Artistic colleagues Sandy Buck and Joah Lui are artists working with Deer Crossing the Art Farm and they have opened an unconventional art exhibit on until July 8 at the Gibsons Public Art Gallery. Visitors are asked to interact and have fun with the four installations.
Resurgence is a youth-led project that asks: What are you? What is your story? You can answer and leave your message at the gallery. Foreshore is a 2016 project that examined beach habitat, while the Imagination Network is a creative program to produce art from professional artists, youth, health care workers and people with dementia. The installation Submerged and the Rainforest Gallery is an ongoing project involving suspended fish, painting, masks and digital media.
So where is the art in this collection of multi-media and found objects? “To make art is everyone’s right in being human,” said Lui. She considers that art is not just for people who want to buy something beautiful for their walls, but for everyone. “Art has a huge role to play in our lives,” she said. The artists invite everyone (free admission) to their Artists’ Talk this Friday, July 29, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Gallery (431 Marine Drive, Gibsons).
Walk on Canada Day
Help kickstart Canada Day celebrations by joining in a colourful narrative storytelling history of Gibsons with resident Dale Peterson. Gibsons is so much more than just another small town, said Peterson, who will describe the importance this location played for the Squamish First Nation and how and why George Gibson landed here, and weave forward to learn about international record-settings and award-winnings along with political events that changed our nation’s social structure. There will be a free draw for a photographic book of Gibsons and possibly another surprise. Join the tour guide at Pioneer Park by the George Gibson statue on July 1 at 10 a.m. Tour lasts about 90 minutes and is by donation. For more information, go to the Facebook page, Lower Gibsons Historical Walking Tour, or phone 604-886-1424.
Gigi Gallery
Gigi Hoeller is having an opening at her gallery in Halfmoon Bay, 8000 Birch Way, on the Canada Day long weekend. Her show runs Saturday, June 30 through Monday, July 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all three days. At other times, if she’s at home, the gallery is open. During this latest open studio, she will be gently letting go of much loved older works that are now for sale. There will be yummy treats and snacks as well.
This Weekend
• Abstracts Exposed and Elemental Details, the work of Katherine Johnston and Alanna Wood, is the current exhibition at the Doris Crowston Gallery (Sunshine Coast Arts Centre, Sechelt). The opening reception is on Saturday, June 30 from 2 to 4 p.m. For further information, see the website at www.sunshinecoastartscouncil.com
• On June 29 and 30 and July 1 (Friday 5 to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.), artists Lore Schmidts, Donna Stewart and Charly Mithrush will be hosted by Deluxe Landscaping in an art show titled MIX. You are invited to 5534 Sechelt Inlet Crescent to view the art.
Canada Day
There’s lots of family fun entertainment at Sechelt’s Canada Day celebrations on Sunday, July 1 with the parade starting at 10:30 a.m. on Cowrie Street, followed by dance, face painting, music and good eats at noon in Hackett Park.
Summer Art
Looking for a unique children’s summer activity? Check out the SC Arts Council’s Children’s Summer Art and Conservation Workshop, open to children nine to 12 years of age. It includes three days of art instruction in drawing and painting coupled with interesting facts about Salish Sea life, courtesy of the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association. The workshop runs from Monday to Wednesday, July 16 to 18, finishing off with a reception for the participants and their families. The final work is then on display until July 22 at the SC Arts Centre. Artist Bruce Edwards teaches the children to draw and then paint various creatures found in and around the Salish Sea. The finished canvases will form a mural and the children get to take their individual canvas home along with a T-shirt featuring the Salish Sea poster design. The workshop is $75 and includes all materials. It is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Sunshine Coast-Sechelt. To register, call 604-885-5412 or download the application from sunshinecoastartscouncil.com/childrens-summer-arts-program.
Funktete
On Saturday, June 30, Funktete (Karen Graves, vox, sax and flute, Budge Schachte on guitar, John Rule on drums, Anna Lumiere on keys) is at the Gibsons Legion, 8 p.m. to midnight. It’s $5 members, $10 guests, at the door.
Slow Sundays
Slow Sundays is excited to have Kevin Crofton performing on Canada Day, July 1, from noon to 4 p.m. at the gazebo in Roberts Creek. Crofton sang these cross-Canada songs at Canada House at the invitation of the Canadian consulate in Indonesia. Wear your Canada Day colours and bring sun/rain protection and a chair. See up dates on Facebook.
Gallery Open
Motoko’s Original Art Gallery opens for the summer on Saturday, June 30 and will be open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. throughout July and August. The gallery is at 4590 Sinclair Bay Road, Garden Bay. For more call 604-883-9472, call/text 604-989-6686 or see www.motoko.ca. Motoko’s work is currently appearing in a solo exhibition at the Fortune Gallery in Victoria.
Summer Breeze
Charmaine Bayntun and Ruth Rodgers are collaborating on an exhibition of uplifting summer-themed works in the Gibsons Public Market spaces throughout the summer (July 3 to Sept. 27). Both artists favour representational coastal scenery populated by boats and beaches, birds and branches. Their paintings, in acrylic, watercolour and pastel, appeal to coast dwellers seeking that summer vibe. Join the artists as they work on site on Friday, July 6 (4 to 7 p.m.), and on other dates throughout the summer. Bayntun’s work captures the moody atmosphere of local shorelines and harbours; she is especially well known for her sensitive renderings of weathered ropes and knotwork ([email protected]).
Ruth Rodgers (ruthrodgers.com) taught college students and faculty for 35 years while nurturing her own creative spirit. She has since established herself as a professional artist in her Rivenrock Studio in Halfmoon Bay, where she produces her own works in oil, acrylic, pastel and mixed media. Rodgers recently stepped down from almost a decade as president of the Pastel Artists Canada and is also an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists. She will be painting on site on Friday, July 6 (4 to 7 p.m.) during the Market’s popular Friday happy hour and also on other dates in the summer. Watch Coast Reporter for schedule of dates. To contact her, email [email protected].
Hula Series
Dhyana Bartkow plans the next beginners’ hula series on Wednesdays, July 4 to Aug. 1 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Inner Moves Studio, 625 Glen Rd., Gibsons. It’s a five-week series to learn the five verses of Anapau, an ancient, light-hearted hula ma’i from the late 1800s, about the sexual exploits of Anapau, the lover of Queen Ili’okalani. It’s a lot of fun and a real crowd pleaser. The cost is $75 for five weeks. This is a hula from the repertoire of Puna Kalama Dawson, her hula kumu (teacher) on Kauai, to prepare those wanting to attend Puna’s workshop in Gibsons, Nov. 9 to 18. Phone 604-886-9737 or email [email protected].
Art Crawl
The Sunshine Coast Crawl 2018 will be held Oct. 19 to 21. In 2017 the Crawl had over 300 artists participating at 144 venues, with 37,000 studio visits. If you have decided that now is the time to show your art to the public and are interested in becoming a venue this year, go to www.sunshinecoastartcrawl.com to find out more. Deadline to join as a participant is July 15. If you think your studio would not be suitable for receiving Crawlers, there are others willing to share their studios. For more, contact [email protected]. The buzz has already started.
Message Me
Please send notice of your arts and entertainment events to my email: [email protected] or phone 604-741-9360. Items go into the Art Beat column one day to one week ahead only, depending on space. Deadline is Tuesday noon for Friday’s paper.
