Thursday 13 December 2007 | 4:30 pm
Mosaic Books, 411 Bernard Avenue

An informal afternoon hour showcasing the people and ideas featured in Okanagan Arts. Join us as avid readers Don Gayton, Karin Wilson, Jarrod Thalheimer, Robert MacDonald and Barb Hagan present works of wit, wisdom and wonder.

» This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours at http://www.okanaganinstitute.com

A HOLIDAY SEASON CELEBRATION OF THE PRINTED WORD

We tell our children that books and reading are good for them, but do we know why that's true?

Reading is a critically important human activity because it opens doors to factual, practical, theoretical and imaginative ideas and information that informs our work, enlightens our attitudes, and enriches our lives - like nothing else does.

The quest for information through reading flexes our critical thinking skills and helps us solve problems, discover alternatives, reach for enlightenment, understand cause and effect, resolve conflicts, and achieve goals.

Through fiction we vicariously visit new places, meet interesting people, try out experiences, test ideas, follow clues to their logical conclusions, and discover the future. Best of all, we can return at any time for comforting and satisfying visits. And share our discoveries with others.

We vainly predict the death of the printed word but, ironically, the Internet has made reading more and more a part of our daily lives, and book and magazine readership continue to climb year over year. Simply put, "like a bridge over troubled water", books teach and transform.

On Thursday December 13 at 4:30 pm at Mosaic Books, the Okanagan Institute continues its Expressions series with Between the Covers: Books that Matter. Three local writers - Don Gayton, Jarrod Thalheimer, and Karin Wilson - along with publisher Robert MacDonald, and Barb Hagan, the executive director of Project Literacy, discuss and describe the books that have kept them thinking, and even laughing, through the years.

"Books are as important to me as food," Hagan said. "Like most people addicted to reading, I cannot not have a book. I actually go through withdrawal."

The books presented range from classics like The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which is currently banned in Iran.

"One Hundred Years of Solitude is the most successful novel ever to come out of Latin America, spawned the genre of magic realism, has been compared to the Bible," said Gayton, who is championing this 40-year-old novel.

You can also expect the obscure, with titles like Incredible Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds and The Phantom Tollbooth? an eclectic childhood treasure of the 1960s.

As Hagan attests, devoted readers never lack for books, but the ongoing devotion to book clubs proves the thirst for sharing this solitary pleasure continues.

People attending this free event are invited to make donations to Project Literacy. The money will be used to expand the non-profit society's resource library.

A recent study from students at UBC-Okanagan estimates there are as many as 16,000 people in the Central Okanagan needing literacy services. Figures for B.C. are as high as one million.

Between the Covers: Books that Matter is a free event, and takes place at Mosaic Books, Kelowna's independent bookstore. It's presented by the Okanagan Institute in association with the magazines of Wheat King Publishing - Okanagan Arts, Okanagan Home, and Okanagan Q.



Expressions 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.

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09 Dec 2007

» Thursday 6 December 2007 | 4:30 pm
» Mosaic Books, 411 Bernard Avenue

An informal afternoon hour showcasing the people and ideas featured in Okanagan Q. Join us as therapist and relationship counsellor Jim Bell explores the fun and fundamental questions of romance in our time.

» 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

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ROMANCE IN THE WINTER OF OUR LIVES

With one of the largest senior populations in the country, Kelowna is well-placed to be at the forefront of the elder-romance movement.

Lavalife now boasts an on-line dating site targeted specifically for the 55-and up crowd. After all, just because people are "over the hill", doesn't mean they don't long for love.

On Thursday, December 6 at 4:30 p.m., at Mosaic Books Okanagan Institute continues its Expressions series with Love & Wisdom: Let's Celebrate Romance! - a look at how love changes as we age with mid-life specialist and counsellor Jim Bell.

Jim Bell has spent most of his adult life working with individuals and couples who are dealing with fundament questions of what it means to be alive and how to live life with a high level of personal authenticity. And it's those vary issues that often haunt us as we reach middle-age and begin a true quest for romance.

"There is a real spiritual passionate aspect of mid-life. It's like stage one, but on a much deeper level. This time you find new ways of connecting, new levels of intimacy and emotion."

