To celebrate Culture Days, the Art Gallery of Sudbury is offering up tours of the historic Bell Mansion.

The building, which dates back to the turn of the century, has become a place where local history and contemporary works come together. Over the years, it has housed numerous exhibitions — during Culture Days, which runs the last weekend of September, there will be photos on display depicting life and death in the hard-rock mining belt, snapped by Louie Palu, as well as essays by Charlie Angus.

Guests can tour the facility for free, and learn more about the facility at the same time.

It's just one of thousands of events taking place Sept. 28 to 30 from coast to coast. According to Catherine McLeod, OAC Culture Days co-ordinator, Culture Days is a “fabulous promotional opportunity” for artists looking to showcase themselves and their work.

“This is a good chance to let the public know who we are and what we do,” she said while speaking to a group of artists at the Art Gallery May 23. In order to participate, artists must register online to host a free, interactive event on Culture Days weekend. Any and all sorts of artists and cultural entities are welcome to participate, she said.
“It's open to the full spectrum of creative,” she said.

Nationally, artists are responsible for promoting their own events — locally, the Sudbury Arts Council has opted to spearhead the project.
The Sudbury Arts Council has assumed the role of promoting the event as it “falls within our mandate to 'Connect, Communicate and Celebrate' the arts,” SAC President John Lindsay said.

“We can offer advice and promotional support with respect to those considering an event during Culture Days.”

Lindsay believes the community can benefit from the event.

“We often don't appreciate what a rich cultural heritage we have and the wealth of creative talent within our community,” Lindsay said.

“Anything that we can do to facilitate this awareness benefits us all and makes for a richer life experience.

“Many people associate culture as something 'highbrow' which is definitely not the case ... anything creative from finger painting to bread making to fine art and sculpture to fiddle playing to a symphony performance ... is the creative spark that enhances our lives.”

Providing everyone with access to art is part of the Culture Days vision. McLeod said the weekend provides an opportunity for the community to engage in cultural activities they may not otherwise try or even know about.

“It's a great opportunity to get out and try something you may never have tried before,” McLeod said.

Artists interested in participating in Culture Days can learn more by visiting culturedays.ca — those interested in learning more about what the city has to offer can do the same.

Posted by Arron Pickard