Friday, March 11, 2011

Elisabeth Belliveau - Entre Chien et Loup




























Some shots from Elisabeth Belliveau's exhibition Entre Chien et Loup. There is a lovely little animation in the window too. If you walk by in the evening you may catch it on it's random loop. Look for a small figure with an armful of flowers. As well as the drawings, Elisabeth is selling one of her beautiful hand-printed artist books, as well as single prints from the series.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

SPRING WORKSHOPS !!

MEND / RÉPARER

Instructor: Candice Tarnowski

Dates: Tues. & Thurs. March 22 & 24, 2011

Time: 7 - 9pm (4 hours)

Location: Monastiraki 5478 Blvd. St-Laurent

Fee: $45 (some materials included)

Ages: All ages, everyone welcome


A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE

- British Proverb

NO MATERIAL MUST LIE IDLE

- Make Do and Mend, 1943


It is a practical thing to renovate clothes and household linens and to practice proper storage, cleaning and pressing methods to extend their lives. This course will present techniques intended to help participants get the last possible ounce of wear out of their clothes and household things. Darning, patching, storage and laundering techniques will be covered through discussion, demonstrations and examining finished examples. As Hugh Dalton said, “No doubt there are as many ways of patching or darning as there are of cooking potatoes”. With this in mind we will experiment, innovate and interact with one-another toward taking great delight in the process of mending.


Please bring at least 2 (textile) mending projects to work on, a pair of sharp sewing and/or embroidery scissors, straight pins, a few needles and a pin-cushion. Some materials will be provided. If you have specific complimentary or contrasting fabrics, threads, yarns, flosses, etc. you would like to use to mend your items, please bring them as well. Basic hand-sewing skills are an asset.


. . .


About the Instructor:

Candice Tarnowski is an artist who works with drawing, sculpture, photo and textile processes to produce objects and installations. Her work concerns itself with repetitive gestures located in handwork and domesticity and the experience of being as a process of layering and folding. Her work has been shown and produced in residencies throughout North America and Europe. She holds a BFA in Fibres and MFA in Sculpture and has taught at Concordia University, Penland School of Crafts and the Alberta College of Art & Design. Candice lives in Montréal and is a member of the PALS artist collective.

www.candicetarnowski.com

www.theseaoftea.blogspot.com





THE GIRLS PROJECT

Instructor: Emilie O’Brien

Dates: Tuesdays, April 18 – May 28, 2011

Time: 7 - 9pm

Location: Monastiraki 5478 Blvd. St-Laurent

Fee: $265 (all materials included)

Ages: 15 – 18 years


Led by artist Emilie O’Brien, co-owner and resident of Monastiraki, this workshop is for young women who are passionate about making art and learning to express themselves. The main goal of this project is to facilitate a creative, open learning space where girls can come to talk, listen and learn together towards fun and confident expression.

Several prominent women artists from Montreal will participate as guest animators throughout the workshop, providing examples of the wide variety of ‘making art’ that is possible. Through this exciting opportunity to meet and learn from these artists, and by talking about and experimenting with different techniques, we will learn how to work from our guts, our hearts, our hands and our heads. Meeting once a week for six weeks, the project will be followed by a small exhibit of the artwork on the walls of Monastiraki.


. . .


About the Instructor:

A collector of textiles and words, Emilie O’Brien’s art practice includes painting, sculpture, video and embroidery. Through these fabric scraps and slow processes of making, she investigates the physicality we live in as more than mere substance. How we exist against a city, the processes we use to find time and space, our need for each other, how words can carry and hold – these are the ideas that guide her. Emilie has created and given many workshops for teen girls, as well as for children and adults.

With Billy Mavreas, she runs Monastiraki, an art & curiosity shop in Mile-End.





Creative Collaborative Workshop with Billy Mavreas

Instructor: Billy Mavreas

Dates: Wednesdays of the month, beginning April 2011

Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Location: Monastiraki 5478 Blvd. St-Laurent

Fee: $120/ month (all materials included)

Ages: Adults


During this 4-week course, work with Billy Mavreas in a collaborative round table process of art creation. Mavreas will guide a small group of adults through a journey that will investigate the accidental, challenge personal and creative boundaries and explore concepts that art is only for artists. Sessions will involve drawing, looking and re-looking using the most basic of materials. Collage, mixed media and experiments with text & sequence will also be employed. With Mavreas as a creative, engaging and accessible guide, find yourself opening up to the possibilities of your own inner creative talents. Non-artists and those who have given up on making stuff (but always secretly loved doing so) are especially encouraged to sign up.

