LEARNING

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Freelancing in the Media

TRUE STORIES OF TRIUMPH & TRIBULATION
» Thursday 6 November 2008 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing people and ideas featured in Okanagan ARTS. Join us as Leanne Allen, Karin Wilson and Robert MacDonald explore the role of freelancers in the constantly-changing modern broadcasting and publishing landscape.

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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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Creative Insiders Compare Survival Strategies

There's a scene at the beginning of the movie The Incredibles where Elastigirl suggests to her future husband that he should be more "flexible". If ever there was a metaphor for surviving in the Okanagan media landscape, flexible would certainly cover it.

This week, the Okanagan Institute's Express series reaches into the media world with a look at how local media players have flexed their creative thinking muscles to keep themselves vibrant players in an industry that sometimes appears to be all locked up.

The Okanagan Institute Express series continues its creative explorations, presenting Freelancing in the Media: True Stories of Triumph and Tribulation. The event takes place Thursday, November 6 at 5 pm at the Bohemian Café. Featured at the event are three high-profile self-employed media people who have watched their work morph and change in reaction to a media world continually hungry for something new.

Leanne Allen is the former publisher and editor of Off-Centre Magazine, the only urban, independent magazine in the Southern Interior targeting the 20-45 demographic. A brazen risk-taker, Allen launched the magazine with a whopping four-pages that quickly grew to become the region's answer to the Georgia Strait tackling local issues with an edge. Along the way, Allen expanded her media vision with a foray into creating live television under the banner Off-Centre Omnimedia. Since the sale of her magazine last fall, has been working on a pilot project Citizen Jane for CBC Radio along with her sister. A creative entrepreneur, Leanne blames her Bachelor's degree in English on Margaret Atwood.

Karin Wilson has worked in the Okanagan media since she arrived in Penticton in 2002. She started out as a news reporter and columnist for the local daily news covering courts, crime and aboriginal affairs. After the birth of her daughter, she migrated into new media and broadcasting, working for Bridges.com in Kelowna and then for CBC Radio. Most recently she added magazine writing to her repertoire working for Okanagan Arts, Okanagan Home, and Okanagan Life, along with freelancing for the Vancouver Sun, all while balancing her role as Associate Director of the Okanagan Institute and organizing and hosting the weekly Thursday Express series.

Robert MacDonald is another media sojourner who has taken the path from graphic design, advertising and marketing into magazine and book publishing. MacDonald was the Director of the Publishing Workshops at the University of Toronto and the Banff Centre for fifteen years, and a founder of the Canadian Periodical Publishers Association and the Graphic Arts in the Public Service Foundation. He has been involved in the launch and repositioning of numerous magazines, and several book publishing companies. He is the publisher, editor and designer of Okanagan Arts and Okanagan Home magazines, and consults with media and technology companies, universities and associations in Canada and the US.

Freelancing in the Media: True Stories of Triumph and Tribulation is a free event, and takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 65th 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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03 Nov 2008

In conjunction with the exhibition Boundaries, the Kelowna Art Gallery is pleased to partner with the UBC Okanagan Facility of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS) on the Conversations on Contemporary Art lecture series and FCCS Showcase series. All events will be held at the Kelowna Art Gallery and are free to the public. Please call the gallery to reserve your spot! 250-762-2226.

Conversations on Contemporary Art
November 3 ñ December 1, 7:00 ñ 9:00 pm
Join us for this five-part lecture series on contemporary art ñ learn about the significance of contemporary art and its connection to culture and history!
These lively and illustrated lectures will feature a new topic each week. Distinguished experts and artists from the University of British Columbia Okanagan, Department of Creative Studies, will lead the discussions.

FCCS Showcase Series
Film Screening and Panel Discussion
Engage the Filmmaker
Gary Burns Presents and Discusses Radiant City
Tuesday, November 25, 7:00 - 10:00 pm
Radiant City, produced by Burns Film Ltd in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada, is Burnís first feature-length documentary, which he co-directs with journalist and first-time filmmaker Jim Brown. The subject ñ the issue of urban sprawl ñ is explored through the experience of one family negotiating the complexities of contemporary North American suburbia. Radiant City interestingly mixes documentary and dramatic techniques in its exploration of an issue being debated in many Canadian communities, including Kelowna.

