Category Archives: Arts Jam: What’s Jammin in the Arts?
Hot flamenco to cool jazz at summer's Music in the Park
The musical lineup reads like a whirlwind trip around the world. Spanish flamenco, Caribbean reggae, funk, South American Latin, country, African djembe …. Save yourself the cost of an airline ticket and join the summer crowd at Music in the Park instead!
Music in the Park is held on Thursdays throughout July and August, 6:30 to 8:00 pm, on the Riverside Patio behind the Oliver Information Centre (the historic CPR Station) at 6431 Station Street with two exceptions listed below. All concerts are admission by donation, with a suggested $5 minimum. :
July 4: Penticton Concert Band: Spanish classics and big band favourites. Oliver Bandshell, Oliver Community Centre, 6359 Park Drive July 11: William Leggott, Spanish and Flamenco Guitar. Riverside Patio, Oliver Tourism Information Centre, 6431 Station StreetJuly 18: The Cha Cha Laca Love Machine, funk, reggae, Latin, plus insanity! Riverside Patio, Oliver Tourism Information Centre, 6431 Station Street Feed the Valley Concert, sponsored by Valley First Credit Union, Food donations accepted in cash or in kind.
July 25: Okanagan Divas; Cindy Doucette and Mikie Spillett. Country, pop, jazz, rock and original. Riverside Patio, Oliver Tourism Information Centre, 6431 Station Street
Saturday August 3: Michael Burgess in Concert. “Canada’s own Jean Valjean”. Special ticketed performance. $25 advance, $35 door. 7 pm Oliver Bandshell, Oliver Community Centre, 6359 Park Drive
August 8: Nankama Drum & Dance. African djembe drumming and dancing. Riverside Patio, Oliver Tourism Information Centre, 6431 Station Street
August 15: Guys with Guitars: Jeremy Cook & Brian Highley. Classical guitar, original instrumentals, pop and folk vocals. Riverside Patio, Oliver Tourism Information Centre, 6431 Station Street
August 22 Jazz Out West. Light jazz and popular standards. Riverside Patio, Oliver Tourism Information Centre, 6431 Station Street
Bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on. Picnics welcome, or light refreshments available for purchase.
Pictured: Nankama Drum and Dance
Hot flamenco to cool jazz at summer’s Music in the Park
The musical lineup reads like a whirlwind trip around the world. Spanish flamenco, Caribbean reggae, funk, South American Latin, country, African djembe …. Save yourself the cost of an airline ticket and join the summer crowd at Music in the Park instead!
Music in the Park is held on Thursdays throughout July and August, 6:30 to 8:00 pm, on the Riverside Patio behind the Oliver Information Centre (the historic CPR Station) at 6431 Station Street with two exceptions listed below. All concerts are admission by donation, with a suggested $5 minimum. :
July 4: Penticton Concert Band: Spanish classics and big band favourites. Oliver Bandshell, Oliver Community Centre, 6359 Park Drive July 11: William Leggott, Spanish and Flamenco Guitar. Riverside Patio, Oliver Tourism Information Centre, 6431 Station StreetJuly 18: The Cha Cha Laca Love Machine, funk, reggae, Latin, plus insanity! Riverside Patio, Oliver Tourism Information Centre, 6431 Station Street Feed the Valley Concert, sponsored by Valley First Credit Union, Food donations accepted in cash or in kind.
July 25: Okanagan Divas; Cindy Doucette and Mikie Spillett. Country, pop, jazz, rock and original. Riverside Patio, Oliver Tourism Information Centre, 6431 Station Street
Saturday August 3: Michael Burgess in Concert. “Canada’s own Jean Valjean”. Special ticketed performance. $25 advance, $35 door. 7 pm Oliver Bandshell, Oliver Community Centre, 6359 Park Drive
August 8: Nankama Drum & Dance. African djembe drumming and dancing. Riverside Patio, Oliver Tourism Information Centre, 6431 Station Street
August 15: Guys with Guitars: Jeremy Cook & Brian Highley. Classical guitar, original instrumentals, pop and folk vocals. Riverside Patio, Oliver Tourism Information Centre, 6431 Station Street
August 22 Jazz Out West. Light jazz and popular standards. Riverside Patio, Oliver Tourism Information Centre, 6431 Station Street
Bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on. Picnics welcome, or light refreshments available for purchase.
Pictured: Nankama Drum and Dance
Best quilters in Canada found right here at home
The South Okanagan can boast some of the best quilters in Canada, as seen in the Canadian Quilters Association’s National Juried Show held in Penticton, May 16-18.
Marianne Parsons from Oliver won first place in the Original Design Abstract Pictorial category for her “Set in Stone” quilt (at left) with 5 fossil panels on it. The award came with a $1000 prize. Marianne is a member of the Fabricators, a local art quilt group, and the Double O Quilters Guild. She is also a member of the Fibre Art Network, and will participate in a curated show of work by that group at the La Conner Quilt Museum in La Conner, WA, Oct. 10 – Dec. 31, 2013. Two of her quilts can also be seen in the Grand National exhibit at the Josef Schneider Quilt Haus in Waterloo, ON for the summer.
Joan Bielun from Penticton (another one of the Fabricators) also won first prize in her category for her “Elements of Change” quilt featuring the giant Wave. It was nice to see that the first award of the evening ceremony in Penticton went to a Penticton resident! That quilt is the cover quilt on the national magazine, The Canadian Quilter, summer issue.
Maya Brouwer, a former Oliver resident, now a Double O Quilters Guild member living near Victoria and a Fabricator as well, won the Viewer’s Choice award for her Trend-Tex Challenge, “Hide and Seek” (at left). Her piece also earned the highest bid at the event.
