Avenue Calgary Blogs | Avenue Magazine

Republic of Doyle Stars Visit the University of Calgary

Posted 2 weeks 1 day ago | By Avenue Staff | Culture Snacks

"While you're at school, fail every day. That's your job," professional Canadian actor Allan Hawco told a room full of eager drama students at the University of Calgary. "You're here to be a better actor. Not to be the star of the class." Hawco, along with co-actor Mark O'Brien, is...

Limelight Installed in Calgary This Weekend

Posted 3 weeks 1 day ago | By Avenue Staff | Culture Snacks

British artist Tristan Surtees and French architect Charles Blanc are the brains behind Sans Facon, the public art collective responsible for the spotlights currently dramatizing the Olympic Plaza ice rink. Titled Limelight: Saturday Night, this public art installation has...

CNN Deems Calgary a Top Place to Visit in 2012

Posted 3 weeks 3 days ago | By Avenue Staff | Culture Snacks

Calgary has just made CNN's list of the top seven places to visit in 2012, sandwiched between the exotic and history-laden locations of Pearl Harbor and Myanmar. Referring to Calgary as "Canada's cowboy epicenter," the list sings the praises of Calgary's top-notch, 100-year-old Stampede — a flattering though somewhat limited view of this blossoming city. But for those disappointed in Calgary's reputation...

Saddle Up for High Performance Rodeo 2012

Posted 4 weeks 1 day ago | By Avenue Staff | Culture Snacks

“Where else in the city can you see Mexican wrestlers, the best burlesque dancers from L.A. and Las Vegas and the best stand-up comedians from Calgary on one stage?” Todd Hawkwood has a point. The spokesperson for the 26th annual High Performance Rodeo Festival has a lot of ground to cover when trying to explain the festival to newcomers. You have to see it to believe it. A mix of what Hawkwood calls “highbrow art and wild and raunchy fun,” the month-long international arts festival brings together...

For Full-Bodied Hair, Dust It

Posted 6 weeks 4 days ago | By Avenue Staff | The Beauty Blog

Fine hair is something of a misnomer because nothing about having fine hair is all that fine. I should know. I’m “blessed” with poker-straight strands that collect into a ponytail the diameter of my little finger and tend to get greasy a mere hour after washing. I’m one of those people who uses a straightener to add waves. And volume? Well, that’s always been something that I turn up on my stereo. At least, it was before I discovered Schwartzkopf’s OSiS+ Dust It texture mattifying powder. It’s basically a super-fine, invisible clay dust...

Topshop To Open Temporarily In Calgary

Posted 24 weeks 2 days ago | By Avenue Staff | The Avenue Fashion and Style Blog

Text by Indiana Best; Photos courtesy of Topshop When U.K.-based fashion brand Topshop opened its first American store in New York in April of 2009, fashion followers were taken to a whole new level of love. On Sept. 17, The Bay Calgary will be opening a temporary Topshop store at its 200 8th Avenue S.W. location, while flagship stores across Canada continue to be announced. Other international...

Moving From Suburbanism Towards New Urbanism

Posted 41 weeks 4 days ago | By Avenue Staff | The Big Idea

Gian-Carlo Carra, Alderman for Ward 9, was elected to Calgary’s City Council in 2010. Alderman Carra grew up in New York City, spent his summers in Inglewood, and moved to Calgary permanently in 1990, where he received a BA in History and a Masters of Environmental Design from the University of Calgary. Here, Alderman Carra talks about the failure of our inherited suburban development model and how we can change it to make the city a more walkable, sustainable, and livable place. Emerging out of the Second World War with a ramped-up industrial base, a...

Moving From Suburbanism Towards New Urbanism

Posted 41 weeks 4 days ago | By Avenue Staff | The Big Idea

Top 40 Under 40 Alum Ayaz Gulamhussein on Calgary's Maturing Music Scene

Posted 46 weeks 2 days ago | By Avenue Staff | The Big Idea

Ayaz Gulamhussein was selected as one of 2010’s Top 40 Under 40. He is still working as a petroleum geologist at NuVista Energy and sitting on the board of the Kids Up Front Foundation, but he has since moved on from his position on the board of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. His life has changed a lot since his university days as a hip hop radio host, and here he explores how Calgary’s musical tastes have matured since then. Calgary’s Dynamic...

Top 40 Under 40 Alum Tyler Shandro on The Importance of Being Irreverent

Posted 47 weeks 13 hours ago | By Avenue Staff | The Big Idea

Tyler Shandro, a 2010 member of our Top 40 Under 40, is a lawyer who lives in Calgary. He is far too deferential to tell you anything else about himself, but you can check out what we wrote about him. Tyler responded to our question about Calgary’s image the way only a lawyer could — making a case for challenging the status quo. The Importance of Being Irreverent We've all heard that Canadians are a deferential, polite and respectful bunch....