Take things slow with stressful parental reunion

Churchill draws scientists from around the world researching impacts of climate change

CHURCHILL — There is something special about this town.

People who have been here know, though it is challenging to describe. Those who haven’t are told tales of a nearly mystical small community, the unique geography and the magnificent wildlife.

Exactly what makes it such a special place is hard to define, but whatever that intrinsic character is, it acts as a magnetic force for humans and animals alike.

Every summer — as if on cue — the sleek white backs of more than 50,000 beluga whales begin peeking out of the waters of southwestern Hudson Bay as they return to the estuaries of northern Manitoba. Their fidelity to this summer habitat is centuries old, passed on from one generation to the next. This loyalty to the region ensures for as long as this site is safe, these alien-like, curious whales will continue to return.

Today’s horoscope

MOON ALERT: Caution! Avoid shopping (except food and gas) and important decisions until after 3:30 p.m. today. After that, the moon moves from Gemini into Cancer.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

This is a creative day for you. Because you’re the artisan of the zodiac, tap into your talents and make some art or explore one of your many hobbies. However, avoid intense discussions with partners, spouses and friends. Keep things light.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Who has been invited to the table?

Last Friday, I spoke at Booth University College’s inaugural Honour and Hope Harvest Dinner in support of Shelter U. I had been asked to speak about the power of art in the community, a subject I have spent much of my professional life thinking about — as a museum director, writer and teacher, and now through my consulting work with Civic Muse.

What continues to interest me is not simply what museums, universities and other public institutions do, but whether their work actually matters — whether they make a difference in the lives of the people and communities around them.

Preparing for the evening brought me back to an even more fundamental question: Who has been invited in?

One of my museum mentors used to remind me that institutions often begin the conversation about public engagement too late. Before engagement comes the welcome, and before the welcome comes the invitation. We can create extraordinary buildings, exhibitions and programs and say that everyone is welcome. But unless people believe that these places are also meant for them, many will never cross the threshold.

Prairie sculptor Joe Fafard pays tribute to revered Dutch master

Vincent van Gogh has been inspiring artists for close to 150 years. For sculptor Joe Fafard, the Dutch master’s life and art have been objects of fascination for many of his 75 years.

So much so that Fafard’s latest Winnipeg exhibition, The Essential Joe Fafard — Van Gogh and Other Inspirations, which opened Friday at Mayberry Fine Art, includes several sculptures of van Gogh, who began painting in 1881 but lived a short, turbulent life, fraught with mental illness, before committing suicide in 1890 at the age of 37.

“Starting about 1983, I started doing portraits of van Gogh,” Fafard says in a phone conversation from his home near Regina.

“Essentially, people used his life, his career and his anguish as sort of a stereotype of an artist’s blueprint for artistic endeavour. I became quite fascinated to see that he was the Christ and other artists were the apostles.”

Calm, balanced approach to game, life is what matters to unassuming Stastny

When the day comes for Paul Stastny to hang up his skates for good, ending what’s already been a sparkling pro career, he hopes to leave a lasting mark on the game he loves.

He didn’t use the word legacy, nor would he. If you’ve had the chance to speak with Stastny before, you quickly realize his discomfort in talking about personal accolades, despite possessing many. He’s been selected as an NHL all-star, and represented the United States on multiple occasions, including at two Olympics.

In 961 NHL games, Stastny has 253 goals and 482 assists for 735 points. He’s played another 97 playoff games, having reached the Western Conference final on three separate occasions over his career, adding another 25 goals and 42 assists to his point totals. He’s still chasing his first Stanley Cup.

But at 35 years old, and in the middle of his 15th NHL season, which includes a second go-around with the Winnipeg Jets, it’s not what shows up on the scoresheet that matters most to the veteran centre. Stastny is acutely aware that professional sports can be unforgiving; a good season one year doesn’t necessarily guarantee one the next. But what doesn’t have to change, he says, is how he approaches the game, and the way he treats the people around him.

Neighbours concerned shed used as home on city land

An unassuming tiny home suddenly appeared one day in August, tucked between a park and community garden in St. James.