MUSE IS CLOSED

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ARTS PROGRAMMING YOU CAN FIND SOME REALLY GREAT STUFF THROUGH THE CONFEDERATION CENTRE OF THE ARTS.

KEEP CREATING!!!!

IT'S BEEN GREAT ... BUT TIME TO CLOSE

As of today - MUSEartspace is now closed. Thanks to everyone who's been part of a great year. Keep an eye out at www.reneelaprise.com for what I'm up to next!

PS - no summer camps this year but if you are interested in private lessons for kids or adults or small groups of each please feel free to contact me at renee@reneelaprise.com

thanks again!
Renee

Moving Forward

Hi everyone,

Over the last month I've been wrestling with the idea of continuing to keep MUSEartspace open but with the latest news that MUSE did not receive the Scotia prize this decision was made easier. So I'm sorry to say that MUSE will be closing at the end of July. That said there are still awesome summer camps happening in July so pass on the word!

I want to tell you that this last year has been AWESOME. I've loved every second and it's made me grow exponentially as a person. I've been able to try so many things and meet so many amazing people. The support that you gave during the Scotia prize voting was fantastic!






I know many of you will be disappointed but this isn't the end. There are big things happening in Charlottetown and I will continue to be an active part of the community. I hope to see you all out around town :) And you can always contact me at renee@reneelaprise.com if you are interested in collaborating on something or if you have questions or needs you think I can address.

Please keep tabs on my artist page at facebook.com/reneelapriseartist - you could even LIKE it! Then I can alert you as to any events I may be having like life drawing or classes.

PLEASE NOTE!!!!!!
That means that 211 Euston St. will be available from Aug1. It's 1400 square feet - with a beautiful gallery space, a great bathroom, a full kitchen and ton of other goodies. I am willing to leave some of the furniture and other stuff here if a group of you decide to get together to make this a shared studio space. It's a beautiful place to work. I had originally thought to turn MUSE into this kind of space but I decided that I didn't want to spend time managing. The rent is a bit high but split among 8 or 9 people you could cover it and have a storefront to boot. I hope someone decides to go with this idea. I'll be giving notice June 1 so please get back to me ASAP and I'll set up a meeting with the landlord -- he's a great guy and wants the space to continue to be a place for the arts!

Take care everyone. Here's to the next chapter!

Renee

MUSE TO BECOME A SHARED ARTIST SPACE - THOUGHTS?

From the beginning I've said that MUSE will evolve into what it needs to be. Well that time has come!!

I've spent the past year trying things and assessing the best direction for the space. It's become apparent that this type of space is needed in Charlottetown - not only physically but emotionally and spiritually too. I've found the best types of programming and events have been the ones that I've done for myself. Yoga, the dress up parties, the music, the gallery openings. These have all been my selfish little dreams come true.

So as attendance to workshops (the bulk of the income) started to dwindle I had to ask myself 'what do I truly want to happen here'.

When I first opened it was supposed to be a place where artists would hang out and make art. And that's what I've loved about it for myself. It's a creative place to make art, store my supplies, show work, meet the public and sell pieces. That's what I want to continue here. I want it to be a shared studio/gallery.

IDEA: Rent out space to 7 artists - me being the 8th and we would use the space as an open studio where the public can come in at certain times to watch us work and potentially buy our stuff. It would kind of work like the Harbourfront Centre in Charlottetown except less zoo-like.

HOW IT WOULD WORK:
For a low monthly fee of $150 you would get:
Space to work and store your stuff
Comfy lounge
Store to sell stuff in
Gallery to show
Kitchen with stove, micro, fridge
Good bathroom
24 hour access
me managing and promoting the space and therefore your work

There could be an option to book the space to run your own workshops but I haven't figured that one out yet.

To keep the rent low I'm going to ask for a commission from the shop and potential workshops. What I'm looking for is to cover the costs of rent and maintaining the space as well as marketing it.

This is a proposal to all of you artists who are looking to make, show and sell work in a creative and social setting. I need feedback. Are there 7 of you willing to take me up on this?

NOTE: MUSE can't physically support certain types of work - ie kiln, welding, smelly solvents.