Literary Reading
Wednesday, December 3, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Join us for an evening of readings with Professors of Creative Writing at UBC Okanagan. Michael V. Smith, Nancy Holmes, and Sharon Thesen will read from recent work and work in progress.

Blue Pencil Cafe
Saturday, December 6 and Saturday, December 13
10:30 am ñ 4:30 pm
Writers ages 16 and over are invited to submit pieces of their work for a for a one-on-one conference session with UBC Okanagan Creative Writing professors Michael V. Smith, Nancy Holmes, and Sharon Thesen.

0 Comments

29 Oct 2008

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Let's Dance

BALLET TAKES CENTRE STAGE
» Thursday 30 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 David LeHay of Ballet Kelowna and Lori Larson of the Canadian School of Ballet discuss how the Okanagan has become a centre of dance culture in Canada.

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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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Local Ballet Achieves National Prominence

One of the biggest cultural stories of the last five years has been the transformation of the Okanagan into a national dance powerhouse. The story dates back decades to the late 1950s when the founders of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Canadian School of Ballet retired to the Okanagan. Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally brought the school with them to their new home and continued their devotion to nurturing generations of young dancers.

But it was in the current decade that a remarkable pirouette took place when the school found a new partner in David LaHay and Ballet Kelowna was born. In short order, the performance company jumped from its original touring schedule of seven performances in six communities, to 50 performances before more than 13,000 people in more than 30 communities throughout B.C. and Alberta.

Now it seems the larger dance community is taking note, and pundits predict this confluence of events is about to put the region on the nation's map for cultural excellence.

The Okanagan Institute Express series continues its The Past is Prologue cultural history explorations with host Karen Close presenting Let's Dance: Ballet Takes Centre Stage. The event takes place Thursday, October 30 at 5 pm at the Bohemian Café. Speakers at the event are Ballet Kelowna founder and artistic director David LaHay and Lori Larson, the current director of the Canadian School of Ballet.

David LaHay founded Ballet Kelowna in 2002 following a long and successful career as a performer, teacher, ballet master and director. He was the principal dancer with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (Montreal) and was guest artist with The Royal Swedish Ballet (Stockholm), The Alberta Ballet (Calgary) and The Cuban International Dance Festival (Havana).

Lori Larson first met the founders of CSB while studying dance herself at the Banff Centre of the Arts. By 1986 she, along with Mel Brown, assumed the torch and made a commitment to uphold the founders' legacy. "Dance, music and theatre enriches all our lives," says Larson, who was instrumental in the development of Ballet Kelowna. Larson is also the founding member of the Okanagan Summer Dance Intensive which celebrated a successful inaugural dance training programme with 70 students and 10 professionals from across Canada in residence at UBCO.

Let's Dance: Ballet Takes Centre Stage is a free event, and takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 64th 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.

0 Comments

24 Oct 2008

Saturday, October 25th, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Laurel Packinghouse
What would an Apple Fair be without apples? Fortunately, we won't find out the answer to that question because Saturday, October 25th, there will be over two dozen local apple varieties to tempt your taste buds. Old favourites such as Spartan, McIntosh, and Royal Gala will be on the table, as well as apples you may not know such as Hokuto, Delblush,  and Belle de Boskoop. And yes, there will be Winter Bananas!

The BC Orchard Industry Museum proudly presents its annual Apple Fair at the historic Laurel Packinghouse, celebrating the 20th year of this family-favourite event. Come for the freshly picked apples and stay for a day filled with activities. Bring the family and keep the beat alongside the Brightside Cloggers, folk singer Mat Duffus, and harmonies from Okanagan Voice Works.

For those looking to get hands on, there will be apple carving all day long and a bean bag toss from 11am-2pm. Don't miss the opportunity to paint and decorate you own birdhouse, courtesy of the Kelowna Women's Shelter. There will also be free face painting and prizes for the colouring contest.

There will be an assortment of locally made sweets and treats, such as homemade apple 'n spice ice cream from Marble Slab Creamery, caramel and candy apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, homemade apple pie by the slice, and hot apple cider.

