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Gimme Shelter

INTENTIONAL HOUSING SOLUTIONS
» Thursday 16 October 2008 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing people and ideas featured in Okanagan HOME. Join us as Luke Stack, Jim Meiklejohn, Shelley Cook and Geoff Greenwell discuss their involvement in housing designed to meet targeted community needs.

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» This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE

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Experts Advocate the Need for Special Housing

We're living in dark days for housing it seems. Only a year ago few knew what sub-prime mortgages were, and we were all living the dream of high-priced real estate. Now rain seems to be falling down on all those economic forecasts, and it's hard to imagine what the future holds for housing.

But there are some who choose to weather the housing storm no matter what the current climate dishes out. These are the people who focus their energies on "intentional housing" - housing specifically designed to meet targeted needs.

These organizations have a mission in mind - and it's that mission that the Okanagan Institute Express series explores Thursday, October 16 at 5 pm at the Bohemian Café with Gimme Shelter: Intentional Housing Solutions.

The event will examine the challenges intentional housing faces from financing to design, to community objections and execution. All four speakers bring real-life experience to the table. They'll provide inspiration on how to make the Okanagan a better place to live, and provide ideas on how to do things differently - even challenge the current belief that sees housing primarily as an investment, rather than shelter. Some would argue the result is a generation that has borrowed against their homes and are now witnessing the crumbling of that false structure. The featured speakers are:

Luke Stack is the executive director of the Society for Hope, which he launched nearly 20 years ago in the Okanagan. Launched with his wife Anne, Stack set out to provide affordable housing for single parents. By 2006, their work was recognized province-wide when the society received the BC Non-Profit Housing Stack's leadership, the society has been able to build affordable housing that addresses a variety of needs - including transition, family and seniors housing. It currently manages 12 sites providing 345 units around the Central Okanagan. Stack is currently serving on the City of Kelowna's advisory planning commission.

Jim Meiklejohn is with Meiklejohn Architects, one of the key firms in the Okanagan with more than $200-million in projects currently undergoing design. Meiklejohn obtained his bachelor of architecture from Washington State University and since then has established himself as a key player in the development of functional and aesthetically pleasing health facilities. Most recently he completed work on the newly unveiled Cardington Apartments - the 30-unit housing project on St. Paul completed in conjunction with the John Howard Society.

Geoff Greenwell is the senior business advisor to the Okanagan Nation Alliance (the Tribal Council of the seven Okanagan Indian Bands). He's currently working on a project that will provide a new office headquarters on the Penticton Indian reserve along with much-needed employee accommodation - a new twist on the "Microsoft campus" concept. Greenwell is also a city councillor in Lake Country where he chairs the district's affordable housing committee. Born and educated in the U.K., he spent time working in the global energy business in the Middle East and Africa throughout the 80's and early 90's before arriving in Canada in 1992. Since then he has worked as a strategic planner and business advisor to large companies, government departments and various nonprofit organizations.

Shelley Cook is the Executive Director of John Howard Society of the Central and South Okanagan. She brings to her position almost 20 years experience working with criminally involved and at-risk youth and adults on a community level including working in school-based and residential settings. Through her combined professional experience, her training and formal education, Cook is extremely well versed in the issues of poverty, substance abuse, mental illness and other complex health and social problems and the interplay with the criminal justice system. Through her involvement in committees and coalitions, local housing forums, as well as through work related to the operation of the Society, Cook has been become increasingly attuned to the housing needs in the community, particularly in relation to 'hard to house' individuals.

Gimme Shelter: Intentional Housing Solutions is a free event, and takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 62nd event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007. Since that time, the series has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, architect Jim Meiklejohn, broadcaster Mari0n Barschel and others from a wide range of creative fields.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE

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Where Enquiring Minds Gather. Okanagan Institute at the Bohemian Café A hearty feast of lectures, presentations, workshops and showcases celebrating our culture and community. Produced by the Okanagan Institute in association with Wheat King Publishing magazines: Okanagan Arts and Okanagan Home. Express is sponsored in part by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Publishing, UBCO-FCCS, and in support of Project Literacy Kelowna.

The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that has gathered around the goal of providing events, publications and services of interest to enquiring minds in the Okanagan. We partner with individuals, organizations, institutions and businesses to achieve optimal creative and social impact.
Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.