Love & Wisdom: Let's Celebrate Romance! is a free event, and takes place at Mosaic Books, Kelowna's independent bookstore. It's presented by the Okanagan Institute in association with the magazines of Wheat King Publishing - Okanagan Arts, Okanagan Home, and Okanagan Q.
Expressions 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.

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Okanagan Insitute at Mosaic Books
A hearty feast of lectures, presentations, workshops and showcases celebrating our culture, community and the wild blue yonder. Produced by the Okanagan institute in association with the magazines of Wheat King Publishing: Okanagan Arts, Okanagan Home, and Okanagan Q.

Expresssions is a cultural tonic that refreshes the mind. Join us at Mosaic Books 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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01 Dec 2007

Artistic Director Tanya Bakala invites you to the Mission Dance Centre's OPEN HOUSE at 2pm on Sunday, December 2nd, in the Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts.
   Join us for a welcoming, informal chance to explore what weíre all about!  
   This fun and festive seasonal, two hour celebration will provide a glimpse into what happens in our classes as we turn the Mary Irwin Theatre stage into a working studio.   
   We are also pleased to offer a short seasonal performance and current repertoire performed by the Mission Dance Company and Apprentices.  
   This non-ticketed event is first-come, first-serve; donations accepted at the door.  
   After the performance, there will be a chance to meet the instructors and dancers from the Mission Dance Centre and Company as well as an art craft and free treats for children.

For more information, please contact the Mission Dance Centre at 868-0123

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29 Nov 2007

» Thursday 29 November 2007 | 4:30 pm
» Mosaic Books, 411 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing the people and ideas featured in Okanagan Home.

Join us as designer Chantal Couture and master craftsman Augusto Carreras explore their unique inspirations, ideas and styles.

» This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours at http://www.okanaganinstitute.com

Home Experts Design from the Heart.

Canadians are spending countless dollars on renovating their homes, but creating an authentic personal touch requires more than money - it calls for vision and fearless creativity.

On Thursday 29 November at 4:30pm, Okanagan Institute continues its Expressions series with The Arts & Crafts of Home Design, which takes a close-up look at the values in interior design and the beauty of quality craftsmanship.

Personal style speaks through both the large and small things in our home, and Chantal Couture used that philosophy to transform her 1970s style bungalow into a pseudo-loft that mirrors her commitment to both function and form.

The owner of Funktional, a décor store located in downtown Kelowna, Couture combined items from her own store with original works of local art and unique pieces located in the second hand stores or even tossed away by friends and family to come up with a thoroughly post-modern look.

"It's all very instinctual," she said. "I let the room dictate what I want to do."

Craftsmanship plays an equally large role when it comes to establishing a personal style for the home, which means larger pieces such as interior doors and mantels create a big impact.

"The door sets the mood of the entrance, and once your guest is inside the home, the mantel closes the link and creates a good environment," says Augusto Carreras of BC Mantel and Door. "It's warm, and talking about these features leads to interesting conversations."

Originally from Mexico, Carreras came to Canada in the 1980s and a few years ago settled into Kelowna where he now crafts signature doors that echo old-world styles, often with a Moroccan or Mediterranean flavour using a combination of carpentry and ironwork. His work ranges from traditional to contemporary.

The Arts & Crafts of Home Design is a free event, and takes place at Mosaic Books, Kelowna's independent bookstore. It's presented by the Okanagan Institute in association with the magazines of Wheat King Publishing - Okanagan Arts, Okanagan Home, and Okanagan Q.



Expressions 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.

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23 Nov 2007

“Call to Artists”

for the

Nordic Art and Photography Exhibit and Sale

March 1^st and 2^nd, 2008

At the Scandinavian Community Centre

 

We are interested in works that are by artists of Nordic background

and/or works with a Nordic theme.

So start painting, sculpting and snapping unique pictures!

This exhibit is sponsored by the Scandinavian Cultural Society

We want to see what you are doing and give you our support. 

• Sharon Aamodt Dexter, a Nordic folklore artist from the Tacoma area, Washington, will be one of our featured artists. Her beautiful water colours feature Norwegian bunads and the folk costumes of Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden. Sharon’s artwork has received numerous awards including first place ribbons from the Scandinavian American Art Society, a long running display at Pacific Lutheran University and is available in matted prints and cards.  
• For registration forms or info contact: Carolyn Thauberger 778-999-6339 cthauber@interchange.ubc.ca or the Centre at 604 294-2777

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21 Nov 2007