If you know of anyone who may be interested send them my way. I'm looking to start this up in the next few months.


CHEERS!
RENEE

Classes for Tweens/Teens with Autism

Help MUSE pay the bills by VOTING!

Hey guys -- MUSE needs your help. Scotiabank is doing an awesome thing and offering a $10 000 prize to a deserving biz. $10 000 would cover almost a year of rent allowing for the all ages shows, specialty programming and general artsy goodness that MUSE has been providing for almost a year now. Please vote and please pass this on! Also if you comment at the link it may get the eyes of the final jury.

vote here

Monica Lacey opens at MUSEartspace

Rockstar Day Cancelled

Hi Everyone -- due to lack of registration, our super cool Rockstar Day Camp is NOT going to run on Mon Feb 21. This sucks cause it was going to be FUN. But whatevs! Stay tuned for
JO MYERS to come rock us kids with some awesome songs someday soon!

rock on!
:) Renee

MUSE closed Sat Feb 12

YUCK - still feeling pretty terrible. MUSE will be closed today. I'll be open to the public tomorrow after lunch if anyone wants to do an artist meet up.

Feb 13 cancellations

So I've had to cancel Sunday Feb 13th's events - both the Creative Healing and the Words of Love.
Sorry bout that. The pre-registrations just weren't there. They will be rescheduled -- keep an eye out on the calendar at the top of this blog!

Private Portrait sample

Here's a sample of the kind of portrait that you can walk away with after a private portrait sitting.
It really is a fantastic experience especially for women.

$75 for a 90 min sitting

email me if you'd like to book -- I have Sunday Feb 6th available if anyone wants a portrait done before Valentine's Day!

the practice of letting go

Life's been a bit challenging for me the past couple of months but I feel so compelled to give right now. However, giving unconditionally seems so hard to me sometimes. Last night I prayed for help in understanding unconditional love.

I woke up hoping to know what to do. It wasn't there. And as I walked to work I was trying so hard to love through the noise of my brain. I was trying so hard to push away the sadness/hurting/chattering/anger and to drag in the love from the universe that I noticed my face was completely tensed up. When I realized this I relaxed my face and BAM - there it was.

You can't think of loving and you definitely can't think of being loved. Love doesn't filter through the brain only the soul. Once I stopped thinking, I could sense it. And then I knew. It's funny to think of practicing letting go. But it is really a skill you must cultivate. Letting go of hurts/judgement/anger leaves the space for love to enter. Letting go of your perception of love leaves the space for all kinds of love to enter. And then the cycle of love can happen as easily and effortlessly as breathing.

I just have to get used to that feeling of space inside of me -- it's uncomfortable for my brain but it's just going to have to get used to it!

image from http://www.wondercafe.ca/

More raving about Private Portraits!

Thanks so much to my friend Dom for this testimonial!

"Like a lot of women, I have long had a love-hate relationship with my body. In recent years, I've become more accepting of who I am as a person and body acceptance, fortunately, has come along proportionately. But (there is always a but) looking at myself in a mirror - seeing my body in a loving and caring way for all it provides me - remained a challenge. Posing nude was, for me, the ultimate act of defiance: defying society's beauty standards, defying the bullies who taunted me as a child and teenager, defying family members who said I could never be happy because of my body. I wanted visual proof of how far I'd come and Renee captured this feeling beautifully and, provided a safe, nurturing environment in which this could happen. Merci Renee!"
- Dominique Chouinard

Ad Adjustments

Some adjustments to the ad that came out in the February Buzz.

Okay - the BUZZ ad is awesome but there are errors - my bad! Yoga is $15 drop in but $97 for the 10 weeks. Kids Build a Robot is on March 5 to accommodate Jack Frost. And Creative Healing is only $30 not $35. Hope that's it! You can always contact me to get the best info.

Private Portraits testimonial - "It was an empowering and loving experience for me."

'Private Portraits' is an opportunity for a person to sit as a model for an artist. Posing is at the model's discretion and on his/her terms. Sketching happens for 90 mins and the sitter retains all the drawings from the session. The session is very private and discreet. It's an amazing experience for both sitter and artist. Read the following testimonial to see the process from the sitter's perspective!