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12 Oct 2008

Upcoming Special Family Sundays
	Get ready for Trick or Treating on October 26. Be sure to sign up for the ever-popular Special Family Sunday Bags and Bones event for Halloween. This year the gallery is going a shade green by decorating re-usable canvas bags. Design your own unique trick-or-treat bag that you can re-use year after year. Prizes will be given for best costume! Call soon as spaces are filling up fast. Cost for this special event is $5.00/bag. Registration is required…call 250-762-2226.
Kelowna Art Gallery is Going Green this Year
The Kelowna Art Gallery is going a shade green this year with the ever-popular Bags and Bones trick-or-treat bag decorating event.  “This year we decided to have participants paint on canvas bags, as we wanted to do our part in promoting sustainability and stewardship,” says new Public Programming Assistant Karen Kranabetter. “It’s important to set a good example with children. We hope these uniquely decorated bags will be brought out proudly year after year.” The Kelowna Art Gallery strives to create an informal setting that is fun and informative; a place where people can relax, learn and families can spend quality time together. The Kelowna Art Gallery has run the Family Sundays program and this particular Bags and Bones event for the last 13 years. Every Sunday between 1:00 and 4:00 pm children and adults are invited to take part in hands-on activities that relate to current exhibitions. Family Sundays has been designed to spark curiosity and creativity, inviting children and adults to explore art and the people who create it. Through hands-on activities, helpful instructions, and age-appropriate information and questions, Family Sundays opens up the world of art and artists by providing opportunities to engage, discover, and create. Registration is required for this special event and other Family Sundays that will happen over the holiday season. There is a $5.00 cost. This includes admission to the gallery. Prizes will be awarded for most unique or best costume. More information on these and other programs can be found at the Kelowna Art Gallery website, www.kelownaartgallery.com or phone the gallery directly at 250.762.2226.

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12 Oct 2008

The NOAA Featured Members Wall:

This month features six colourful abstract acrylic paintings by Kelowna artist  Julia Trops.

Trop's first career was with the Canadian Air Force where she spent twelve years and lived across Canada. She served on a peacekeeping mission in the Middle East, in the Sinai Desert, and received three medals. After retiring from the military in 1997, Trops received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Great Distinction in 2001 from the University of Lethbridge with a focus on Studio Arts. The artist is currently a resident studio artist  in the Rotary Centre for the Arts in Kelowna. She currently serves as a Director, Kelowna Museums Society, Kelowna, BC, was a past Director for the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan Artscape Program and serves as an organizer for the Okanagan Arts Award. She is represented by three galleries: oils in Gallery Odin in Silver Star Mountain Ski Resort, mixed media in Hambleton Galleries in Kelowna, and charcoals in Tao Contemporary in Central Hong Kong.

Artist Statement:

I am very ambitious. My work is in public and private collections across Canada (including the City of Kelowna), the US and Europe, and Iâm listed in the National Gallery of Canadaâs archives. I am a contributing artist in Harold Stoneâs book "Exploring Life Drawing", and an author of an article on Art Donations published in the Okanagan Arts magazine Fall 2007. Iâve been commissioned to do a few wine labels for an Okanagan winery, authored an introduction for the City of Kelownaâs Spirit of Kelowna Monograph, and have a Mozart artwork featured in an autumn release book "Spirituality in Music" published by Woodlake Books. "The Best of MASC (Medallic Art Society of Canada)" has two of my medallions juried in to the 2008 show held over the summer at the Geert Maasâ Sculpture Gardens.

My most recent project is for the Rotary Centre for the Arts "Evergreen" fundraiser. Iâve created a gallery, both online and in real life, called Gallerie DiamantŽ - Jewels of the Okanagan, which has some gorgeous artworks from Okanagan artists, available for purchase all over the world. (Weâve received one bid from Dubai already!)

As Wayne Gretzky said, "You miss 100% of the shots you never take". Upwards and onwards.... Iâve been lucky; the Roman philosopher Seneca "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

I believe the way of the future is through cooperative ventures for the benefit for all. As a part-time webmaster, and a big believer in the power of the web, I create webpages for all my projects. We truly are a global community. (Julia Trops)

 

Window Gallery:

Enjoy two large paintings by Kelowna artist Kevin Michael Witzke in the window on the street gallery this month.

Witzke was born in Vernon, BC and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UBC Okanagan in 2007. He currently lives and works in Kelowna, BC.

Artist Statement:

I have to admit I have a fascination with colour and human history. 

My studies in anthropology and archaeology have stirred my interest in subjects such as time, culture, language, myths, legends and folklore.  My work delves into the human spirit and our relationship with the land and with each other.  Working in combinations of paint, colour and light, I braid these ideas through my work. 

 

As an abstract painter, ãwhatä I paint often is abstract in nature.  I find painting in an abstract way allows me to bypass our expectations of what something looks like, and explore the soul of the ideas I am working with.   I like to use my canvases as if they were windows.  This allows the painting to become a constructed world of energy for you peer into.  I also explore how colour can help build meaning, mood and emotion within both my work and the viewer.  I experiment with the optics colour with paint layers and unconventional painting techniques. 

 

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Gallery Vertigo is located upstairs at 3001-31st Street

in downtown Vernon, BC in the historical Winnipeg Union Bank.

Our hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 4pm.

Please call the gallery at 250-503-2297 for more information.

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12 Oct 2008

0 Comments

07 Oct 2008

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Artisanal Fare

CREATING CULINARY ART
» Thursday 9 October 2008 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing people and ideas featured in Okanagan ARTS. Join us as Frank Dieter of Okanagan Spirits, Dale Zeich of Little Creek Gardens, and Perry Bentley, chef instructor at Okanagan College share their culinary enthusiasms.

