Gambier Island is a big place with a small year-round population of 125 people whose numbers swell during the summer months. The island is home to artists, writers and musicians, giving rise to many summer events such as an art show, music festival and even a tiny gallery.
"But we were tired of having nothing to do in the winter months," said resident Tina Johansen.
Under the inspiration and orchestration of renowned sculptor and Gambier resident Geoffrey Smedley, the local community centre society has pulled together an excellent series of artistic talks, much like a rural arts salon. The Arts and Ideas Series runs at the Gambier Community Centre beginning March 6 and continuing on various Saturdays until Aug. 7.
The line-up is stellar. Each event brings an accomplished individual working on a particular art form: sculpture, architecture and poetry, among others.
"The idea is to spark ourselves," said Johansen. "Each artist has a presentation, but we won't just listen to them. We'd like some one-on-one talk time with them."
The series is Smedley's brain child. Born in England, he moved to Canada as a visiting artist and was a professor at the University of British Columbia until 1992. His work has been shown at many galleries in Canada and Britain including London's Victoria and Albert Museum. He is noted for his intellectual approach that merges engineer and sculptor.
The speakers in this series are all associates that Smedley has met or befriended during his career. Most are intrigued by travelling to a remote island to speak. And why not? Johansen points out that Gambier is the perfect place for artists.
"You can be away from everyone to work on your art, but still be one hour from Vancouver," she said.
A Sunshine Coast Regional District grant will cover some expenses and the events will be free.
The series begins on March 6 with sculptor and photographer Liz Magor, an associate professor in visual arts at Emily Carr. Her work is sculptural, involving ordinary or familiar objects refashioned and presented in an altered context. Internationally she has exhibited at Documenta 8 in Kassel, Germany, the Sydney and the Venice Biennales. Her work has appeared at the Vancouver Art Gallery and the PowerPlant in Toronto. Her topic at the Gambier event is The Mouth and Other Storage Facilities, also the subject of her solo exhibition currently touring Canada.
Johansen points out that all the visiting artists are very West Coast in background, and they ought to offer something on the topic of sustainability in this age, an issue that intrigues islanders.
The events are held on Saturday afternoons, allowing Coast residents to attend by boarding the passenger ferry at Langdale, then walking from the wharf to the community centre. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. with light refreshments at 1. The presentation begins at 1:30. Johansen asks that, in order to help them plan, you reserve your free ticket at: http://gambierislandartsandideas.eventbrite.com/
"We have no idea how many will come. It could be from 15 to 200," she said.
If you want to register by phone or require assistance in walking to the hall, contact Johansen at 604-740-1521.
The series continues with Richard Henriquez, architect and sculptor, on April 3, speaking on architecture, sculpture and narrative. It's hard to miss Henriquez's mark on Vancouver. His projects include Gaslight Square in Gastown and the major renovation of the Sinclair Centre, to name two.
Robert Bringhurst appears on May 1. A poet who has published a substantial amount of prose on art history, typography, linguistics, classical studies and literary criticism, he is noted for his book Black Canoe, a classic in the field of Native American art history, and The Raven Steals the Light, which he co-authored with Haida artist Bill Reid.
Janet Danielson, composer, speaks on June 5, and Robert Young, painter and printmaker, on July 3. On Aug. 7, Robert Keziere, photographer, speaks on A Pox on Pixels, Some Found and Built Photographs: Hooray for Film.
More information is at www.gambierisland.org/Events.htm.
