The next session of art classes begins the week of March 3 with instructor Evelyne MacMillan. Daytime lessons for beginner, novice and intermediate level instruction in watercolours at the Westbank studio location. New art classes for participants to paint in the medium of their choice on Tuesday mornings at First United Church in Kelowna. Also available are Saturday workshops in watercolours. Please call Evelyne at 707-3090 or pepperwc@silk.net for more  info and to register.

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12 Feb 2008

Sweet! A CONFLUENCE OF WORDS & WINE » Thursday 14 February 2008 | 4:30 pm » New! - BeanScene North, 1289 Ellis Street An informal afternoon hour showcasing the people and ideas featured in Okanagan Q. Join us as wine experts Suzanne Mick and Tracy Gray of Discover Wines, and writers Jarrod Thalheimer and Karin Wilson explore the tempatations, tastes and textures of love. » This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost. » Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE Sponsored by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Books, UBCO-FCCS, and in support of Project Literacy Kelowna The Sweet Allure of Words and Wine What romantic evening wouldn't be complete without a mixture of anxiety, stoked with passion? It's that time of year when couples peer across the table in an attempt to discover love, or remind each other of a love that remains steadfast. On this day of wine and roses, February 14 at 4:30 p.m., Okanagan Institute unwraps the package we call romance with a selection of literary readings combined with a talk on our local nectar of the gods - wine. Sweet: A Confluence of Words and Wine takes place at 4:30 p.m. at the institute's new location Bean Scene North, located at 1289 Ellis Street. There's a long history of wine and romance. Think champagne at weddings, the sweet kiss of dessert wines; the careful selection of a chardonnay at that all important Valentine's dinner. Suzanne Mick and Tracy Gray understand wines and work with consumers every day in finding the perfect match for the perfect occasion. They launched their company, Discover Wines, in 2003 after spending a combined 30 years in the wine industry. In short order, their Kelowna-based store has become the number one VQA store in the province and recent accolades include 2007 Canadian Women Entrepreneurs of the year. When wine doesn't open up our tongues to speak the language of love, it becomes the job of the poet to do the heavy lifting. The event is rounded out with two reading from local writers Jarrod Thalheimer and Karin Wilson. Thalheimer explores the complexity of growing up male and grappling with the feminine world of romance in his piece Putting the Man Back in Romance. Wilson reveals the unspoken messages found in Valentine gifts. Sweet: A Confluence of Words and Wine is a free event, and takes place at BeanScene North. It's presented by the Okanagan Institute in association with Wheat King Publishing magazines: Okanagan Arts, Okanagan Home, and Okanagan Q. Express is sponsored by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Books, UBCO Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, and supports the work of Project Literacy Kelowna. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE Okanagan Insitute at BeanScene North 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, Okanagan Home, and Okanagan Q. Expresss is a cultural tonic that refreshes the mind. Join us at BeanScene North after work on Thursdays for a free hour of stimulation that will get your synapses tingling with new ideas and fresh images. Designed for inquiring minds looking for, among other things, the wild blue yonder.

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08 Feb 2008

Designed for photographers and artists, the Okanagan Photographic Art Workshops weekend runs from August 8 to 10, 2008. This year, OPAW will be offering its usual Friday illustrated lectures, print exhibit and Wine & Cheese reception, as well as the weekendís popular 7 meal buffet. But new for 2008 will be the SIX all-day ëhands-oní workshops divided between Saturday and Sunday.

Mixed media artist Judy Burns and fine art photographer Laura Tucker both of Kelowna, will lead their workshop ëCapture and Communicate Your Creative Visioní.  ëFinding Your Creative Eyeí will be led by well known photographic artist Val Davison of Surrey.

Michael Breakey of Kelowna will lead two ëhands-oní ëPhotoshop Workshopsí, and an ëAdvanced Digital Portrait Workshopí will led by AndrÈ CabuchÈ, of Kelowna. AndrÈ will also lead a Fine Art Photography Workshop

OPAWís all-day ëPhoto Safarií
On Monday August 11, fifteen photographers/artists will also have a chance to work with AndrÈ, Laura and Michael at three of their favourite locations in the beautiful Okanagan to create personal fine art photographs. The Safari will also include a superb lunch and exquisite dinner at two wineries overlooking Okanagan Lake. This is truly a photographers and artists dream holiday!

