The Gibsons Public Art Gallery (GPAG) invites the Sunshine Coast community to celebrate Canada 150 right here at home. From June 29 to July 30, the Gallery will be hosting The Sunshine Coast Pavilion, an Expo-inspired Canada 150 pavilion with the theme of the Sunshine Coast.
World expositions like Expo ’67 and ’86 are events that aim to educate and entertain the public, share innovation, promote progress and foster co-operation. In a world exposition, it’s the host country that invites others to participate. Here, the exposition will be local, with the Gallery acting as the host and local organizations and businesses taking part in the creation of a display that will showcase all that the Sunshine Coast offers to Canada and the world. Invited exhibitors include the Squamish Nation, the Sechelt Nation, Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives, Deer Crossing the Art Farm, The Arts Building, Eleven Equal Artists, Rogue Arts Festival and others.
The exhibition will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature a Canada Day Open House, along with the Gallery’s annual Bag of Books sale. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, every donation of $10 or more allows visitors to fill a reusable bag with a selection of used books.
This exhibit is made possible by the Community Fund for Canada’s 150th, a collaboration between the Sunshine Coast Community Foundation and the Government of Canada, with assistance from Sunshine Coast Credit Union, Town of Gibsons, Sunshine Coast Regional District and Coast Lifestyles Network.
The Pavilion has a second legacy component, currently in development, that will see the Gallery undergo an exterior facelift with the installation of a permanent piece of Squamish Nation art on the outside of the building. Squamish Nation artist Jody Broomfield is currently working on designs and the Gallery looks forward to sharing this exciting new piece of public art with the community as work begins this summer. The Gallery is presenting this work through a new Canada 150 partnership with the BC Museums Association.
The Gibsons Public Art Gallery is a non-profit organization, run by volunteers. Admission is free. For more information contact [email protected], visit www.gpag.ca, follow on Facebook or visit in person at 431 Marine Drive, Gibsons.
For more information, contact Stewart Stinson at 604-989-8634.
– Submitted
