MAGAZINE CABARET: KELOWNA
Wednesday, April 22 - 7 PM - FREE
The Bohemian Cafe 524 Bernard Avenue


In celebration of BC Book & Magazine Week (April 18-25), the BC Association of Magazine Publishers and off-centre magazine present a literary cabaret featuring Adam Lewis Schroeder, Heidi Garnett, Ryan May and Shelley Wood, reading from their work recently published in BC magazines. Hosted by CBC Radio Oneís Jennifer Chrumka.

Visit www.bcbookandmagazine.com for details.

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31 Mar 2009

In the Making
March 6-June 7, 2009

The Kelowna Art Gallery is pleased to host our 23rd annual high school art exhibition entitled In the Making, featuring artwork created by local youth. This exhibition features approximately 125 works of art created by students in Kelowna’s public and private schools.

Art In Action was created by the Education Department of the Kelowna Art Gallery twenty-three years ago, as a venue for teachers to showcase the exemplary art activities taking place in their classrooms. This exhibition offers the community an opportunity to view first-hand unique and often innovative works of art created by Kelowna’s youth and presented in a professional environment.

For more information call 250-762-2226 or visit www.kelownaartgallery.com

Kelowna Art Gallery 1315 Water Street Kelowna BC V1Y 9R3

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23 Mar 2009

Always looking to introduce new and exciting talent to its audiences, the 17th Annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival is pleased to present "The Heart of Homegrown", a special showcase of emerging artists from up and down the Okanagan and from as far afield as the Kootenays.

Included in the showcase is Salmon Arm's own, Opening Axe, comprised of Bonnie McGrew and Kelsey Ngai. This engaging duo burst onto the Okanagan music scene in 2003 with the release of their debut cd, "Accidental" then went on to win the top prize at the Okanagan Grown Band Competition in 2004. Bonnie and Kelsey spent the next several years acquiring higher education in the field of music as they continued to polish their creativity and songwriting skills.  Their 2008 sophomoric release, "A Few Years Down The Road" is a stunning showcase of their maturity as musicians and writers, rich with gorgeous harmonies and sophisticated guitar work.

Jacobus Verburg is a local guitarist from Sicamous who draws on the influences of music from all parts of the world, and has spent the past few years exploring gypsy jazz and acoustic music. Joining Jake are two multi-instrumentalists, Darrin Herting and Leon Power who lend their own distinctive influences to give this trio a special twist on gypsy

The Flock, Arnold, Hopkins Trio was conceived when three friends from the Okanagan, Luke Arnold, Bryn Flock, and Lyle Hopkins, discovered they shared a passion for jazz and improvised music. Since their formation, the trio has been playing throughout the Okanagan, performing with local greats such as Gerry Sholomenko and Flora Ware. The two guitarists accompanied by double bass offer an elegant and intimate perspective on the timeless standards they perform.

Aspen Switzer's voice will stop you in your tracks. Filled with longing and an ethereal yet grounded quality, it is powerful, subtle, pure and haunting. Her songs at times are both complex and catchy, blending country with jazz, pop with folk, and an occasional hint of bluegrass thrown in. Aspen is accompanied by Jessa Koerber on keyboards and mandolin and Jesse Lee on guitar and bass. This trio blends seamless harmonies for a full and luxurious sound, balancing the charm and warmth of old time music with the contemporary.

"The Heart of Homegrown" brings together the freshest up-and-coming young performers on the BC music scene. All four acts will appear onstage together, each performing their own twenty minute set, in what is sure to be a highlight of the Festival. Prepare to be impressed by some of BC's most promising young musicians.   

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19 Mar 2009

Assembly of BC Arts Councils
Deadline: April 8th, 2009

Assembly of BC Arts Councils is pleased to announce this community outreach and video art mentorship project, initiated in part to mark the organization’s 30th anniversary. ABCAC invites emerging artists under the age of 30 in the Thompson Okanagan area to submit a proposal for an opportunity to work with an active media arts practitioner in a structured mentorship program.

This project will provide a nurturing environment for an emerging artist to work one-on-one with a media artist in the Thompson Okanagan area. The successful candidate will participate in a series of meetings with the mentor, and through these, she/he will acquire insight into producing and presenting rigorous video works. Please note the workshop will NOT be an introduction to technical aspects of video production. Rather, the applicants must have prior knowledge of and experience in video production, as well as access to his/her own video production technology.

This mentorship is meant to give guidance and critical feedback to an emerging media artist in the Thompson Okanagan area and to provide a professional development opportunity. The successful candidate will work on producing a short video piece under 15 minutes under the guidance of the mentor. The finished piece will be considered for a feature presentation at ABCAC’s annual conference taking place May 1-3, 2010 location TBA. CAR/FAC artist fee will be paid for this presentation.

