Pride House on Seine River barge is inaugurated by Paris Olympics organizers

Who has been invited to the table?

Last Friday, I spoke at Booth University College’s inaugural Honour and Hope Harvest Dinner in support of Shelter U. I had been asked to speak about the power of art in the community, a subject I have spent much of my professional life thinking about — as a museum director, writer and teacher, and now through my consulting work with Civic Muse.

What continues to interest me is not simply what museums, universities and other public institutions do, but whether their work actually matters — whether they make a difference in the lives of the people and communities around them.

Preparing for the evening brought me back to an even more fundamental question: Who has been invited in?

One of my museum mentors used to remind me that institutions often begin the conversation about public engagement too late. Before engagement comes the welcome, and before the welcome comes the invitation. We can create extraordinary buildings, exhibitions and programs and say that everyone is welcome. But unless people believe that these places are also meant for them, many will never cross the threshold.

Winnipeg’s challenge: preparing for weather extremes

A new United Nations report warns the world will exceed the 1.5 C Paris limit by 2030.

What’s up

Connection: Recent Work from Artist Moms 2.0Community Art Gallery at the Pavilion, Assiniboine Park, 55 Pavilion Cres.Artist talk Saturday, 2 p.m.FreeWhat does it mean to mother in a time of global, social and environmental uncertainty? What does it mean to be the village?

This group exhibition featuring 20 Winnipeg artist mothers affiliated with Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art connects the individual experiences of motherhood with broader concerns, exploring themes of memory, nostalgia, grief, loss and care through embroidery, painting, printmaking, poetry, sculpture, installation and mixed media.

“My work is both personal and political, concerned not only with our responsibilities to our own families but also with what it means to be a caregiver in a world threatened by greed, violence and environmental harm,” said artist and group organizer Allison Moore in a release.

The gallery will host a series of artist talks on Saturdays, Oct. 3, 17 and 24, from 2 to 4 p.m. Connection is on view until Nov. 22.

What does the PC stand for in party’s name? Seems to be Pretty Confused

It should have been obvious from the beginning that the Manitoba Progressive Conservative party was going to have trouble holding itself together under Obby Khan.

In a smart-device world, some families keep phone jacked into the wall

When the phone rings in Kristin Shiach and Jordan Sobkowicz’s Riverview home, their three daughters race to see who can be the first to answer.

“It depends who is closest,” says 13-year-old Emily. “If I’m sitting in my room, I can get to it quickest.”

“That’s because it’s always in your room,” Anna, 10, replies. “You never put it back!”

“Usually, when the phone rings,” explains Sobkowicz, “someone yells really loudly —”

Netminder no stranger to heavy workload as Jets new No. 1 readies for regular-season start

Stuart Skinner is quick to admit that he wasn’t always wired this way.

As the Winnipeg Jets new starting goalie prepares for his fifth NHL season, Skinner conceded that the accountability aspect that is now synonymous with his character took some time to build up.

“As I grew up and got older, you go through certain things in life that either build character or make things worse for you. It depends on your choice and your decision,” Skinner said during a recent conversation with the Free Press. “I learned it through trial and error. I learned that, sometimes, it’s hard to get honest with yourself… For me, it’s definitely been a road for me to get to a place like this.

“It definitely is one of my pillars. Accountability is so important because that brings you into a spot of what you’re going to do next. It’s easy to let yourself off the hook. I’m more in the business of putting myself on the hook.”