New York City may be the city that never sleeps, but Winnipeg is pulling its own all-nighter on Saturday, October 1, in a FREE celebration of arts and culture.

Our “Nuit Blanche” (“White Night” in French, which means a sleepless night) will be 12 hours (6 pm to 6 am) of arts and multi-media events taking place in the city’s museums, galleries, studios and streets – mostly in The Exchange District, St. Boniface and at Colony Street & Memorial Boulevard.

It’s all art, all night. And if you have to be awake in the wee hours, partying with Winnipeg’s finest artists, architects, dancers, musicians and filmmakers sounds like a fun, and even educational, way to spend a long night.

If you’re too tired to walk or drive, there’s even a Nuit Blanche shuttle bus, which will be transformed into a mobile gallery space called “Art on the Bus.” Now that’s creative.

Nuit Blanche is part of a bigger weekend event, Manitoba Culture Days, which runs from Friday, Sept. 30 until Sunday, Oct. 2, and offers 230 free events and opportunities – in Winnipeg and beyond – to immerse your self in the province’s art scene.

While you certainly can’t do it all, here are a few Nuit Blanche highlights in Winnipeg that should keep you going well past your bedtime.

Nuit Blanche at the Winnipeg Art Gallery will feature a public opening (7 pm) of William Kurelek: The Messenger, and Precise: Craft Redefined. From 10 pm – 6 am,  the WAG will also host a rooftop performance, a new contemporary dance work, music in the galleries and an unusual interactive exhibit called ARTcadia, bringing together artists and indie video games.

Just across the street from the WAG, Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art opens its doors for Nuit Blanche activities from 7 pm – 6 am. In the same neighbourhood, enjoy art and food at Dessert Sinsations Café (505 St. Mary Ave.) while viewing The Royal River Rats Art Exhibition, from 5:30 – 10 pm.

Join in CBC/Radio-Canada’s 75^th anniversary celebrations with a Colony Street Party from 8 pm – 2 am, including live entertainment, media personalities and more.

Over in St. Boniface, explore a moonlit sculpture garden, an outdoor concert and authors readings at La Maison des artistes visuels (219 Provencher Blvd.) open from 8 pm – 12 am. Catch a musical performance or play at the Saint Boniface Museum, also open from 8 pm – 12 am, or take in the Musical Soiree at the beautiful Saint Boniface Cathedral from 6 -11 pm.

In the Exchange District, 5468796 Architecture (the firm participating in the 2012 Venice Biennale) Open Doors & Exhibit takes place at 266 McDermot Ave. from 12 pm – 12 am.

Also in the Exchange, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers (211 Bannatyne Ave.) will host a Nuit Blanche Variety Show, with start times at 8 pm, 9:30 pm and 11 pm.

If you’re more into singing than dancing, a Ladies of the ‘80s Singalong happens at Cinematheque (100 Arthur St.) from 9 – 10:30 pm. Across the hall from Cinematheque, the PLATFORM centre for photographic and digital arts presents a multi-channel video installation of Guy Maddin’s “Hauntings I,” from 11 pm – 1 am

The Cube at Old Market Square will be wide awake with  Winnipeg bands Aceta, Amuse, Vela, and Bel-Air Live, performing from 8:15 – 11:30 pm.

If a “mocktail” party is more your style head over to Nuit Blanche at the Manitoba Museum (190 Rupert Ave.) for an early 1960s-inspired evening of classic cars, customized gallery tours, vintage décor and costumes, that carries on until 1:30 am.

These are just some of the great ways to avoid sleep and enjoy the arts on October 1. For more info about Nuit Blanche events, and the rest of Winnipeg’s cultural party weekend, visit www.mb.culturedays.ca

And here’s to an all-nighter that makes the sleep deprivation worth it.

If fall has a theme, it’s all about change—in the air, the temperatures and even our schedules. Yes, summer’s out, autumn’s in. The days are crisper, the nights are chilly (sometimes frosty) and our calendars seem to fill quickly after the slower pace of summer.

Personally, I love this time of year, and I love change.  It’s been said a change is as good as a rest, for me, it’s just another word for new adventures, opportunities and experiences – like accepting a new gig as the editor of a great city magazine.

This week, just one day after returning from a 10-day personal development course in Florida, I’ve hit the ground running, editing my first issue of Winnipeg Women/Winnipeg Men magazine.

When I’m navigating change in my life – big or small – here are a few ways I’ve found that ease the transition.

Changing it up…

 

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” Joseph Campbell

 

1) Choose, and create, the change that you’d prefer.

Dr. Frederick Hudson, co-founder of the Hudson Institute and an expert in adult development and professional life coaching, advises people to “imagine the future they prefer.” Hudson says when we are writing, editing and reinventing the story that is our lives, many of us run out of script long before the final cut. It is up to us to visualize, reinvent ourselves if necessary, and create the future that we truly want.

2) Find what, and who, nourishes you.

We are the directors of our own lives, and it’s up to us to choose the location, and surround ourselves with people, places and work that nourish us.

I have lived, worked and studied on four continents, changed careers and residences often, and been in and out of relationships perhaps a few more times than I’d like to count. None of this reflects a lack focus or commitment, but rather that I continue to reinvent my self and my surroundings… including people who support, encourage and inspire me.

3) Don’t let your future be behind you.

We have to make peace with the past and leave it behind us, or we’ll simply drag our desperation, uncertainty and ineffective patterns into the future. As author Debbie Ford says, “The power you need is there, but it will only come out when your desire to change your life is stronger than your desire to stay the same.”

If we really want to move forward, we have to close door to the past without leaving it ajar. With one foot planted in the past, we are unable to walk freely and confidently through to the future.

Change takes place in the present, not the past.

4) Change your perspective, change your experience.

Old patterns, behaviours and roles are familiar; we take comfort in what we know, but what we ‘know’ is rarely what we need.

Starting new jobs, businesses or relationships can be steeped in fear or filled with excitement, unlimited possibilities and growth. It’s all in how you frame it.

As Wayne Dyer says: Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.

5) Reach out and connect

Big changes require big support. At a recent Avatar course, a worldwide organization that is working to change the collective consciousness, one of the leaders said this:

Remember the space that separates us, is also the space that connects us. Reach into that space.

And that, my friends, is the place where real change happens.