Browse the wares of local artisans and vendors and make a bid in the silent auction. There will be a door prize given away at the end of the day.
The BC Orchard Industry Museum would like to thank the growers and packinghouses who support the Apple Fair every year. Thank you to the BC Fruit Market on Clement Ave (Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative), Westbank Harvest in Westbank, and Okanagan Plant Improvement Corporation (PICO) in Summerland. 

Admission is $2 per person and $5 for a family or group of four.
For more information please call (250) 763-0433 or visit www.KelownaMuseums.ca.

0 Comments

24 Oct 2008

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Aboriginality

A CELEBRATION OF NATIVE HEALING ARTS
» Thursday 23 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 Rebecca Cameron, Carol Derrickson, Patricia Morven, Roxanne Lindley and Gayle Liman share personal experiences of aboriginal healing traditions throughout the Americas.

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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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Native Healing Arts the Focus of Special Event

Health care may not have been top on the political agenda this federal campaign, but for thousands of people in the Okanagan it is the most important issue they face on a daily basis. Whether we are coping with a diagnosis of cancer or heart disease, or dealing with mental illness or elder care, our physical wellbeing has a direct impact on our day-to-day experience.

While traditional Western medicine has focused on fixing our health, aboriginal tradition has focused on healing, which often takes a more holistic view of the person by examining not only the physical body, but the mental and spiritual body as well.

The Okanagan Institute Express series has invited a powerful group of experts in the field of aboriginal healing to share their personal experiences of healing - and how it has affected their lives and others. The event touches on not only Okanagan practices, but aboriginal healing traditions throughout the Americas. Aboriginality: A Celebration of Native Healing Arts takes place October 23, at 5 pm at the Bohemian Café.

Rebecca Cameron is a teacher and new mother. She'll discuss her personal experience with aboriginal healer Tis Mal Crow, an internationally known herbalist and Native American Root Doctor of Cherokee and Hitchiti decent, and author of the book Native Plants, Native Healing.

Carol Derrickson is a member of the Westbank First Nation, who has worked as an administrator in social development for the last 15 years, with a particular focus on Pine Acres, the band-owned 63-bed elder's residence which offers intermediate care. A mother and grandmother, Derrickson speaks to the importance of caring for the whole person as we age.

Patricia Morven, of Nisga'a and Thompson decent, teaches life skills for the ROADS Program through Westbank First Nation. An expert in designing programs that use art as a form of healing, Morven will talk about how the arts has helped people overcome addiction.

Roxanne Lindley is a carrier of cultural and traditional medicines. A member of the Westbank First Nations, she will talk about the aboriginal world view with regard to plants and medicine.

Gayle Liman is the research curator for the Westbank First Nation. She will discuss a holistic approach to healing involving mind, body and spirit and her personal healing journey that took her from Mexico to Guatemala and beyond, where she learned about plants and medicines from numerous Aboriginal healers.

Aboriginality is an ongoing series underway as part of the Okanagan Institute's Express Series, which aims to bring diverse groups of people together in the interest of improving our understanding of culture and the arts, and celebrate the breadth of talent expressed in the Okanagan.

Aboriginality: A Celebration of Native Healing Arts is a free event, and takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 63rd 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.

0 Comments

17 Oct 2008

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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.

0 Comments

12 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

Introducing the newly developed Sports Legacy Committee and the Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame Museum. The time has come to celebrate sporting achievement in our community and you can be a part of it!

The Sports Legacy Committee is a group of dedicated volunteers, in partnership with the Kelowna Museums Society, who share a vision to collect, preserve, exhibit, and display artefacts representing the Central Okanagan's sports heritage.

With tremendous community pride, the first team to be recognized and honoured by the Committee will be the 1958 Kelowna Packers.

During the Cold War, when no other hockey team had ever played in Russia- and Canada was being challenged as the premier hockey country- the Kelowna Packers were the first Canadian team to play inside the iron curtain in Russia and maintained hockey supremacy. With the late Jack O'Reilly as coach, the Packers won the tournament.

The 1958 Kelowna Packers will be inducted into the Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame in an induction ceremony on November 13th, 2008 at the Coast Capri Hotel in Kelowna, 7am-9am. Several players still live in the area and will attend the induction ceremony. Others will travel across Canada and the United States to attend.