Thompson Okanagan-based emerging media artists of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

About Assembly of BC Arts Councils:

The Assembly was founded in 1979. Its original purpose was to provide advocacy, leadership and support to community and regional arts councils in the province of British Columbia. Since then the Assembly has broadened its vision and mandate to support the central role of arts and arts practices in building community and the unique ways in which arts and culture contribute to a strong, healthy society.

In partnership with the province's community and regional arts councils, and other arts service organizations, agencies and individuals, we undertake this by providing advocacy, communications and networking, education, training and tools and resources.

For more information on the organization, please visit <www.assemblybcartscouncils.ca>

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17 Mar 2009

The Seventh Annual NOAA Members Juried Exhibition



Opening Reception on Saturday, March 21st 7pm to 9pm
 
This exhibition is designed to celebrate the exciting and varied artistic richness of the Okanagan community. The public is invited to see what artists, writers and performers consider to be their best and most recent work.
 
All artists, writers, musicians and performers were invited to participate in the North Okanagan Artists Alternative's 7th Annual Juried Exhibition. The result was a deluge of work by the Okanagan's finest and most interesting personalities and art practitioners. The Juror had a difficult, but enjoyable task creating a cohesive exhibition from such a diverse group of works. Come and witness the stunning result and celebrate our community's creative spirit in its countless permutations!
 
Writers, musicians and performers are sought to read or perform at the opening reception on Saturday, March21st between 7 and 9pm. Please call the gallery @ (250)503-2297 in advance if you would like to be part of the entertainment on opening night.
 
Opening Reception:
Saturday, March 21st, 7pm
Join us for complimentary refreshments and live entertainment.
Meet the artists.
 
Exhibition Run:
Tuesday, March 17 to Thursday, April 9th
 
 
About Our Juror: Jim Kalnin
 
Jim Kalnin has been interested in art and the natural world his whole life. After graduating from Vancouver School of Art in the 1960‚s he began teaching film animation at the school. Jim worked for several years between Vancouver, Montreal and Baffin Island as a teacher and animator for the National Film Board. His extended travels across North, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and briefly to Scotland and other locations have sharpened his artist‚s eye and sensibility. Experiencing a variety of cultures has deepened his compassion for the world‚s people and our utter dependence on the land ˆ not only as our means to survival but also as the revealer of Mystery. Jim teaches in the Fine Arts Department at UBC Okanagan (formerly Okanagan University College) and continues to be a prolific artist working with conventional art materials in unconventional ways and with a limitless range of natural and found materials. His art is shown regularly in local, regional and touring exhibitions.
 
Juror's Talk: Friday, March 20th at 2pm
 
Our esteemed juror, Jim Kalnin of UBC Okanagan, Department of Creative Studies, will be on hand on  Friday, March 20th to give a juror's talk at 2pm. Whether or not you have work in the show, you are welcome to come in to hear his comments concerning the exhibition. Artists who entered work which was not accepted are encopuraged to bring along the work for feedback.
 
Lucky Number Seven - Vertigo Gallery, March 17 to  April  9, 2009

Juror's Comments

My first thoughts on entering the Vertigo Gallery to select a member's exhibit from the collected entries were, “Good! There is lot of art work here.” And, “Great! It's all over the map.”

The enthusiastic responses to the call to artists, and the variety of those responses, were welcome signs that visual arts are alive and well in this region. Although I knew I would soon have to make some difficult decisions in assembling the exhibition, I felt confident that the overall expression of the works would reflect the diversity and vitality of the local art scene.

One characteristic of human nature is that we see the world from an individual perspective, which is coloured by our own experiences, and which reflects our own particular biases. Unfortunately, this applies to art jurors as well. Yet while my own preferences did affect my choices, I found myself relying on something else as well - the relationship of the individual works to each other. While art speaks to us on an individual basis, a room full of drawings, paintings, sculptures, and photos also has a collective voice. Some of the art here was chosen over other, equally interesting pieces because it contributed significantly to the overall expression of this exhibit.

The diversity shown in these works is a reflection of the vast and varied experiences of the artists involved. The landscapes, portraits and other works in traditional media are enriched by the presence of completely different approaches to art making. Colleen Couves' humorous found object installation of cows adds an agricultural flavour to the combined picture created by regional landscape paintings. Likewise, The strong abstract expressionist paintings here are further enhanced by similar works in coloured cloth and wool. Katalin Gardiner's fiber artwork  “”Unzippered” and Angelika Jaeger's painting “Pink Is Not My Colour” both use non-objective forms and bright colours to create a sense of motion and a range of expressions. The vibrancy of life comes across in different ways, partly because of the medium used. Works that involve both photographic image and text expand the experiences of those who take time to 'read' them in different ways.

Whether the art you see here delights or challenges you I hope you have time to spend with it all, and find yourself inspired by the creative energy that abounds in this region.

Jim Kalnin 

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17 Mar 2009