Thinking Hat: Behind the Scenes

On Thursday night I was in the Beveridge Block with Jessie and Phil from Spectacle, and I got to work setting up my half of our Thinking Hat exhibition. Jessie and Phil, by the way, did an amazing job getting my work printed and mounted on foam core for my part of the show. I had the comparatively easy task of just arranging my prints and hanging them up - so big thanks to them!

Being in the Beveridge again was a bit of a trip, seeing as it was only earlier this year that I was here doing a shoot for my Around the Hat series. To be back displaying some of those images now, and having many of them blown up for the first time, made a strong impression on me when I walked in. For something that so many people have responded to online, this exhibition was going to be the first time that I'd get to witness the public's reaction to it.

In general, Thinking Hat was a great excuse to have me review my work and look closely at my project as a whole. My focus was to emphasize the character of Medicine Hat's historic downtown to play off of Spectacle's ideas for renewal and revitalization. Together I think we've come up with something really special, and found a great venue for showing off our creativity too. By the time this post goes live, we'll have already had our opening night - stay tuned!

Here were some of the shots I took while I wandered around the Beveridge Block and hung up my photographs for the exhibition.

Not much to see in the basement.

Alberta Culture Days in Medicine Hat

Culture Days kicks off around the province this weekend, and I've been busy preparing for it. In addition to all of the work that I've done with Spectacle for our exhibition, Thinking Hat, which opens downtown tonight, for the last few weeks I've been preparing this promo video about culture in Medicine Hat.


This project was a lot of fun to do, but it presented a few challenges. The timeline was tight, summer was already winding down, and I was nervous about finding enough variety in only a few weeks available for shooting. It's always a bit of a crap shoot when you're constructing a video with a theme as broad as culture. With a lot of hard work and scheduling everything came together though. The bonus was that I got to experience some really cool scenes around town as a result. 

From the main stage of the Esplanade to the market at Medalta, I filmed musicians, gallery openings, artists at work, and concerts in the park. I even incorporated some of my shots from this year's Stampede, Spectrum Festival, Sunshine Skillet Food Fair, and my Around the Hat photo series. In the end, I think the video touched on just how much variety can be found here in the Hat. Hopefully you'll be inspired to go and discover some of it for yourself. Culture Days weekend is a great time to start!

Pike Place Market: Part 2

A continuation of my photo set at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.