NHL veteran Kelly Hrudey and sportscaster Scott Oake will be in attendance to honour the 1958 Kelowna Packers as the first inductees.

You can be a part of Central Okanagan sport history- and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Kelowna Packers- by attending the induction ceremony. A limited number of tickets are available so don't wait!

Tickets are available at the Okanagan Heritage Museum (470 Queensway Ave), and the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop (located inside the Laurel Packinghouse at 1304 Ellis Street).

Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.KelownaMuseums.ca.

The Sport Legacy Committee and the Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame Museum gratefully acknowledge the title sponsor for this event, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.

This is an opportunity to celebrate the first ever inductees into the Sports Hall of Fame and to be a part of achieving a new community institution. Don't miss this special event- support sport excellence in your community!


Tickets are $100.00 each. Please call (250) 763-2417 for more information.

0 Comments

01 Oct 2008

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Special Offer! See below.

Re:Verse

RANDOM ACTS OF POETRY
» Thursday 2 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 Marion Barschel, Jeremy Auld, David Crawley, Carl Hare, Janet Anderson and Valerie Stetson present a stimulating journey of discovery into the magical world of poetry.

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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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Celebrities Celebrate the Power of Poetry

Poetry is our first voice, and some might argue, our final voice. From cradle to grave, and for much of the journey in between, it is poetry more than any other literary form that captures the peak moments in our lives. For decades children grew up on the poetry of A.A. Milne, and later in life grew to love William Wordsworth, or William Blake. Today's generation more commonly find poetry in lyrics, but it has also morphed into the modern-day form of spoken word - a combination of poetry and theatre art where top-notch practitioners command peak pay for their slam performances.

"Poetry has been changing its image these days - young people are coming to it with new skills learned from music and the Web. It's revitalizing the Canadian literary experience," says Nancy Holmes, a poet and UBCO associate professor who has spent the last few years bringing Random Acts of Poetry to the streets of Kelowna.

This year, Holmes has joined forces with the Okanagan Institute to put on a special poetry event featuring a variety of poets, lovers of poetry, and spoken word experts reading from their own works, and others. As part of the event, Holmes has invited her university students to assist the audience in creating their own poetry.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to remind people of how creative they are, and to pay attention to the seemingly small things in life," says Karin Wilson, co-host and associate director of the Institute.

This coming Thursday, October 2, the Okanagan Institute Express presents Re:Verse - Random Acts of Poetry, hosted by Nancy Holmes at 5 pm at the Bohemian Café in Kelowna. Marion Barschel, Jeremy Auld, David Crawley, Carl Hare, Janet Anderson and Valerie Stetson present a stimulating journey of discovery into the magical world of poetry.

Marion Barschel is the host of CBC Radio's Daybreak which airs throughout the Southern Interior. Prior to her arrival in Kelowna eight years ago, Marion worked for CBC Radio in Regina. Daybreak has made it part of its mission to bring poetry to the people through its annual summer poetry contest, produced with the assistance of John Lent from Okanagan College in Vernon. The series has succeeded in introducing regional poets to listeners throughout the region.

Jeremy Auld likes to do things a little differently. In keeping with the mindset of the MSN generation, Jeremy mixes numbers with letters in unusual ways to make people think about the way the choose to communicate. As he says: "I started wrighting when I was 16. I like 2 wright in a way that allows people to think and ask questions. My motivation is 2 paint murals with the colour of words and inspire beauty in the world."

David Crawley is the retired Anglican Archbishop of B.C. and retired bishop of the Kootenay Diocese. He's also a story-teller, cook, sausage maker, skier�and occasional writer who failed third year English but loves poetry.

Carl Hare retired to Kelowna 11 years ago after a lifetime in the theatre community. Founder of the theatre department at the University of Victoria, he also taught at the National Theatre School, and was chair of the Drama Department at the University of Alberta. Trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England, he was a professional actor and director and the Artistic Director of Company One Theatre. Since his arrival in Kelowna he has acted both with Sunshine Theatre and the Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops and been narrator with the Okanagan Symphony on a number of occasions. Over the past two decades he has also explored the writing of poetry and is presently engaged in a major work.

