Art Gallery staff begin moving pieces into new facility

A grand opening is still several weeks away, but staff at the Judith and Norman Alix Art Gallery in downtown Sarnia are wasting no time in beginning the move from their quarters in the Bayside Centre to the new facility just across the street.

The Art Gallery opens to the public September 22 with a grand opening scheduled for October 5-7.

In the meantime, the Gallery is planning events around Artwalk 2012, the weekend of June 2-3.

Events at Taboo Tour 2012 will include sound-based performances by iconic Canadian noise band, Nihilist Spasm Band, and workshops with well-known Canadian artists from across the country including James Kirkpatrick (London) and Michael Waterman (St. John's), and from the local community.

"The idea behind this year's Artwalk line-up was a result of a few brainstorming sessions by our Random Acts of Art Workshop (RAAW) students", says Lisa Daniels, Curator of the Judith & Norman ALIX Art Gallery. "The RAAW students wanted to provide visitors to the Taboo Tour with something out of the ordinary. The idea is to allow visitors to explore the notion of sound and how it relates to the visual arts, or if sound even has a place within a visual context."

The Taboo Tour 2012 schedule of events also includes a New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA) synthesizer workshop where visitors will have the opportunity to create their own handheld synthesizer. Michael Waterman and James Kirkpatrick will each lead workshops around circuit bending, making your own instruments, and improvisation. Participants will then be invited to take part in an improvised performance utilizing instruments made during the workshops.

Visitors are encouraged to register for workshops in the morning at the corner of Lochiel and Christina Streets as there are limited spaces available for certain workshops.

The weekend of Artwalk events will culminate with an exciting performance by legendary Canadian noise band, Nihilist Spasm Band. The group formed in 1965 in London, Ontario out of a desire to create and play non-conventional instruments, and have headlined several successful world tours.

For a full schedule of Artwalk events hosted by the Judith & Norman ALIX Art Gallery please visit www.artgallerylambton.ca. Stay up to date on projects and behind the scenes preparation on the gallery's blog www.gallerylambton-onsite.blogspot.com.

Tags: City of, judith and norman alix art gallery, moving underway, Sarnia, Sarnia-Lambton