VISUAL ARTS

It may not be a Picasso, but we want it! Picassoâs Cupboard, our 3rd annual silent auction, is a month long event being planned to raise funds in support of exhibitions and programs at Gallery Vertigo. We hope to fill the gallery with all kinds of unique treasures for this fun event. The treasures will be on display at the gallery from November 18th to December 13th with the silent auction closing at 2pm on December 13th.

NOAA Members and friends of the gallery are asked to help round up items for auction. Please ask your families, friends and neighbours to look in their cupboards and closets for hidden treasures to donate. Objects of art, both weird and wonderful are sought. Found objects, pottery, art supplies, glass, china, antiques, furniture, books, wood carvings, small paintings and drawings, frames, etc., etc., etc., are welcome. Your help is appreciated.

Please drop off items at the gallery from now until and Sat. Nov. 15th between 11am and 4pm. Donated items will be on exhibition between Nov. 18th and Dec. 13th with a gala closing of the auction and raffle draw at 2pm on the 13th. All donors and visitors will be entered into a draw for a fabulous Christmas basket.


Photo: Inge Kooyman has a sneak peek at some of the treasures arriving daily at Gallery Vertigo.

Gallery Vertigo
#1-3001-31st Street (upstairs)
Vernon, BC V1T 5H8
(250) 503-2297
info@galleryvertigo.com
www.galleryvertigo.com

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08 Nov 2008

"RANDOM DRAWINGS" is at the Summerland Art Gallery from November 13 to 22, 2008.

On for only ten days, this show features "in progress" and completed works of the members of The Group of 6 or 7.

Opening on Thursday, November 13 with a wine and cheese reception from 7 to 9 p.m., viewers will have the opportunity to see many different sketching styles and techniques on display.

The gallery, at 9533 Main Street, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.

For further information 494-4494

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07 Nov 2008

Four new exhibitions at the Vernon Public Art Gallery will be celebrated with an opening reception on Thursday, November 6th from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.  The special event will recognize several distinct artists, including Barbara Marchand, smallMATTERS by members of the gallery, Mike Nield, and Jorden & David Doody. The first exhibition titled SYILX, created by Barbara Marchand, is a sculptural installation consisting of several shallow bas-relief wall hangings and a free-standing sculpture, complemented by a documentary video on her artistic profile, produced by CHBC in 2007. Marchand’s intent in this body of artwork is, as she points out, “…to portray visually how traditional stories and language connect, overlap, and remind us of our responsibility to take care of the land.”

The annual members’ exhibit, smallMATTERS, is a popular and valuable part of the Gallery’s exhibition programming. To participate in the exhibit, members must follow strict size restrictions – two-dimensional work must be equal to or smaller than a total of 12 inches and three-dimensional must be equal to or smaller than a total of 18 inches. The presentation of small-scale artwork is not only an opportunity for members to showcase their work, but also for the community to view and purchase artwork from a diverse group of artistic talents.

Mike Nield is a recent graduate from the BFA program at the Faculty of Critical and Creative Studies at the UBC Okanagan. The artist’s interest in natural forces and architectural design result in a sculptural installation titled Containment that explores the phenomena of space, energy and motion. True to the main concept of installation art that states that the artwork is only complete when the viewer is a part of it, Nield places the viewer in the centre of the space containing three sculptural elements. The artist’s experiments with architectural design enhance the sculptural forms he creates and the scale of actual pieces often references the size of the human body.

Jorden and David Doody are recent graduates from the BFA program at the UBC-O Fine Arts Department. Their artistic practice exemplifies a collaborative approach to art making, and their artwork is executed in two and three-dimensional collages and video with a similar collage-based approach. Their installation/presentation in the Community Gallery titled Collages brings together small-scale two-dimensional collages and a free-standing collage-inspired sculpture. Their collage/assemblage methodology results in visual propositions that are pluralistic in nature, difficult to interpret, and which place a responsibility on the viewer to decode the possible parallel meanings in the presented artwork.

The new exhibitions in the Vernon Public Art Gallery will run from November 6th until December 23rd.

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30 Oct 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.

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29 Oct 2008

Deadline for submissions for the 6th annual Wearable Art Gala: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2008

In 2008 the Alternator Wearable Art Gala was unleashed as over 50 artists including some 35 students from UBC Okanagan participated in an extravaganza of portable art. The performance was punctuated with big Diva entrances and costumes ranged from the beautiful to the grotesque. Highlights included a battle dress made from 2000 chopsticks and other couture made from jigsaw puzzle pieces, balloons filled with pebbles, tennis balls, pillows and telephones. The performances were outrageous and challenged the barriers of audience and performer.

The gears are now turning in preparation for the Alternator's 6th Annual Wearable Art Gala is happening this coming spring 2009. This fun and funky adult event is not a fashion show in the traditional sense - it's an artistic exploration of all types of body adornment. All creative minds are called upon to participate.

