When Lipton gets to the "What profession other than your own would you like to attempt" question, do you have your answer ready? Depending on my mood, sometimes my answer is, "Curator." It's one of those jobs that seems like you get to take grand ideas that are largely in your head and create them for others to see and respond to, and that's always cool to me. If it's cool to you, hit the National Gallery tonight at 6 p.m. to meet Stephen Loft, Curator in Residence, Indigenous Art. It's only 5 jack trippers (or dollars, if that's how you roll) for an adult. Then on Sunday, March 1, you can meet Arthur Renwick, Rosalie Favell, and Jeff Thomas between 1 and 3 p.m. That fun is included in the gallery admission. Both events are in conjunction with Steeling the Gaze: Portraits by Aboriginal Artists, which runs until March 22. 

Were you like, "Dude, I don't do nearly enough stuff in Gatineau-Hull, and that's stupid." I know, man. That's why you should check out Mirana Zuger's new show at Maison de la culture, opening this Friday, February 27th, from 6-8 p.m. Her work has been described as "a seductive spontaneity pulses through this new series from Mirana Zuger.  Her work aims to convince us of the fragility of a moment and the fortitude of the spirit.  These large format oil paintings command attention with bold gesture and a stunning sensuality that moves stealthily between abstract and figurative motifs." Whoa, that text is big on the dirty adjectives. Sounds like my kind of show. It's on until May 24.

Every Wednesday (Cult)ure shares with you one of the internet's best webcomics.

 

If you are looking for hilarious online comic strips about Stephen Harper, the Pope, and Louis Riel  (and really, who amongst us isnt?), then Kate Beaton's webcomics are for you!

With the release of Zack Snyder's Watchmen film only two weeks away, comic book critic Tom Spurgeon has written an article, "Reading the Watchmen: Ten Entrance Points into the Esteemed Graphic Novel", in which he outlines ten different ways for readers to approach the original comic book by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

Spurgeon's list includes reading Watchmen as:  a murder mystery, a liminal experience, a love story, and commentary on superheroes.

The article is an excellent example not only of the multiplicity of meaning to be found within Watchmen, but of literary critical theory being practiced.

Two new exhibits opened yesterday at the Carleton University Art Gallery: Construction Work, with pieces by U of O profs Josée Dubeau, Lorraine Gilbert, and Jinny Yu, and The Art of Transformation: The Fantastic in Inuit and Northwest Coast Art. Being as how the fact that Carleton even has an art gallery is news to me, I'm certainly going to make time for the shows. They're on until April 12th.

We've finally hit that mid-winter wall where literally nothing of interest is coming out in theatres. Which is fine, really, given that it's mid-winter, and I can see even more snow coming down as I type this. So, you've got options:

 If you do want to go out, Dan Campbell has a one night only exhibit from 7-10 pm tonight at La Petite Mort Gallery (306 Cumberland). As Campbell explains, "I try to show the human body and the emotions it conveys in as simple and striking way I can, being high contrast. Contrast in the shapes and colours, but also with the sharp lines of the subjects on the hand weathered and distressed backgrounds where they find themselves." 

 If you only want to go as far as your local video store, do yourself a favour and pick up Zombie Strippers!. I cannot recommend this little parody enough. Strippers become zombies, which makes them super-strippers, so no one cares when they start eating the patrons. If you don't laugh at the rapid-fire patter between the soldiers in the opening minutes, I don't know what to do with you. 

With coffee? Excellent. Tonight Lou Hayden has a new show opening at the Raw Sugar Café at 692 Somerset West (Somerset and Cambridge). It's called 'Lost Shoes,' and it starts at 5:30.