Joe"s CowsA painting of cows inspired by Canadian prairie artist and humourist Joe Fafard. A painting of trees on the banks of a calm river. A painting contrasting the skyline between the mountains and the prairies. A painting of our rolling foothills. An impressionist interpretation of a steam locomotive from the Canadian Pacific Railways…

These are but some of the many paintings featured in Under the Prairie Sky – Acrylic landscapes by grade five and six students from Calgary’s École King George. They are colourful, and remind one of impressionism (think Claude Monet's works, and how our Alberta landscape might have impacted his style, and this might have been what the paintings would have looked like when he was younger!) These paintings were also the art students' first work with acrylic painting, and the results are remarkable!

Teacher Lorraine Fafard states that, "In class, within a rather brief time frame, students were asked to observe, and reflect on life styles and natural imagery of life on the Prairies. Through the eyes of Canadian folk artists, William Kurelek, prairie artist Henry K. Ripplinger, and contemporary visual artists Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, as well as other forms of media presentations and archival photographs obtained through our school library, students began to connect to their subject and take risks in their productions."

Under the Prairie Sky will be on display until the end of April at our wonderful library. La Pleine Lune (from the artist"s imagination)

For the last few weeks, our Tuesday evenings have had special guests – and these guests are featured on CBC News: Calgary at 6!

Who are these remarkable guests? Well, our special guests are dogs. In fact, they are highly socialized dogs. Nice dogs. Dogs that help kids read, and help kids get excited about reading too. That’s the idea behind Story Pals: children in this program practice reading out loud in a relaxed space with these wonderful animals. This happens in both a kid-friendly and dog-friendly environment. In our Story Pals program, children between the ages of six and nine read to both the canines and their handlers (who happen to be volunteers with the Pet Access League Society.)

Did you know? The Pet Access League Society is a non-profit organization in Calgary "dedicated to enhancing the life of individuals through pet therapy"? Here is the broadcast:

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/Calgary/ID/2352068495/

Wonderful canine volunteer.

A meaningful life.“A meaningful life” – a metal sculpture which is also an amazing tapestry of colour and vivid imagery – has arrived at the Nose Hill library!

This is the result of a collaborative work between Calgary artist Jeff de Boer and 24 other artists. What is unique about this collaboration is that the 24 collaborating artists also have developmental disabilities, and the sculpture tells some of their stories. The art on the sculpture reflects each artist’s unique narrative in a visual form. The aluminum sculpture also gives the impression of different strands being interwoven together, which in turn could symbolize the interconnectedness that we all have in the community we share.

There is a video you may view which gives a further in depth look at the project, and how “A meaningful life”was created: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmcMR4FLY5c

The touring sculpture has been on display recently at the Alberta Legislature, and will be at our library until April 5^th.

Divergent.Imagine determining everything in your life by one decision that you made when you were sixteen. This sets the stage for one of the latest series in Young Adult fiction - Veronica Roth's Divergent series. In the first book, sixteen year old Tris Prior must decide which faction she will dedicate the rest of her life to (in this world, the factions are societal groups based on a virtue that they endeavor to emulate.) Choosing your faction can mean choosing between your real self and being what your family wants you to be. In fact, choosing a faction that's outside of the family means losing your family and all that you knew...

In our dystopian teen book club, we have faced our own fears, just as protagonist Tris Prior must do. We have also discussed whether or not dividing a society like this could work, whether or not we ourselves would choose a faction or to be factionless, and whether or not one can ever overcome fear - or just learn how to control their fears...

And that was just the first book our teen dystopian book club has been reading! Next up is Lois Lowry's thrilling conclusion to The Giver quartet, her newest novel called Son. Are you a young adult who would care to join us? Our teen book club runs the last Wednesday of every month; come on by, pick up your copy of Son, and register!

A beautiful drawing of a lion.We have some fantastic new art on display in our teen zone! Sketches features the art work from a student at Sir Winston Churchill High school, with drawings, inspired by the natural world. These intricate, detailed drawings feature a majestic lion, a cat, a landscape scene featuring the fire like colours of autumn, a horse, and the dark twisted tree branches one might find in a forest. The dramatic contrast and play of shadow and light is remarkable, and gives each piece a life of its own. To appreciate the fine details these drawings really need to be seen up close, and you can view them in our teen zone until the end of March!

Our beautiful library just got more beautiful thanks to the new art featured in Nose Hill library's Teen Zone. Students from our neighbouring school, Simon Fraser Junior High, have created colourful and abstract works that will be on display until the end of January. The idea behind this is a celebration of community, and a way to feature art by teens for teens in our teen zone. Our exhibition includes twelve works by students in grade 8 and 9 and will be officially marked on Thursday, January 24th with snacks and a small gathering at 7pm. Come for a visit, and enjoy the art!