Skip to content

New season at FibreWorks

Art Beat
Mark Crissinger
Mark Crissinger.

The opening exhibition for the tenth anniversary of shows at FibreWorks Gallery features the work of Shamina Senaratne from Vancouver. The title is Excursions and Returns: Meditations on Making and the Maker from the interdisciplinary artist working in fibre, mixed media and text. The opening reception with artist in residence is Saturday, April 1 from 2 to 4 p.m. with refreshments and an opportunity to meet the artist. FibreWorks Studio and Gallery is at 12887 Sunshine Coast Hwy., Madeira Park. Phone: 604-883-2380 or see www.fibreworksgallery.com

On Sunday, April 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., FibreWorks hosts the second annual FibreShed event, titled From Shepherdess to Knitted Dress. The public is invited to see carding, spinning, weaving demonstrations, fibre vendors, sheep shearing and more.

This weekend

The Sunshine Coast Music Society presents jazz singer Laura Crema and the Jazz Group of Seven in concert. It’s at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 1 at the Sechelt Indian Band Hall (behind McDonald’s).Tickets are $20 from Strait Music (Sechelt) and Laedeli (Gibsons).

Aries party

Remember the Hooli-cans from the Bob Marley birthday bash in February? The Hoolicans are back by special request for an April 1 Aries Party at the Roberts Creek (Little) Legion featuring the Jeevious family, Grant Olsen and Pamela Messner followed by DJ Little D. Doors are at 8 p.m.; first set at 9 p.m. It’s $6 for members, $12 for guests of members. And rumour has it that Bob Marley, Chuck Berry and Leonard Cohen will drop by.

Writers’ workshop

Have you registered for the Festival of the Written Arts workshop for writers? It’s this Friday, April 1, from 9 a.m. to noon at Rockwood Centre in Sechelt. Workshop facilitator Trena White of Page Two Strategies will cover Writing a Killer Query Letter and Agent Tips and Tricks. Call 604-885-9631 to register. 

Film

The film Timbuktu has been dropped by its Canadian distributor, so the Sunshine Coast Film Society is replacing it with a “morbidly funny” crowd-pleaser that has already won 13 awards and been nominated for two Oscars. A Man Called Ove is a Swedish comedy/drama with English subtitles. Ove is an isolated, curmudgeonly old man of strict routines, steadfast beliefs and little tolerance – until his boisterous new neighbours accidently run over his mailbox, transforming his life. The film screens in Gibsons at the Heritage Playhouse on April 3 at 7:30 p.m. and in Sechelt at Raven’s Cry Theatre, April 8 at 2 p.m. See www.scfs.ca for more.

Library talks

On Saturday, April 1 Michael Hart Izen tells all you never wanted to know about prostate cancer at the Gibsons Library at 1:30 p.m. On Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m. he speaks at the Sechelt Library about his book Finger Up the Bum, A Guide to My Prostate Cancer. With completely inappropriate cartoons by his brother Jon Izen and father Sneeze, Michael has written a personal, funny, touching, real-life account of his experience with cancer.

Tuesday Talks

Tuesday Talks for April continue at the Sechelt Library from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in the Community Room. On April 4 the subject is Glass Sponge Reefs with Marina Stjecpovic from the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association. Find out more about the North McCall Bank glass sponge reefs just off the shore of Sechelt.

Humpback whales

The Sunshine Coast Conservation Association (SCCA) is pleased to present an informative and entertaining talk, Humpback Comeback, by “Marine Detective” Jackie Hildering of the Marine Education and Research Society. Join them on Wednesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. at the Arts Centre in Sechelt (5714 Medusa St.) to find out more about the return of these giant mammals and what we can do to ensure that new threats do not reverse their remarkable comeback. Entry is by donation and proceeds are shared between the Marine Education and Research Society and the SCCA.

Networking

BC Culture Days announces an event, Stone Soup, in the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre in Sechelt (Medusa and Trail) on Thursday, April 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., part of a series of free creative networking and collaboration events taking place across B.C. Presented in partnership with the District of Sechelt and the Sunshine Coast Arts Council, attendees can connect with other potential Culture Days event registrants to expand their local network, find new collaborators, share resources, and brainstorm ideas for creative projects together. Everyone is welcome: artists (amateur and professional), arts organizations, cultural groups, heritage workers, local businesses, media, venue managers, presenters, volunteers, etc. The event also features a live music demo by local artist Steve Wright.

