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)

Spanish Conversation Club.

Our library has an incredibly special program - our Spanish Conversation Club! What makes this program so special is, in part, the sense of community that the club builds with each participant. Both the participants and the wonderful language coaches bring their creative ideas, energy, and enthusiasm into the club. It is such a pleasure to watch this group interact and learn with each other. Just look at the party they are having together!

Our nest session of Spanish Conversation starts May 30th. Please note that our Spanish Conversation Club is for intermediate to advanced speakers only please.

Club de conversacion en español

Nuestra biblioteca tiene un programa especial increíble – el club de conversación en español. Lo que hace nuestro programa tan especial es, en parte, la unión que el club desarrolla con cada participante. Tanto el participante como los maravillosos entrenadores en el idioma traen sus ideas creativas, su energía y su entusiasmo al club. Es un placer ver la interacción y el aprendizaje dentro del grupo. ¡Solo observen la fiesta que tienen juntos!

Nuestra próxima sesión empieza el 30 de mayo. Por favor noten que nuestro club es solo para personas con un nivel intermedio o avanzado de español.

Here is what a few of our participants have to say! (*With thanks to our volunteer Jorge for the translations. Gracias.)

“Es uno de más fabuloso classes en mi vida.” (It’s one of the most fabulous classes in my life.”)

“Estoy muy contenta estar en esta clase de conversación. Los voluntarios son los mejores que he tenido. Las clase esta muy divertida y al mismo tiempo todos aprenden muchisimo.” (I am very happy to be in this conversation class. The volunteer are the best I have had. The class is very fun and at the same time everyone learns a lot.)

“Quisiera agradecerá todos los profesores de esta clase de español en la biblioteca por su tiempo, gentileza, paciencia y bondad. Son muy buena gente y fue una experiencia fantástica de estar aquí. Que divertida esta clase!” (I would like to thank all the professors of this Spanish class in the library for their time, gentleness, patience and kindness. They are very good people and being here was a fantastic experience. This class is so much fun!)

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.

From our LEGO context last year.Did you know plastic LEGO pieces have been around since 1947? And did you also know that the Nose Hill library has a contest and a club where you can build your own LEGO creations?

Our fabulous LEGO contest is on Saturday, March 23, from 2:00pm to 3:30pm. Children and teens will compete in several different age catagories to create something original and spectacular that can be viewed in the library. The Age Categories include: 5-6 years; 7-8 years; 9-11 years; and 12 years and over. All of the contest's creations will be on display for public viewing until the end of our awards ceremony, at approximately 3:30 pm. Registration for our contest is currently full, but don't depair, because we also have a fantastic Lego Club!

Our LEGO Club happens from 4-5:30pm, on the last Wednesday of every month (March 27th is our next date!) It is for ages 7 and up; or for a younger child accompanied by an adult.

Did you know the word "Lego" comes from leg godt, a Danish word that means "play well"? We hope you come on down to the Nose Hill library and do just that!

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!