"I had my first private portrait session with fantastic woman last week and this is what she had to say about the experience.

A passionate lover of art,, I have often marveled at how an artist can sit with a model and capture that particular moment in time: the emotion of it, the depth of it. Recently I noticed Renee Laprise of MUSEartspace, was offering to do a nude sketch of folks for an out of the ordinary gift idea and with a great deal of courage, I signed up. Now, for you folks that know me, you might be thinking "Oh Cat! You're always up for an adventure! You love trying new things." And you'd be right in assuming that, but I do have a vulnerable side too and I will be 49 this year and I haven't been a size 3 in quite some time. So it did take courage and trust. I trusted Renee to provide an atmosphere of patience, discretion and honour and sensitivity and she did. It was an empowering and loving experience for me. I would highly recommend it to every woman and man who are on a journey's toward love and self acceptance. And bonus! I LOVE IT! Not a bad looking chick for a gal who's almost 50! *g*Catherine Ann "
Private Portraits bookings (all drawings retained by the sitter)
$75.00 per 90 minute sitting
$125 to have someone else (ie partner) draw alongside the artist (all materials provided)
call Renee for more info 388-2044 or email renee@museartspace.com

The goal of MUSEartspace is ...

The goal of MUSEartspace is ...
... to promote artistic expression and creative healing within the PEI community.

People have said it often ... MUSE feels like a healthy space. And that's exactly what
it was intended to evolve into. In the coming months I will be introducing more and more
programs that will use art to promote health (in mind, body and spirit). Currently I
have one Sunday a month dedicated to Creative Healing.

The first in the Creative Healing Series is: Expressing through Free Painting.
Class will consist of some creativity exercises, some visualizaton exercises,
and then we'll spend some time painting on large sheets of paper.
The last bit of class will be a discussion of the work. This is a day to spend painting what's in your soul. To call on the MUSE to allow you to free something that your soul's been trying to tell you. It's going to be fun and freeing. No worries about final product here. Only the process.

$30
pre-registration required

bring a friend and pay only $50

Private Portraits testimonial -- "It was an empowering and loving experience"

I had my first private portrait session with fantastic woman last week and this is what she had to say about the experience.

A passionate lover of art,, I have often marveled at how an artist can sit with a model and capture that particular moment in time: the emotion of it, the depth of it. Recently I noticed Renee Laprise of MUSEartspace, was offering to do a nude sketch of folks for an out of the ordinary gift idea and with a great deal of courage, I signed up. Now, for you folks that know me, you might be thinking "Oh Cat! You're always up for an adventure! You love trying new things." And you'd be right in assuming that, but I do have a vulnerable side too and I will be 49 this year and I haven't been a size 3 in quite some time. So it did take courage and trust. I trusted Renee to provide an atmosphere of patience, discretion and honour and sensitivity and she did. It was an empowering and loving experience for me. I would highly recommend it to every woman and man who are on a journey's toward love and self acceptance. And bonus! I LOVE IT! Not a bad looking chick for a gal who's almost 50! *g*Catherine Ann
NOTE FROM RENEE:

Imagine someone looking upon your body as a piece of art, taking care to record your form in a loving and honest way. When you are having your portrait drawn the relationship between you and the artist is very special. There's vulnerability and trust. And in the end the drawings will act as reminders of the day that you gave yourself permission to love your body if only for 90 mins.

I am offering such an opportunity at MUSEartspace over the coming weeks as a Valentine's day promotion. But I will continue to offer these sessions as I believe they can work to help people accept and even begin to love their bodies.

Anyone coming in for a session can be assured that their privacy will be maintained. MUSE is a safe environment and all the drawings I do will be going home with you. This is a very empowering exercise for anyone to try at least once in their lives. And if you have a partner you can have that person come into the session and try their hand at drawing you. It's not about the drawing, it's about your partner seeing your body in a whole different way.

Give me a shout if you'd like to know more.

FEE - $75 (90min session)
or $125 to have a partner in the session (all materials supplied)

Coming in FEB!