The Allied Arts

Considering a wide range of craftspeople, materials, and forms, The Allied Arts investigates the history of the complex relationship between craft and architecture by examining the intersection of these two areas in Canadian public buildings.

During periods of close collaboration, championed by figures like John Ruskin and William Morris, architecture and craft were referred to as "the allied arts." By the mid-twentieth century, however, it was more common for the two disciplines to be considered distinct professional fields, with architecture having little to do with studio craft. The Allied Arts investigates the history of the complex relationship between craft and architecture by examining the intersection of these two areas in Canadian public buildings. Sandra Alfoldy explains the challenges facing the development of the field of public craft and documents the largely ignored public craft commissions of the post-war era in Canada. The book highlights the global concerns of material, scale, form, ornament, and identity shared by architects and craftspeople. It also examines the ways in which the allied arts are mediated by institutions and the fragility of craft commissions once considered an integral part of the built environment. Considering a wide range of craftspeople, materials, and forms - from the ceramics of Jack Sures and Jordi Bonnet to the textile work of Mariette Rousseau Vermette and Carole Sabiston - Alfoldy celebrates the successes of architectural craftsmanship. The first work of its kind, The Allied Arts develops ideas about the complex relationship between architecture and craft that reach well beyond national boundaries.

Theatre Artisans and Their Craft: The Allied Arts Fields profiles fourteen remarkable artists and technicians who elevate theatre production to new dimensions, explore new materials and technologies, and introduce new safety standards and solutions. Readers will learn how the featured artists delved into entrepreneurial ventures and created their own work for themselves; researching, studying, and experimenting, seeking answers when none were available. The book explores how to make an impact in the entertainment industry from behind the scenes, and how students can model themselves after these successful professionals to jump-start their career in theatre production. Aimed at theatre and film practitioners in the allied arts fields, Theatre Artisans and Their Craft offers a collection of success stories that are both inspiring and informative.

Canada: A Poetic Landscape is a well-considered, joy-filled journey into the vast splendour of the Canadian landscape, its history and heritage, crafted through the lens of an artist turned poet. Experience every province and territory, the book imparts lesser-known information about Canada through colourful, detailed, and whimsical paintings alongside culturally themed stories expressed in verse. From totem poles and inukshuks to the fur trade and the gold rush, from cottage country and maple syrup to high tides and sculptured rocks, from a long history of war to the land cradled on the waves, this book is rich with the uniqueness of each province and territory. Canada: A Poetic Landscape offers an alternative or addition to the map-colouring and memorization of provinces taught in most schools, and provides a more comprehensive understanding of geography and history. Written primarily for children aged ten years and older, this book will inspire readers, young and old, to want to learn more about and experience more of Canada.

Between 1952 and 1977, Allied Artists Pictures Corporation released over 80 feature films with horror, science fiction and fantasy themes, several of them featuring such genre stars as Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, John Carradine and Lon Chaney, Jr. Among Allied Artists' contributions are the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the William Castle productions House on Haunted Hill and Macabre. Allied also released the camp favorites Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster, From Hell It Came and Queen of Outer Space, and imported European efforts such as Blood and Black Lace and Caltiki the Immortal Monster. Included here are detailed plot synopses and critical analyses of all of the films. Also covered are 22 features, including Little Shop of Horrors, made by other companies and released to television by Allied, and the studio's theatrical double-feature reissue of Paramount's The Blob and Universal's Dinosaurus!