December 1, 2007 to March 2, 2008
1315 Water Street Kelowna BC

The Kelowna Art Gallery is pleased to present Nexus: Histories and Communities, an exhibition of works from the permanent collection of the Kelowna Art Gallery in celebration of the galleryís thirtieth anniversary.

This show will draw on the depth and variety of the art collection that began in Kelowna in 1977, and was the kernel and initial essence of the future gallery. The shared history that has unfolded since then has involved many players and enthusiasts over the years, and the collection has been shaped by various engaged individuals.

Conceived as several clusters of works of art that have been grouped under loosely defined themes, the exhibition will also underscore the various developments and changes in artistic attitude and practice over the decades within each working area. Some of these themes will be: depictions of and around the orchard industry, developments in abstraction, work in the graphic media of drawing and printmaking, and shifts in art-making in the areas of sculpture and installation. Both historical and contemporary pieces will be included.

Extensive, full-colour catalogue produced by the Kelowna Art Gallery
$20 members price
$25 non-members price
This catalogue features many works from our permanent collection in celebration of the galleryís thirtieth anniversary.  The catalogue mirrors the exhibition, exploring six themes. Also included are writings submitted by members of the community about the works of art or the collection in general.  
Full colour catalogue, 140 pages.  Perfect-bound, soft cover (coffee table style).   

Kate Wilson: Real Estate Flowers
December 1, 2007 to January 20, 2008

We look forward with excitement to the arrival at the Kelowna Art Gallery of Toronto-based artist Kate Wilson. Wilson will spend a week here at the end of November, creating a unique and ephemeral work on one large wall in the Reynolds Gallery. Although she will be working with acrylic paint, Wilson refers to such pieces as drawings, and indeed they do read that way: graphic renderings in black on a white wall, that hum with a frenzied, exuberant visual energy. She says of these pieces: "My intention is to work toward a new kind of notional intimacy that incorporates degraded visual conventions while inscribing an array of catastrophic imagery - The finished pieces are small architectures - [with] an aesthetic of ruptures that serves to make the familiar visible and readable in an intentionally new way."

Wilson's site-specific work for Kelowna will be photographed to record it, but it will be painted over at the close of the exhibition, so donít miss your chance to see this piece in situ.

Kate Wilson studied at the Ontario College of Art and did a studio residency at the Banff Centre and is a past recipient of the Canada Council Paris Studio. She is active as a filmmaker and is currently a member of the artistsí collective Persona Volare. Wilson has shown her work nationally and internationally. She will be creating similar works this fall at the University of Buffalo Center for the Arts, and in 2008 at the St Mary's University Art Gallery in Halifax. 

0 Comments

21 Nov 2007

On Thursday, December 6, 2007,7-9PM, the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop will finish off another year of its highly successful Wine Education Series of Tastings (WEST) with a toast to the festive season. Join the BC Wine Museum on Thursday, December 6th at 7 PM for Glitter and Gold, a celebration and sampling of an assortment of bubbly wines, ice wines, and late harvest wines. Tickets are $20 for Kelowna Museums members and $25 for non-members. Reserve your tickets today by calling (250) 868-0441. The WEST series is a wine education program designed to educate and unveil the perception of wine in a fun, interactive, and casual environment while combining the natural elements of food and wine.    

The BC Wine Museum is pleased to welcome guest speaker Moni Schiller, founder of Nuttier than a Fruitcake and baker of fruitcakes that have become an Okanagan holiday staple. Moni has been hand-baking each batch of fruitcakes since 1996, when she decided to take her passion mainstream. Her fruitcakes are sold by wineries, wine shops, and artisan shops throughout the Okanagan and contain rich, high-quality ingredients, making them ideal to be enjoyed with fine wines. "This cake looks gorgeous- like a slice of jewels- and tastes like heaven," Moni says. Come taste for yourself on December 6th when we will sample cakes from Nuttier than a Fruitcake together with wines from the VQA Wine Shop.
 
All WEST programs are hosted by Julianna Hayes, a celebrated BC wine educator, and held at the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop, located in the historic Laurel Packinghouse at 1304 Ellis Street (corner of Cawston & Ellis) in Kelownaís Cultural District. The BC Wine Museum is a satellite facility of the Kelowna Museums Society, a registered non-profit society. Proceeds from WEST and other Museum functions are used to strengthen Museum collections and expand services to the community.

For tickets and information on WEST events, please call the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop at 250-868-0441 or email at Wine@KelownaMuseums.ca.  Visit our new website at www.KelownaMuseums.ca for more information.

0 Comments

20 Nov 2007

When artist and UBCO professor Gary Pearson arrived in the Okanagan in 1992 the local arts community could be summed up in one phrase: small town. Not small in quality, but small in stature.

Pearson knew there was cultural gold in these hills, and he uncovered it with the release of his book The Creative Voice: Art and Life in the Okanagan in 1998, an influential collection of 35 interviews of local artists, writers, musicians, and filmmakers.

