Celebrate Winterlude at the National Gallery of Canada January 31 to February 17, 2014

Explore the Canadian art collection thanks to a variety of fun activities and installations for the whole family

OTTAWA, Dec. 16, 2013 /CNW/ - Once again this winter, the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) will be hosting fun and entertaining activities during Winterlude 2014. From January 31 to February 17, 2014, visitors of all ages, including families, are invited to warm up inside the Gallery, visit Storytelling—an installation of contemporary video-based works—, watch the acclaimed video The Way Things Go and hear Canadian artist Janet Cardiff's famous and much-loved work Forty-Part Motet. Visitors can also explore the national collection by taking part in a variety of fun, family-friendly activities at Artissimo, going on a self-guided tour, or listening to one of the many digital audioguides designed to help you discover the stories behind some of the key works in the collection. The Gallery also has something special planned for Ontario Family Day on Monday, February 17. For the complete list of activities, visit gallery.ca. These activities are included in the Gallery admission fee. Free for children under 12.

Storytelling
Storytelling is the subject of a new installation of contemporary video-based works at the National Gallery. Four Canadian artists—Althea Thauberger, Zin Taylor, Isabelle Pauwels and Corin Sworn—explore literature, folktales, legends and family stories, reshaping them to present new versions. In the process, they take us to a number of faraway places: the Fassa Valley in Northern Italy; the Scottish Highlands; the Belgian-occupied Congo; and London, England. Each video is presented alongside constructed artifacts and production stills that suggest alternative ways of seeing or interpreting. On view in contemporary art galleries B102, B103, and B104.

Fischli & Weiss: The Way Things Go
The NGC presents The Way Things Go (1987). Drawing crowds wherever it is exhibited, the highly acclaimed 30-minute recording of a spectacular chain reaction of household and industrial objects was created by the Swiss artists Peter Fischli and the late David Weiss. Presented here as part of How Things Go (1985-87), a video installation acquired by the Gallery in 2009, The Way Things Go features alongside two lesser-known films by the artists that recount the often outlandish and improbable sequences of mechanical, chemical and material reactions they presented in their classic 1987 production. On view in contemporary art gallery B106.

Janet Cardiff, Forty-Part Motet
The publicly and critically acclaimed installation Forty-Part Motet will be back on display at the NGC. This brilliant sound sculpture by Canadian artist Janet Cardiff is a reworking of Spem in Alium by Thomas Tallis, a 16th-century English composer. Forty separately-recorded choir voices are played back through 40 speakers positioned inside the NGC's Rideau Chapel.

Artissimo: Fun family activities
From 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and on Ontario Family Day, Monday, February 17, 2014, until 4:30 p.m. Join other families in making a massive fabric copy of Lawren Harris's painting North Shore, Baffin Island II, an icy masterpiece from the Gallery's Canadian collection. Families will also have great fun in getting creative and making a person, animal, building or tree to add to the giant collaborative mural A Wintry World. Add your part and join other families as you create a giant picture for the Artissimo Gallery wall. Go on an adventure with one of the Art Buddies. These soft figures are detailed replicas of people in the paintings. It's a voyage of discovery as you carry your Art Buddy through the Gallery, find the painting they live in, and learn about your Buddy and the artist behind the work. Artissimo is for children ages 3 and up, accompanied by an adult.

Not Just Another Winter Tour: A wintry journey through the collection
The self-guided tour Not Just Another Winter Tour is back and invites visitors to explore the Gallery's collection, focusing on winter landscapes, animals of the ice and snow, and other innovative works that will surprise and delight. Come discover or rediscover several works by well-known artists such as Krieghoff, Colville and Duchamp.

Audioguides
National Gallery of Canada audio tours open doors to art. Experts inside and outside the art world share their insights in focussed theme tours for adults. Storytelling and conversation animate the tour for children. A special tour for Mandarin-speakers is narrated by Dashan, Canadian Mark Rowswell, who has been called "the most famous foreigner in China". German- and Spanish-speakers can enjoy a collection highlights tour. And, verbal descriptions bring artworks to life for people who are blind or partially sighted. New this year: a tour by NGC director Marc Mayer, who will be sharing his thoughts and comments on selected works.

Family Day: Artissimo, a show and some hot chocolate!
To celebrate Ontario Family Day on Monday, February 17, the Gallery will be offering a series of special activities for the whole family. Come and watch Junkyard Symphony perform their percussion, acrobatics and comedy show. Sip comforting hot chocolate in the afternoon and take part in Artissimo activities. In addition, take this special opportunity to purchase or renew an annual family membership at a $20 discount. This discount is available exclusively for new memberships, gift memberships and renewals for families, purchased in person, by telephone or online on Monday, February 17, 2014. Annual family memberships give members and their family free unlimited access to the collection and special exhibitions.

Admission
Tickets: $12 (adults); $10 (seniors and full-time students); $6 (youth aged 12 to 19); $24 (families of two adults and three youth). Admission is free for children under the age of 12 and for Members. For more information, call 613-998-8888 or visit gallery.ca.

Hours
The NGC is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursdays until 8 p.m. Closed Mondays. Open on Monday, February 17, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Ontario Family Day. For more information, call 613-990-1985 or 1-800-319-ARTS.

About the National Gallery of Canada 
The National Gallery of Canada is home to the most important collections of historical and contemporary Canadian art. The Gallery also maintains Canada's premier collection of European Art from the 14th to the 21st century, as well as important works of American, Asian and Indigenous Art and renowned international collections of prints, drawings and photographs. Created in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada has played a key role in Canadian culture for well over a century. Among its principal missions is to increase access to excellent works of art for all Canadians. To do so, it maintains an extensive touring art exhibition programme. For more information: gallery.ca.

SOURCE: National Gallery of Canada