Crissinger returns

Mark Crissinger is a 2017 Maple Blues Award nominee who now lives on Vancouver Island. He considers the Sunshine Coast the birthplace of his solo career – he wrote his first two solo albums here, developed his one-man show and played two Pender Harbour Blues Festivals. He’s been touring and has released five solo albums since then. Blending traditional themes with clever lyrics and modern arrangements, his songs capture his singer-songwriter soul and the blues in his heart.

“It’s very exciting to be back on the Coast,” he said. “I’m sure there will be a few surprise guest musicians sitting in at both shows.” On Friday, April 7, his acoustic blues/roots trio will play Coopers Green Hall in Halfmoon Bay, featuring Marty Howe on harmonica and flute plus Jay Stevens on bass. Tickets are $20 at Welcome Woods Market and the Halfmoon Bay General Store. Show starts at 8 p.m. On Saturday, April 8, Crissinger hosts a blues dance party at the Gibsons Legion with a full band including Peter Van Deursen on keys and Tim Rannard on drums. Show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $10 members/$15 guests.

Authentic music

The Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons features the Nell Robinson and Jim Nunally Band on April 8. They bring together all your favourite elements of authentic music, creating a genre-busting sound that combines country, jazz, folk and bluegrass music. Their new album, Baby Let’s Take the Long Way, will arrive April 21 on Whippoorwill Arts. Robinson has been described as one of the freshest voices in roots music. Nunally is a San Francisco Bay area native, a musician, composer, record producer and teacher. Pete Grant’s resume looks like a who’s who of music. The Grateful Dead album Aoxomoxoa was his first studio recording. Jim Kerwin is considered simply one of the best string bass players in the country. Jon Arkin is a versatile, gifted percussionist who is known for his performances and recorded work in a wide variety of musical contexts. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; showtime is at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 advance (through share-there.com) and $25 at the door. See www.heritageplayhouse.com for more.

Delhi 2 Dublin

Tickets for Delhi 2 Dublin are going fast for the 19-plus show at 9 p.m. An all-ages show and dance from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Roberts Creek Hall on Friday, April 7 features the Creek’s own Serena Eades on violin and vocals, and another young local, DJ Teflon. This is a great chance for the under-19 crowd to experience and dance to a truly international band live on stage. For the all-ages show tickets are $15 with under eight years free. Tickets are $25 for the 19+ show. The hall will be cleared between shows. Buy them at Strait Music, MELOmania, WOW Gallery and share-there.com

Bergmann concert

Tickets are on sale now for the Bergmann Duo on Easter Sunday, April 16 at 2 p.m. at the Pender Harbour School of Music in Madeira Park. Four hands, one keyboard – played with exquisite musicality and style by Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann. Partners in music and in life, the Bergmanns have been a duo for more than 20 years. There is a strong audience following for their artistry that “combines virtuosic dedication with the instincts of professional entertainers who love their music” (Showtime magazine). Tickets are $25, at www.penderharbourmusic.ca, Harbour Insurance and Sechelt Visitor Centre.

Maritime heritage

Richard M. Hutchings, PhD, is a consultant and a director of the Institute for Critical Heritage and Tourism, British Columbia. He has recently published an in-depth book, Maritime Heritage in Crisis - Indigenous Landscapes and Global Ecological Breakdown, that refers to the Sunshine Coast. Hutchings writes: “Specifically, the book quantifies and discusses shíshálh heritage landscape destruction (and protection) resulting from: demographic change, specifically amenity migration or sea change-driven population growth, and climate change, specifically sea level rise.” The book is available only online through Routledge (www.routledge.com), a British publisher, in both print and e-book.

Noon deadline

Send your notice of arts events by Tuesday at noon for Friday’s newspaper to jandegrass@dccnet.com or phone 604-886-4692. Please include a contact person’s phone number or email address in your notice.