. . .


About the Instructor:

Billy Mavreas is a Canadian artist living in Montreal, Quebec, whose work revolves around the themes of language and spirituality. He is a co-founder of Expozine, one of Canada's largest and most well respected Small Press & Zine Fairs, as well as a resident-at-large of Monastiraki, a shop and gallery of wonders in Mile End, where the workshops will take place. Mavreas' passionate, childlike sense of wonder and play has positioned him as a community conduit within many arenas for years now. His creative enthusiasm and relaxed, open nature make him the perfect person to help unlock the artistic potential in others.


Pre-registration required for all workshops!
Register by dropping by, calling Monastiraki at 514-278-4879, or by emailing us at yesmonastiraki@gmail.com




Friday, February 18, 2011

Elisabeth Belliveau - Entre Chien et Loup


























Elisabeth Belliveau will be bringing her beautiful art makings
to our space for the month of March. A prolific drawer, writer, book-maker
animator, embroiderer, Elizabeth is an artist whose works we have
followed and loved for many years.

Join us for the vernissage on March 4th, 7 - 10pm
Show runs March 4th - 31st, 2011

http://www.elisabethbelliveau.com/

Nuit Blanche @ Monastiraki : Discipline X


















This year Brian Damage will bring his four hour ambient musical experience, Discipline X, to our hallowed halls !


Discipline X is the solo project of Brian Damage, ex-Phycus, ex-Unireverse. The projet was started in 2000 as Phycus was ending. One CDr was released at that time.

Discipline X was revived in 2009. A new download, “Futuric”, was released, based on the live set of the fall of 2009.

An excerpt from Brian's statement about this project :

"When Sun Ra met John Cage, the one thing they agreed upon was that the most important musician trait was discipline. No matter what style of music a musician performs, successful musicians must be devoted to their craft. Sun Ra planned a series of 100 “Discipline” recordings, and eventually recorded far more than 100 of them.

John Cage often composed based on a set or rules, or disciplines. I am also using a set of disciplines to create this music. For the first CD, for example, the rules included that each track must be comprised of several loops running out of phase with each other, there must be minimal human intervention in the creation of the loops, and that each track needed to be exactly 10 minutes long."

Come, look and listen !

http://www.myspace.com/thisisdisciplinex

************

We will also provide a table laden with collage materials for folks to make some art while the tunes are going down !


nuit blanche

February 26, 2011
10pm - 2 am

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

!!COCOBEURRE Lancement d'album!!


Monastiraki is pleased to host a free music show to launch the limited edition Cocobeurre album!!

***Performance at 9pm.***

Come early enough to peruse our extraordinary collection of wondrous things AND for the limited-edition Cocobeurre cd (10$) that comes with a set five of silkscreened postcards and a chance at winning a rare out-of-print Cocobeurre 7" split single on Goodbye Boozy Records!

"Cocobeurre is electric pianist Coco Khan from the Del-Gators and Milky Ways with accompaniment by Johnboyadonis from The Shrines, Viola McGowan, Choyce of Red Mass, and Oily Chi, King Khan and Dan Pedro of the Spaceshits. Marked by Coco’s unparalleled layering of vintage keyboards blasting boogie woogie beats into abstract aquatic galaxies and a psychotropic lyricism delivered in melancholic reverie, the resulting effect is a groundbreaking minimalist electro-pop."


fb event
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=151264518261817


http://elzorro.viinyl.com/

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Distroboto 10th Anniversary Art Show





DISTROBOTO 10th Anniversary Art Show

Vernissage Vendredi 4 Fev 19 hr - 22hr
4 Fev - 27 Fev, 2011











It's an honour for us to host this wonderful event, celebrating what is now a Montreal cultural institution - the Distroboto. For those of you who don't know what a Distroboto is, you're missing out on a fantastic and fun way of getting affordable art by some great Montreal artists. With selections for $2 a pop, these are cigarette machines that have been turned into small galleries, with choices ranging from new music to little screen-printed, editioned books.