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» This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE

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Celebrating the Rich Flavours of Culinary Art

If author Malcolm Gladwell was a foodie and lived in the Okanagan, there's a good chance he would say this region is at the tipping point of becoming one of the biggest and brightest stars in the firmament of Canadian cuisine.

From award-winning restaurateurs to first-class purveyors of fine artisan food and drink, the Okanagan is virtually exploding with culinary riches. The challenge, of course, in this supermarket world of the 21st Century is to remind ourselves of the riches that are coming from the earth beneath our feet. And remind ourselves as well of the fine products that are produced from those riches.

On Thursday, October 9 at 5 pm at the Bohemian Café, the Okanagan Institute Express series of free public presentations examines the local food culture from the ground up with Artisanal Fare: Creating Culinary Art. Featured speakers are Frank Dieter of Okanagan Spirits, Dale Zeich of Little Creek Gardens, and Perry Bentley, chef instructor at Okanagan College.

Frank Dieter, a forester by trade, returned to his homeland of Germany to study fermentation and distilling processes from Herbert Roesch, one of Germany's top distillers, and Italian grappa master Vittorio Capovilla. To add a touch of the Old World to his operations, he imported a traditional German wood-fired copper-pot still that is specifically designed to capture the fruit aromas.

Passionate about all the fruit this valley has to offer, Dieter produces a variety of fruit brandies. But recently he's been in the news for his efforts to get national distribution for Taboo � his crafty name for the legendary absinthe he now produces as well.

Dale Ziech is a board director with the North Okanagan Organic Association and co-owner of Little Creek Gardens, was among the first in the valley to "go organic" back in 1984 when traditional farmers scoffed at the idea. The farm became Certified Organic in 1991, and grows a variety of gourmet mixed greens, tomatoes, baby vegetables and edible flowers.

Perry Bentley is a chef instructor at the Okanagan College culinary arts program. Born into a foodie household in a rural setting, where bread was baked each morning, the eggs collected and the goats milked, likely made his career inevitable. Bentley did his initial apprenticeship in cookery after studying hospitality business at technical college in the south of England and then completed his training in one of the large London hotels.

Perry lived in France and Australia before coming to Canada in the early '90's, he now specializes in bakery and pastry arts and has just returned to teaching after a year's sabbatical studying food and wine in Italy and Argentina.

"Canada has a fantastic food culture, it's a great place to be in the hospitality business and to teach Culinary arts, and the Okanagan is really going to be more and more of a food and wine destination".

Artisanal Fare: Creating Culinary Art is a free event, and takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 61th event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007. Since that time, the series has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, architect Jim Meiklejohn, broadcaster Mari0n Barschel and others from a variety of creative fields.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE

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The Okanagan Institute invites you to join us for ...
A Celebration of the Culinary Arts

At the Bohemian Café
Thursday 9 October 7-9pm

A Stimulating Evening of Entertainment,
Artisanal Food and Liquid Refreshments

Only 10 Seats Left. Reserve Yours Now.

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This Thursday, October 9 at 7 pm at the Bohemian Café, the Okanagan Institute invites you to experience our wonderful local food culture from the ground up with Culinaria: A Celebration of the Culinary Arts. The event has attracted the support and participation of dozens of local artisans - purveyors of locally crafted beverages and cheeses, organic produce, and succulent meats.

Culinaria features a five-course dinner artfully put together by chef Hans Birker of the Bohemian. Throughout the meal, host Karin Wilson provides a verbal guide through the valley."This event isn't only about filling our stomachs, it's also about filling our minds with knowledge about the depth and breadth of food produced in this valley," she says.

Performing at the dinner will be local vocalist Barbara Samuel, a professional voice instructor and lead vocalist for the local band, Cista B and the Boyz. As a soloist she sings a wide variety of classics, from Jazz standards to the latest hits. She'll be accompanied by Neal Klassen.

The producers who generously supported this event include: Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan, Cherry Hill Coffee, Elephant Island Wines, Falcon Ridge Farms, Gellatly Nut Farm, The Jammery, Little Creek Gardens and Dressing, Maggadean Farm, Nuttier than a Fruit Cake, Okanagan Grocery Artisan Breads, Okanagan Spirits, Okanagan Game Meats, Poplar Grove Cheese, Raven Ridge Cidery, Vale Farms, and Vinegar Works.

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Tickets for this fundraising event benefitting the Kelowna Food Bank are $50 plus $2.50 GST. Seating is limited to 50, of which there are only 10 left, so we suggest reserving as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Click the Add to Cart button to reserve your places now.

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Where Enquiring Minds Gather. Okanagan Institute at the Bohemian Café A hearty feast of lectures, presentations, workshops and showcases celebrating our culture and community. Produced by the Okanagan Institute in association with Wheat King Publishing magazines: Okanagan Arts and Okanagan Home. Express is sponsored in part by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Publishing, UBCO-FCCS, and in support of Project Literacy Kelowna.

The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that have gathered around the goal of providing events, publications and services of interest to enquiring minds in the Okanagan. We partner with individuals, organizations, institutions and businesses to achieve optimal creative and social impact.
Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.

0 Comments

03 Oct 2008