "fearful" of Tory mandate as he releases his new book of memoirs

Former NDP Manitoba premier and Windsor resident Howard Pawley is “fearful” about the next four years of majority government under the Harper Conservatives.

Pawley, who has taught political science at the University of Windsor since relocating to the Rose City in the 1990s, thinks that Harper – a “shrewd” strategist – will quickly implement more right wing legislation, especially over the first two years of his term, and then “soften up” before the next election in 2015.

Pawley, author of a new memoir, Keep True, said Harper also has to “keep his conservative base onside,” especially that he now has a majority mandate.

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