The OPAW weekend is limited to 48 photographers; the Photo Safariíis limited to 15!!!

OPAW is organized by a small group of volunteers. Profits from OPAW go to an annual Fine Arts Scholarship at UBCO; to the Canadian Association of Photographic Art; and to supporting Okanagan non-profit visual arts groups.

For more information visit OPAWís website at: www.opaw.ca

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08 Feb 2008

A number of local Theatre and Arts Groups have joined forces in creating a storage area for their sets, props, furniture and building materials in the Sesxsmith Theatre Compound (STC).

The site, formally occupied by Sunshine Theatre Company, is located on Sexsmith Rd and operated on an appointment basis only.

Most of the contents in this area are available to all arts groups in the area on a monetary donation basis. Some of the contents:

                Risers, Flats, Windows and Doors
                Tables, Chairs and Benches
                Fireplaces, Columns and Stairs
                A Sleigh, An Outhouse and a Dentist Chair
                1920s Switch Board, a Royal Ottoman and  
                Halloween Trees

Groups wishing to view this collection can call:
                Wayne Bridges 861-5600
                Don Rampone 861-6643 (home) 863-6643 (cell)

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05 Feb 2008

REEL ROOTz Indigenous Media Art Exhibition 2008
February 8 to April 13, 2008

Screening and Opening Reception at the
KELOWNA ART GALLERY Friday, February 8, 2008 @ 7:00 PM

The Ullus Collective is pleased to announce ‘REEL ROOTz Indigenous Media Arts Exhibition 2008 ’, an exhibition and series of artist talks highlighting the strength and diversity of film and video works by Indigenous filmmakers across Canada.

On Friday, February 8, 2007 the Ullus Collective, Indigenous Arts Service and the En’owkin Centre in partnership with the Kelowna Art Gallery will launch a seven week long media arts exhibition in the Interior Region of British Columbia. Opening at the Kelowna Art Gallery, this stellar Indigenous Film Exhibition series will include the screening of “Suckerfish”(2005) 9 min. CANADA Producer/Director: Lisa Jackson (Ojibwe) Produced by: the National Film Board of Canada: DIRECTOR IN ATTENDANCE

Showing that humor is central to her work, Jackson recalls the discovery of her family’s Native American name Nahmabin, meaning suckerfish rather than sucker, as her mother had once told her.  As Jackson says, “…I was relieved to find out my ancestors were named after a fish – rather than a push-over – it’s not the kind of Indian name you brag about at school.”

REEL ROOTz: Indigenous Media Arts Exhibition 2008 has been brought together by the Indigenous Arts Service Organization in partnership with the Okanagan Producers Collective, known as the Ullus Collective. The Ullus Collective supports the training and development of Aboriginal video and visual artists and provides a forum for voicing stories, issues and concerns that are not addressed by current mainstream media.

To complement this year’s film series, the Rotary Courtyard features Shaping of a Place, a site-specific group installation by En’owkin Center students from the National Aboriginal Professional Artist Training Program (NAPAT).  Curated by Geraldine Manossa M.A, this dynamic ensemble brings together cultural philosophies of Syilx (Okanagan) artists.  Students were given the task to observe how a community shapes a geographical environment, and now are challenged by the reverse concept to explore how art objects are affected by a defined space.  In this case, physical and environmental conditions including wind, snow, rain, and sunlight all play important social and physiological roles.

REEL ROOTz 2008 will continue with Venues and a line-up showcasing the innovative talent of first nations films in the works of Lisa Jackson,( Anishinaabe), Chris Bose, (N’laka’pamux),  Lorne Olson, (Cree), Jordan Wheeler, (Cree),  Mariel Belanger,(Syilx) Aimee Lezard, (Syilx), Chief Judy Wilson, (Secwepemc) Burton Amos, Hailsa, Jeff Bear, (Maliseet), Tracey Jack, (Syilx), Terrene Derek, (Gitxsan).

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05 Feb 2008