One of the Sunshine Coast’s most devoted and masterful arts volunteers has been recognized by the provincial government for her work. Premier John Horgan and B.C. Achievement Foundation chair Anne Gardini announced this month that Davis Bay’s Linda Williams has been named a recipient of the B.C. Achievement Community Award. The statement accompanying the announcement (available on the foundation’s website) lists Williams’ involvement in many ongoing projects, among them the Coast Cultural Alliance, which runs the local Art Crawl, the year-round Purple Banner program and guide, and puts out a weekly arts newsletter. Williams also organizes the Gibsons Landing Jazz Festival, the Artesia Coffee House, and helps administer the Daniel Kingsbury Music for Youth grant program. In her spare time, if you can imagine how she has any, Williams plays in the Knotty Daughters Marimba Band and is musical director of the Sokole Balkan Singers. The award is profoundly well-deserved.
‘Dive in, Explore, Connect’
The Sunshine Coast Conservation Association (SCCA) is celebrating World Oceans Day with a festival of events Friday, June 4 to June 8. “In collaboration with the Green Film Series, we have invited the community and gathered resources to share,” SCCA announced this week. Among the attractions – all free and all online – are six feature-length documentary films, including the locally produced This Living Salish Sea, directed by Sarama, plus a series of short films, and half-dozen webinars focusing on local issues and projects, such as Strait of Georgia killer whales, the Howe Sound glass sponge, and the Sunshine Coast Streamkeepers Society. Register for all events at eventbrite.ca.
Arts fest callout
The 2021 theme for the Sechelt Arts Festival (SAF) this October is UNITY. Among the festival’s many events is its customary curated gallery exhibition of visual art featuring local painters, sculptors, photographers, and multi-media artists. “We are currently inviting LGBTQ2+ identified visual artists on the Sunshine Coast to submit expressions of interest to participate in the UNITY curated art exhibition this fall between Oct. 8 and 24,” SAF said in a news release. The expressions-of-interest deadline is June 15. Details are on the SAF’s website.
Becoming Human
Roberts Creek artist and writer Jane Covernton has mounted a new show at her Little Gallery in the Garden, on Lower Road. The exhibit, Becoming Human, is “an exploration of the some of the human archetypes using drawings, photos, photoshop, and colour, along with a little bit of story.” Covernton has also published a new book with the same title. COVID protocols are being followed. Visitors are asked to book a viewing by text at 604-989-9090.
Weaving community
The Sunshine Coast Arts Council, in partnership with the Sechelt Downtown Business Assn., are hosting an event from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 29 at A Gathering Place, located just off the square beside the Bank of Montreal in Sechelt. “It is a space for intergenerational learning and sharing through weaving and empowering and connecting girls and women across settler and Indigenous cultures. See the space, speak with the lead artist Jessica Silvey, and learn more about upcoming programs.” Participants are limited to five at a time. Call to book at 604-885-5412.
Live music
On the restaurant outdoor patio at the Pender Harbour Golf Course this weekend, catch singer-songwriter Eddy Edrik on Friday, May 28, 4 to 7 p.m. On Sunday, May 29, from 2 to 5 p.m. (with a $5 cover) Martini Madness performs.
Space is limited in Art Beat but please let us know about your events at arts@coastreporter.net
