A Fetal Giant

In Canada, the Spring season kicks off with Montreal this week, followed by Lethbridge, and our own Calgary. Then attention turns to the big show in Toronto, followed by Edmonton and Vancouver.

Flashing lights, celebrity, glamour and money, a whole lot of money, is about to be thrown around. But wait! Because there’s something else brewing in the corner here in Calgary. An event that’s a little more cost effective, and a whole lot more ambitious.

It’s called Park Show, and though it’s only their third event, Promoting Artists, Re-defining Kulture (PARK for short), is starting to find a great foot hold in the city.

It may be through a phone line but talking with Kara Chomistek, the president of PARK, one can feel the excitement surging through every answer she gives.”I’m really excited to bring these designers this opportunity to really just expose a lot of people to their work.”

She’s giddy and laughs a lot through the interview and I am amazed as to how energetic she is. After all not only is she putting on Park Show, which in itself could be a full time job, but Chomistek will also be showcasing a few pieces of her own AND finishing her final year in Biomechanical Engineering.

“It’s tough,  I’m struggling. I was planning on having eight pieces and I bumped that down to four, cause I feel I need to focus on the quality of the show rather than my own stuff.” Chomistek explains to me, laughing intermittently.

On the need to direct Park, “I have friends at ACAD and we were just talking about how there’s not much opportunity for artists in Calgary. If you wanted to do a craft fair at the round up center, tables are five hundred dollars and some artists just can’t afford that.”

Frustrated, the friends set out to make their own niche market place. Using the template set fourth by Mark, the Cobra Snake, an eccentric contemporary LA photographer; the friends landed on the idea of a free outdoor market.

“Yard Sales,” as the Cobra Snake called them, “were just a big collaboration of people selling clothes and art. We were like why don’t we try to build from that, but make it a non profit idea.”So the team set up shop at the U of C. The Park Sale runs in the summer and is a free way for artisans to get their designs seen by people and make a little cash.

“The first Park Sale was actually funded privately, through our own pockets. Afterwards, we decided we loved it, but it shouldn’t be something that’s coming out of our own pockets.” Instead of throwing in the towel on the idea, the group got creative “We decided to host a fund raising event, and we thought, well why don’t we collaborate with the artisans that were taking part in the first park sale?” So in March of 2009 the first Park Show went up, followed by a larger second show last fall.

Just a year later, moving up from their rather small original space at the Art Life Gallery to this spring’s show at the Chinese Cultural Center, Chomistek says they’re going to keep striving for more.

“We’ve really tried to bring in some fresh people and some fresh faces. In terms of models and designers… Kind of showing that were starting to get bigger and it’s starting to grow. So that’s really exciting for us.”

It’s plain to see, the show has proven itself to be quite the crowd drawer, as last falls Silent Film Era themed show sold out. Packing in 400+ guests into the Arrata Opera Center.

“Our main goal is to start to become completely dependable. We’re still pulling money from our pockets to help fund the show… It’s definitely challenging to be a non- profit organization and be self sufficient.”

This season presents the Living Doll theme, Park Show’s offering a bit of a dip into absurdity. Perfect counter programming to some of the listless dolls pacing the walkways and galleys of fashion weeks.

And though necessity is causing PARK to look for bigger and better, this group are far from forgetting where they are coming from, “We definitely want to keep expanding… at the same time we want to focus on the non- profit. We really want to push that, cause I think it’s needed in Calgary.”

Though the question may soon be creeping up, the team is still all non profit, and still a little off the beaten path. With a show bursting at the seams however with an addition of new off the wall designers, and performers (not to mention the newly added Vendor Portion) it’s a wonder if maybe, just maybe, Park Show will soon be casting it’s own shadow over a certain week here in Calgary.

For more on Park Show please visit: http://www.ourparkonline.com/parkshow.html

Levi Meaden

Photos courtesy of Park Show