If you have an interesting idea of design art you can wear, simply download an entry form from our website by following the Opportunities link to Special Calls. Follow the instructions making sure entries include drawings and/or photos or your submission along with a brief description of your project.

There are no entry fees. Wearable art submissions can be returned, just include an SASE with your entry form. Accepted submissions will be showcased at the Alternator's 2009 Wearable Art Gala.

For those of you who participated in last years' event, for the curious and those of you considering submitting for 2009, the Alternator will be screening last year's highlights on Friday, October 17 at 7pm. The public is invited to come early at 6pm to participate in a members' meeting to learn more about the Alternator and engage with us in radical ways of thinking about and making art.

Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art
#103-421 Cawston Ave.Kelowna, BC V1Y 6Z1
250-868-2298
www.alternatorgallery.com
info@alternatorgallery.com

The Alternator is an artist-run centre  and a non-profit charitable society with a mandate to support the development of innovative and experimental contemporary artwork by emerging and mid-career artists.

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24 Oct 2008

Okanagan College's Randy Hennessy and Regional Dean John Lent stand in front of the new gallery space: Kalamalka Vertigo.

  Vernon has a brand new art gallery! In its inaugural exhibition,"Kalamalka Vertigo" , located at the Kalamalka campus of Okanagan College, presents a selection of art works by Gallery Vertigo studio artists. Kalamalka Vertigo represents a new joint venture between Gallery Vertigo and Okanagan College. This is the newest incarnation of the ongoing partnership between the two institutions. The exhibition can be viewed during college hours from now until Wednesday, October 22nd.

A new exhibition will begin on Thursday, October 23rd and run until early December. The new show will include excerpts from Gallery Vertigo's current exhibition, "Not with a BANG, but  with an SUV..." as well as never-before-seen works addressing environmental issues.

All are invited to view the works at Kalamalka Vertigo, located at Vernon's Kalamalka Campus of Okanagan College. The gallery is located just past the college lecture theatre in the main building adjacent to the college office.

Gallery Vertigo is operated by the North Okanagan Artists Alternative is a registered non-profit society comprised of local and regional artists and friends of the arts. Since September of the year 2000, we have been actively engaged in creating awareness, in holding art exhibitions, and in establishing an artist run centre in the North Okanagan.

Since the formation of the North Okanagan Artists Alternative, a well-spring of talented and energetic people have come forth to offer their support and volunteer effort to the organization and its objectives. Visual artists, writers, film makers, university instructors, musicians, fine arts students, performance artists, artisans and many citizens who support the arts have come together in a spirit of co-operation. The synergy which has resulted from the joining together of artists and friends of the arts is an example of what is possible in a community such as ours. This synergy serves to illuminate not only what is possible for the arts community itself, but also for the larger community.
 

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21 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.

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17 Oct 2008

Figure Drawing       
Sat. & Sun.    Nov. 1 – Nov. 2        1- 4 pm        $98 + GST
Learn to see and draw more believable three-dimensional figures by studying the human form.  In this course, you will gain new insights into the theories of mark-making, composition, proportion, colour and abstraction.  Each session includes three hours with a model. 

Mixed Media Painting and Collage
Thursdays    Nov.6 – Dec. 11        6-9 pm        $270 + GST
Introduce yourself to the process of image making on various textual surfaces and the use of techniques such as collage, frottage, plastering, paint resists, photo transfers, fluid pours and relief application.  A variety of materials will be explored such as acrylic regular body paints, fluid, high load and air brush pigments.  All support and priming applications will be examined.  Acrylic mediums such as modeling pastes, gels and surface building products will also be used.

Travel Writing – Sharing Your Journey
Saturday     Nov. 8            10 am – 3 pm        $149 + GST
Take a day trip with a veteran travel writer and discover what it takes to have your story published.  Good travel writing is more than just describing where you’ve been and what you’ve seen.  This course will teach globe trotters what you should know before you go and how to translate what you’ve seen on to paper.  The session will look at how to generate story ideas, help participants develop their writing skills and teach aspiring travel writers how to get their work published by writing pitch letters to editors.
www.ubc.ca/okanagan/continuingstudies

Call 250 807-8177 or 250 807-9981

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15 Oct 2008

Free Family fun at the Rotary Centre for the Arts.

Individual artists galleries and group galleries are open for discovery.

Free food, drink and fun. Artists have created pieces from a $5 gift of art greeting card to $5,000 for the perfect christmas gift. Support local arts, buy within 100 km, go green this year.

Inquire about future classes and arts events in the cultural core of your own town. See artists in their own setting, creating new works.

from 4 pm until 7 pm each first Thursday of every month.

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13 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