Janet Anderson is the Artistic Director of Festivals Kelowna, producers of the Life & Arts Festival, Parks Alive!, Arts Alive!, and the Kelowna Canada Day Celebrations. Prior to arriving in Kelowna, Janet worked for 10 years organizing groundbreaking collaborative projects in theatre, print, video, sound, computer graphics, multimedia, and virtual reality. She also coordinated and stage managed many special events in Alberta including the Celebrity Sports Invitational Auction and Gala for Robert Kennedy Jr. She also has wide-ranging experience as an actor, producer, teacher and director of children's theatre workshops and productions.

Valerie Stetson is a writer living in Kelowna. Her first book, a collection of short stories called The Year I Got Impatient, was a runner-up for the 2008 Danuta Gleed Literary Award. The title story also received The 2001 Bronwen Wallace Award. Her second book, a collection of poems called Living In Gravity, was published in 2008. She is currently writing a novel.

Nancy Holmes writes both short fiction and poetry. She has published four collections of poetry, Valancy and the New World (Kalamalka Press, 1988), Down to the Golden Chersonese: Victorian Lady Travellers (Sono Nis, 1991), The Adultery Poems (Ronsdale, 2002) Mandorla (Ronsdale, 2005). Her poetry and fiction have recently been published in Room of One's Own, Lichen, The Malahat Review, Matrix, Prairie Fire, Grain, The Harpweaver, A Room of One's Own and The Antigonish Review. She teaches Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia Okanagan and has worked as an editor, writing instructor, and mother.

Re:Verse - Random Acts of Poetry is a free event, and takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 60th 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, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, architect Jim Meiklejohn, and others from a variety of creative fields.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE

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Dear Community Cultural Partner: In appreciation of your dedication to the cultural life of our community, Ballet Kelowna is pleased to invite you to the fall season opening "Bolero & Other Works" at Kelowna Community Theatre on October 3rd & 4th at 8 pm with a special offer of 20% off the price of regular admission. Breathtakingly beautiful, Ballet Kelowna captivates audiences with classical and innovative dance. Be Moved! Complete tour schedule information is available at http://www.BalletKelowna.ca. To use your passwords, follow the link above to purchase online or call (250) 860-1470 to speak with a call centre representative. Passwords: CCP1 = Adult | CCP2 = Student Child | CCP3 = Senior

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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.

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26 Sep 2008

Theme: Celebrating the Artists in Our Valley…

Expanding culture, enriching lives… reflecting on their lives. What goes on behind the scenes and in preparation for the artistic experiences we all enjoy? What is now in preparation or the soon-to-be-released projects?

Capsule College, the on-going lecture series co-sponsored by the University Women’s Club of Vernon and Okanagan College, Kalamalka Campus, resumes on Thursday October 9, 2008 at 9:30 am in the Halina Centre (in the Rec Centre, 3310 37 Avenue).

The first talk on October 9, “Another Day in the Arts, perhaps…” is presented by Bob Kingsmill, well-known Vernon and Vancouver area potter. Through an illustrated talk, Bob will speak about his forty years of experience as a studio craftsman, a journey of unanticipated consequences and unexpected rewards.

The second presentation on October 16, “A Woman on the Podium!” features Rosemary Thomson, conductor and music director, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra. She responds two questions she often receives: “What does a conductor do anyway?"  and "There aren't many women in your field are there?" Rosemary speaks to her experience as a pioneer in the exciting male dominated profession of orchestral conducting.
The third presentation on October 23 “Make ‘em Laugh” will be given by Christine Pilgrim, actor and historical interpreter. Comedy feeds whatever Christine does, whether it's a show, historic interpretation, storytelling, writing or teaching.  She is convinced that laughter keeps you healthy, aids memory and is the best way to approach life.  Christine shares the secrets and lessons of 40 years in show biz.
The fourth talk in the series “A Teller of Tales” will be presented by Jack Whyte, author, who reflects on his journey as a successful and popular author, and about the love of language, its uses and usage that has provided him with a lifetime of successful work despite the fact that the various elements of his multiple careers and achievements might appear, at first glance, to be unrelated.

Admission to Capsule College is $7 per lecture or $20 for the series, payable at the door. Proceeds support the sponsorship of two scholarships each year for students at Okanagan College.

Further information, contact:  Linda Peterat  250-545-6171

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17 Sep 2008