"At that point, the Okanagan was in a bit of a transition period, but we were on the cusp of something, which I tried to capture in my book," said Pearson, who speaks at 4:30 pm Thursday, November 22 at the Okanagan Institute's Expressions series, held weekly at Mosaic Books, Kelowna's independent bookstore.

Pearson recalls that at the time of the book's release, Kelowna's population hovered around 100,000, the Rotary Centre of the Arts was not yet complete, and public art still seemed a novel concept.

"Now we've matured to the point where residents don't feel they have to explain themselves when it comes to why they are here," Pearson said, and that is reflected in the growing engagement with, and commitment to, the arts. The thriving economy, and growing wine and tourism industries are attracting a lot of attention, and a lot of new growth and opportunities.

But there are risks with growth, and Pearson believes the city needs to guard against crowding out artists from the downtown core.

"We need a vibrant and affordable downtown and that means artists should also be able to live there without exorbitant prices. We need to promote the idea of a city that is liveable for all participants."

Gary Pearson is an associate professor at UBC-O in the Creative and Critical Studies Department where he teaches painting and drawing along with a graduate course on research methods in creative theory. His work has appeared in exhibits throughout Canada and around the world.

The Creative Voice: 10 Years On 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.

To register: http://www.okanaganinstitute.com



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.

0 Comments

17 Nov 2007

The Alternator Philosophers Cafe presents: Poetry, Mathematics, and Endangered Species With moderators Nancy Holmes and Dr. Sylvie Desjardins

Nancy Holmes and Sylvie Desjardins are colleagues at UBC Okanagan and both share an interest in environmental conservation in the South Okanagan. The South Okanagan valley is one of the most endangered habitats in Canada, with more endangered species than any other region in the country. This shared interest has led to a collaborative work that joins their seemingly incompatible backgrounds and disciplines towards something they both love- the landscape, plants and animals of the Okanagan valley.

Sylvie Desjardins is an associate professor of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. She has been involved in several field studies which mark and recapture butterflies to collect mathematical data to develop spatially explicit population dispersal models. This information is used by conservationists in their work to ensure the sustainability of ecological populations.

Nancy Holmes is an accomplished poet and associate professor in Creative Studies at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Her collaborative process with Sylvie invokes the poetics of the scientific process and an awareness of ecological connectivity that crosses academic disciplines.

The Philosophers Cafe, a new program designed to enhance the community's understanding of contemporary art and stimulate discussion about cultural issues, is organized by the Alternator Gallery, an artist-run centre in the RCA at 421 Cawston Ave. Admission is by donation. Call (250) 868-2298, check www.alternatorgallery.com or e-mail info@alternatorgallery.com for information. 

0 Comments

14 Nov 2007

When we are young, art is an outlet for our creative energies. But for many once the tender age of 10 passes, art becomes an exercise in judgment. The result? Young people no longer connected to their own creativity.

This Thursday, at 4:30 p.m. at Mosaic Books, Okanagan Institute continues its cultural series under its new seasonal moniker Expressions with Young at Art - featuring three artists each with their own unique perspective on the importance of maintaining art as a living experience for people of all ages and abilities.

Karen Close is a retired art and English teacher who recently founded ABC Experiencing - a program designed to help people of all ages engage in nature and from there find their artistic voice.

Greatly affected by her travels through Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island, and in the Ninstints in the Haida Gwaii, Close sees the connection between the world of nature and the world of art. They are partners in a marriage of human experience.

"The program is designed to encourage participants to see nature with fresh eyes and to feel the joy of expressing with 'heART'," says Close. "Teaching youth to have faith in the creative urgings of their hearts is the ost important lesson adults can impart."

Sara Lige is a professional artist who has a passion for helping people with developmental disabilities create works of art, without fear of doing things "right". After learning about programs in Vancouver and San Francisco, Lige decided in 2003 to found the non-profit organization Cool Arts in the Central Okanagan. Since then, Cool Arts has held monthly workshops on themes ranging from printmaking to rock carving.

"Our general teaching philosophy is to allow the artist to accomplish as much as possible on their own. If they ask for help, then we assist," she says.

Lee Claremont is probably one of the best known Okanagan artists in the country. Originally born in Woodstock, Ontario of Mohawk/Irish descent, Claremont started her formal artistic instruction at Okanagan College in the late 1980s and has soared since.

Her colourful distinctive work has appeared in exhibits around the world, and hangs in both private and public collections across the country.

Over the years, Claremont has expressed a keen commitment to passing on her connection to art to the next generation - teaching at the En'Owkin Centre in Penticton, and acting as a guest lecturer at Okanagan University College. She continues to operate workshops focused on exploring creativity, and recently received the Angel Award fro the largest individual creative contribution in the visual arts in the Okanagan Valley.

Young at Art 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.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE:
http://www.okanaganinstitute.com

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.
 

0 Comments

12 Nov 2007