 Hi, art lovers! | | |  | (John Campbell/CBC) | | | This year’s FreeUp! Emancipation Day special debuts this week, and this time around, the show’s putting a few of Canada’s top comics in the spotlight. You know them; you’ve laughed with them — and that’s especially true if you stan The Great Canadian Baking Show.
FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2025 – Jokes, Jokes, Jokes is an eight-episode series featuring sets from Hoodo Hersi, Keesha Brownie, Tamara Shevon, Alan Shane Lewis and more. These standups aren’t just doing it for the LOLs. Per the official log line, the program’s a “no-filter celebration of Emancipation Day, riffing on race, freedom and everything else we’re not supposed to joke about,” and starting Wednesday, the full series will be available to stream on CBC Gem. | | | | | Because we promised you eye candy ... | | | | |  | Artwork: Julie Moon and Daniel Rios Rodriguez; Photo: Laura Findlay/Cooper Cole | | Heat-wave vibes. Here’s a peek inside Blister in the Sun at Toronto’s Cooper Cole gallery. The show, which is up till Aug. 30, features work by Julie Moon and Daniel Rios Rodriguez (but not the Violent Femmes). | | | | |  | Sarah Wendt and Pascal Dufaux | | How fun is this? Minigolf Belleville Plaisirs is an artist-designed attraction, which opened earlier this summer in Quebec City, and you’re looking at L’Atom Smasher by Sarah Wendt and Pascal Dufaux. (I love an obstacle with a theme. This one’s based on a particle accelerator.) | | | | |  | Gord Bond | | The Mess Makers (Caught in the Act) by Hamilton-based artist Gord Bond. | | | | |  | Marina Van Raay | | Childhood nostalgia is a big subject in Marina Van Raay’s work, and while I don’t know the backstory, this piece (Floor Lamp) leaves me with an insatiable urge to scarf fistfuls of Lucky Charms. I can practically taste the dry marshmallows now (just me?). | | | | |  | Artwork: AJA Louden; Photo: Adam Waldron-Blain/Latitude 53 | | Childhood nostalgia … of a more regional flavour. What is Edmonton without hockey? Out in the former City of Champions, Latitude 53 is presenting Oily, a show about the power and pathos of Oilers fandom. Pictured: Brick Wall (Fuhr) by AJA Louden (last seen here). The exhibition is on through Aug. 2. | | | | |  | OUTtv | | | | | Back for a second season, Killjoy Comedy follows a diverse group of performers who are pushing the boundaries of Canadian comedy. | | | | |  | Robyn Clarke/MacLaren Art Centre | | | | | Artist Jill Price has a vision for all that garbage, and you can see it at the MacLaren Art Centre in Barrie. | | | | |  | Disney+ | | | | | | | Emmy-winning actor Sterling K. Brown stars in the series, which was shot in Nova Scotia. | | |  | Laura Hudspith | | Even burrowing insects can be beautiful. Laura takes a lot of nature walks, and her new body of work is inspired by the sort of markings you might find in a fallen tree — like the trails made by bugs. She told us more. | | | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
forwarded to you. | | | | | | | Got questions? Typo catches? Story ideas? | | | We're just an email away. Send us a note, and we'll do our best to get back to you.
If someone forwarded you this message and you like what you've read, here's where to subscribe for more.
I’m Leah Collins, senior writer at CBC Arts. Until next time! | | | | | |