A collection of artworks from several long-participating artists will fill this exhibition, which runs until Feb 27th.

Friday, January 28, 2011

nature loves courage



This beautiful little bench has found a home....
or a little cabin way way up North to be more specific,
and apparently it takes a few hours in a skidoo to get there!

I love when something special finds an equally special home.

Friday, January 14, 2011

KIDS MAKE ART!


What: Kids crafts and snacks !
When: Sunday January 23rd
12:00 - 3:00 pm

Bring the family and join us for some fun.

We'll put up some of the art we make for
a week-long exhibition, until January 31st.

$5 donation for art and snack supplies

See you there!

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Monday, November 29, 2010

New Content @ Smart Design Mart




MONASTIRAKI AT SMART DESIGN MART 2010








WE WILL BE HERE !


smart design mart holiday 2010
a curated showcase of unique offerings from young talented designers & vintage mart too!
160 rue st-viateur est, 2nd floor
friday december 3, 6-9pm
saturday december 4, 11-6pm
sunday december 5, 11-6pm

PROCHAIN EVENEMENT
une vitrine unique réunissant une variété de jeunes designers talentueux.
160 rue st-viateur est, 2e étage
vendredi, 3 décembre 18h-21h
samedi, 4 décembre 11h-18h
dimanche, 5 décembre 11h-18h

http://smartdesignmart.blogspot.com/

Monday, November 01, 2010

RISE OF THE OCTOMOOSE !!


We are very pleased to present this wonderful exhibit, a true family affair !

Jen MacIntyre, Jesse Bochner and the inimitable Jasper unleash a variety of creatures in print, painting, drawing and diorama form !

The opening party will take place Friday, November 5, 2010 from 6pm to 9pm with the show running all of November.

Sure to please !

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

"La Petite Mort invades Le Petit Monastere" Gallery Swap/ One Month Exhibit













we are so pleased to host our new friends from ottawa !

"La Petite Mort invades Le Petit Monastere"
Gallery Swap/ One Month Exhibit

October 2 - 31, 2010
Vernissage Saturday October 2 / 6-10 PM
Tunes by 'Some-Sort-of-Stereo-Equipement"
Proudly sponsored by CKCU 93.1 FM Ottawa

Artists included:
- Dave Cooper
- Hayden Menzies
-Martin Ouellette
- Vince Beauchemin
- Peter Shmelzer
- Naiko Tcherno-Ivanenko
- Pat Thompson
- Scooter Laforge
- Matthew Dayler
- Zachari Logan
- Graham Robinson
- Theo Pelmus
- Jeremiah Degranpre
- Melanie Garcia
- Juan Carlos Noria
- Dietrich Roesteck
- Paul Sharp
- Herman Ruhland
- Matthew Stradling
- Adam Ansell

THE NAME: "The little death," that gorgeous moment that juxtaposes suspense, tension and relief just after the release of a really good orgasm.

" Guy Bérubé's vision for La Petite Mort is truly - and perhaps surprisingly, given the gallery's name - a vision of social ethics. He sees the artist's struggle with self-awareness through visual art reflected back to the viewer not as passive recipient but as active participant in the creative endeavour. A signature feature of LPM is the feeling of discomfort many of the artworks evoke, which, as is the goal of subversive art, reflects the viewer's personal projections back upon herself. This discomfort is a necessary part of Bérubé's aesthetic and ethical sensibility. It recognizes the role of art in alienation and in critical transformation, for cultural progress is usually provoked by the ideas invoked at the boundaries of our communities. LPM artists represent subjects at the margins of contemporary Canadian urban society - the sublime as well as the homeless and the schizophrenic - no different than most mainstream art since the post-Renaissance period. Not here to shock nor to entertain, however, M. Bérubé as LPM gallery owner and director is here to provide an inclusive forum for today's Canadian artists, including those typically sidelined by mainstream society and those simply unable to function normally within it. LPM gives the Canadian visual arts community an edge that not only gives art a vehicle for its traditional cultural role, but is acknowledged for giving Canadian Art that edge that contributes to its recognition on the world stage". - PENTHOUSE Magazine, 2009

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Emilie O'Brien : New Abstractions













Please join us in the unveiling of new paintings and collage studies by Monastiraki co-conspirator Emilie O'Brien !
Vernissage Thursday, Sept. 9, from 7pm to 10pm
Exhibit runs until Sept. 26, 2010.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

CONUNDRUM PRESS DOUBLE GRAPHIC NOVEL LAUNCH !














Dave Lapp: Children of the Atom
Philippe Girard: Ruts & Gullies

Sat. Aug 28, 5-7 pm.
Signing and live interview hosted by Immediate Productions

http://www.conundrumpress.com/

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Good Vibes Fundraiser!

















Come join us at our Good Vibes Fundraiser, 4:00 - 8:00 today, Sunday, in the shop.
We are raising both our spirits and some cash to help us recover from a robbery earlier this month!
Music, Art, Drinks + Treats, Kid's Craft Table....
We hope to see you!

Thursday, August 05, 2010

Visceral Masterworks from Montreal's Underground Scene


















We are proud to be exhibiting a selection of artists we carry at Ottawa's La Petite Mort Gallery, for the month of August. The show looks excellent, and we invite anyone who will be in Ottawa to drop by the Gallery and have a visit; it's located at 306 Cumberland Street. We will be there Friday August 6th, for the vernissage.

The show is by way of a Gallery-trade, so that La Petite Mort will be invading Monastiraki in-kind, for the month of October. We had a sneak peek at some of the works coming our way, and can report the show will be equal parts freakish, sexy, superbly crafted, and fantastic. We are definitely looking forward to it!

La Petite Mort's website:
http://www.lapetitemortgallery.com/

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Summer Workshops !

We are proud to present a roster of summer workshops available !
Please peruse and choose the path for you !

***

Collage Jam
All ages drop-in
3rd Wed of every month, 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Harvesting the image from the recycling bin and collected ephemera, we'll recombine signifiers, colours and textures into new landscapes of design. This evening is great for anyone wanting to stretch their creative muscles and play. All materials are provided, all you need to bring is a sense of fun and a desire to make. Both Emilie and Billy will be present.
$10 drop in

***

Mixed Media & Craft for Girls
7 – 11 yrs
Thursdays 1:30 – 3:00 pm
This weekly course with Emilie is a fun, mixed-media art class that will introduce girls to the work of some unique contemporary female artists, while engaging in assemblage, sculpture and picture-making projects. Students will learn skills such as sewing, embroidery, composition, and collage, with finished projects to bring home.
Participants must pre-register for 2-week blocks, with a new project beginning every 2nd week.
$40

***

Zine workshop for Girls
7 – 11 yrs (young teens welcome)
Wednesdays 10:30 – 12:00
With many examples at hand, Emilie and the group will explore the satisfying art of do-it-yourself story-telling and book-making. Class projects will include learning unique ways to make pictures, words, and narrative. Girls will be encouraged to bring ideas and work in the way they like best. During the four weeks, the group will make books together and individually, all of which will be for taking home and sharing.
Participants must pre-register for 4-week blocks.
$80

***

Embroidery
Teens & Adults
2nd & 4th Wed of the month, 1:30 – 3:00 pm
Learn the basic stitches of embroidery in this informal class with Emilie. Create something fun and unexpected with the aid of instruction and provided materials. This class encourages the use of embroidery for both traditional and unconventional means…make a special gift or something just for yourself.
$20

***

Creative Collaborative Roundtable
Adults & Teens drop-in
Thursdays 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Work with Billy Mavreas in a collaborative round table process of art creation in this one evening course. Mavreas will guide a small group of adults through a journey that will investigate the accidental, and explore and challenge concepts that art is only for artists. Each session will involve a few hours drawing, looking and re-looking using the most basic of materials. With Mavreas as a creative, engaging and accessible guide and facilitator, find yourself opening up to the possibilities of your own inner creative talents. Non-artists and those who have given up on making stuff (but always secretly loved doing so) especially encouraged to sign up.
$10 drop in

***

Guided Drawing for Kids
7-11 yrs
Sundays 10:30 - noon
In this workshop, young drawers get to work with and learn from Billy M. Students will hone their skills, expand their boundaries and draw together in a collaborative round table format as art techniques and theories are discussed.
Fun, informative and a chance to work side by side with a lighthearted art professional.
$20

***

Parent & Child Creative Play Session
age 5+ and adults of all ages
By appointment
During this 1 ½ hour session, artist and teacher Billy
Mavreas will guide one child and one parent or
guardian through a creative journey of shared
drawing that will investigate happy accidents and
encourage art making for everyone, children and
adults alike.
Each session will involve drawing, collage, playing with colours and basic mark-making. Connect with your child by learning an intuitive and non-judgemental process of art making together. Children are naturals and parents can relearn how to play! Everyone can play! Materials provided.
$60

**********************************

Pricing and Misc. info:
Cost per person per session $20
Drop-in classes $10
Private Parent & Child $60
*Classes hold Max. 5 people per session.
Workshops are 1½ hours unless noted Participants must pre-register one week ahead
Supplies provided unless otherwise noted

Private sessions also available
Courses can be tailored to individual needs
$50 for an hour and a half long session
$120 for 3 sessions

***

A little about us :

Instructor Billy Mavreas is king of collecting and making cool stuff from scraps. He loves drawing, making books and is most known for his abstract and silent comics. He is co-founder of Expozine, Montreal’s zine and small press fair, and is the Proprietor and resident-at-large of Monastiraki.


Instructor Emilie O’Brien is an artist who uses textiles, scraps and words as a large part of her practice. She is also an art restorer, and a partner-in-crime at Monastiraki. She has taught art to children and adults in several venues, and as a big sister, has had lots of experience with hanging out and making things.

Friday, June 25, 2010

New and gently-used items we love in the store


Doodlepuffies + Portobellos by Devon Gifford * Postcards + little rainclouds by Monastiraki * Dolls, oh dolls * Patches by Dandy and Dadapomo * Hooked rug wall hanging .... and so much more...






Thursday, June 24, 2010

"Mile End gallery space defies easy categorization"

Way back in April during the now legendary media blitz surrounding our little shop of wonders, Ian Sandler of the McGill Daily dropped by for a visit. Here is the article that ensued :

http://www.mcgilldaily.com/articles/3041

Recent events!





Kaie Kellough at his fantastic book launch , with guest appearance by horn player Jason "Blackbird" Selman, and a collaborative performance with jazz singer girlfriend Kim Zombik (left, bottom image).

Thanks everyone!

We love this writeup! Thanks Frommers

Frommer's Montreal Day by Day

By Andre Legaspi

"Play the role of Alice as you enter a rabbit hole that's half antique store/half art gallery.
Check out the bizarre art (most by Canadian artists) on the walls, and the peculiar bric-a-brac strewn about the floor of this avant-garde wonderland."

...we couldn't have said it better ourselves.
Frommers Best Shopping Montreal

Thursday, June 17, 2010


Monastiraki is proud to be in partnership with esse arts & opinions magazine!


Visit their website to fill out the Reader Survey - you can have a chance at winning the really great (if we do say so ourselves!) mail-art artists book we created as a part of this partnership.
www.esse.ca



Friday, May 21, 2010




Join us for Kaie Kellough's release of his 2nd book of poems, Maple Leaf Rag, recently publishd by Arbeiter Ring Press (Winnipeg). Quoting from his website "Maple Leaf Rag is a dynamic, jazz-infused riff on Canadian culture...a dictated dub replete with references to African Canadian and African American culture (current and dated), Canadian history and politics..."


The evening begins at 7pm sharp, with wine & sonic ambiance provided by dj Andy Williams.

This event is gratis gratuit free, & the beautiful book is 14.95.

Kaie's website: http://www.kaie.ca/kaie-books.html
Arbeiter Ring Press: http://arbeiterring.com/books/detail/maple-leaf-rag

Monday, May 03, 2010

OCTOBER 1996 - 2010



It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of October the cat. Otherwise known as Dr. Octopus, DocOc, Toby, Toblerony, the Tobinator and Tobes, he was a beautiful soul who brightened our store and home. October loved early morning conversation, plastic bags and chicken almost as much as people, hanging out during store hours, openings and concerts, always with a keen nose for a sandwich tucked in someone’s bag. Long time resident of Andy Brown’s Conundrum Towers before moving to Monastiraki, we feel so grateful to have spent the last year and a half of October’s life with him. He was a friend of many, and we miss him very much.