Miriam March is a Double O Quilters member and is a longarm quilter from Rock Creek. She took first place in Canada in the Bed or Wall Quilt longarm quilted category at Quilt BC with her quilt, “Lattice Garden”. (pictured foreground below, Pat Kelly photo, Boundary Creek Times)
Several other area quilters earned awards as well. Judy Harpur from Rock Creek, (who grew up in Oliver), earned a Judge’s Award for her quilt, “Picasso’s 39 Ford”, and Karen Thatcher from the Grand Forks area won 2nd place in the Original Design, Abstract Pictorial category.
To see all of the winning quilts, go to www.canadianquilter.com then click on Galleries on the red bar, and then on NJS 2013.
Seeing double at Oliver Art Gallery
[slideshow_deploy id=’7677′]June is the month where the South Okanagan starts to hum. With daily sunshine, sweet smells from the orchards, people are happily looking foreword to Summer. The Oliver Art Gallery Artists, are also inspired to go out and paint the local scenes and produce more of the fine art, the gallery is famous for.
This month, as a special to bring in Summer, we have a double spectacular show by featuring, not one, but two of our fine artists.
The art of Nancy Gray and Jennifer Farnell will be displayed during June. These two are spectacular artists in different ways. One is a detailed realist, while the other is inspired by life’s situations and emotions.
Nancy Gray took several art classes in 2003, which re-ignited her need to be creative. She continued painting and then moved to the South Okanagan in 2007 and thoroughly loves it here. After getting established, she joined the Artists on Main in Osoyoos in 2008 and then the Federation of Canadian Artists as a supporting member. She was juried to Active status in May 2009. In June 2012 she joined us, at the Oliver Art Gallery. Nancy usually works in watercolour, however she does like to explore in other mediums like graphite and acrylic.
Jennifer Farnell paints from life’s inspirations, feelings and imagination. She never uses a reference photo. Her work lets the observer interpret whatever it is they may see or feel in their own unique way. Jennifer paints mainly in acrylics and he work has sold in many venues between Alberta and B.C.
The Oliver Art Gallery is lucky to have Nancy and Jennifer add to the variety of styles and mediums by its 20 artists. Drop in to view the high quality art, ceramics and jewelry.
The gallery is at 6046 Main Street, open Tuesday – Saturday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Great Moments in Art with FCA artists
Great Moments in Art
May 24 – June 21
Tuesday through Saturday
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Opening Reception
Friday May 24
6-8 pm.
Leir House Cultural Centre,
220 Manor Park Avenue, Penticton
Make some time for some “Great Moments in Art”, supported by the Penticton and District Community Arts Council. For further information, contact Leir House at 250-492-7997.
The South Okanagan – Similkamenn chapter of the FCA is a member of the Oliver Community Arts Council.
Artwork: “After the Storm” by Bonny Roberts
Canada’s own Jean Valjean performs in Oliver
Forget Les Miserables at the movie theatre. Nothing compares to hearing Mr Les Miz in person! Canada’s premier musical tenor, Michael Burgess, is slated to perform on Saturday August 3, at 7 pm at the Oliver Bandshell, brought to you by the Oliver Community Arts Council. Really? Truly? Yes.
A small number of early-bird tickets will be sold to generate funds necessary to cover upfront expenses. They are already selling like hotcakes, so contact the arts council to reserve yours fast. They will be sold for the unbelievably (non-refundable) low price of $20 each, a steal when Burgess commands tickets for three to five times that price.
Regular advance tickets, at $25 apiece, will be sold at local vendors once the first 100 early birds are gone. Ticket price at the door will be $35. Stay tuned for the announcement of vendors in Oliver, Osoyoos, and Penticton,
Early bird tickets can be purchased from committee members Bernice Myllyniemi, Penelope Johnson, Mary Fry and Stephanie Salsnek. Contact olivercac @ gmail.com and include in your request the number of tickets and preferred payment. Credit card payment can also be received directly by calling Paw Prints Studio and Gallery at 250.498-4732
A popular singer, tenor, and actor, Michael Burgess was born in Saskatchewan but raised in Toronto. He made his professional debut in The Fantasticks (Edmonton 1968), but came to national prominence as Jean Valjean in the long-running original Canadian staging of Les Misérables (1989-92). Later, he was Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha (Edmonton 1992, Toronto 1993), and appeared in the musicals Ten Lost Years, Blood Brothers, The Fantasticks, and Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. He created the role of Victor Frankenstein in the world premiere of Frankenstein . . . Do You Dream (Hamilton, 1 Nov 2003), and of Sound Man in Brian Finley’s Rapunzel (Westben Arts Festival, 10 Jun 2005).
Although without extensive opera training, Burgess sang his first opera role in 1974 (La Bohème, at Toronto’s Dell Cabaret Theatre), and has sung for Dallas Civic Opera, Western Opera Theatre, San Francisco Opera, and Virginia Opera. As Captain Corcoran, he performed in HMS Pinafore for the Stratford Festival in 1981. He was tenor soloist in Messiah with the Bach Elgar Choir (1996), and MacHeath in The Beggar’s Opera for Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre (1995).
Perenially popular among show-tune aficionados for his solo pop concerts and soulful yet virile demeanour, Burgess has toured extensively in Canada (often accompanied by Doug Riley), and has performed with the Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg symphony orchestras and the Calgary Philharmonic. His signature song is “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables made doubly famous beyond the theatre world when Kurt Browning used his version to perform in the 1990 World Figure Skating Championships.
He is also known in Canada for his frequent vocal performances of national anthems. Hockey fans are sure to have heard his heartfelt renditions that blow the roof off the stadium. Burgess was also the first individual to sing “O Canada” at the baseball World Series, in Atlanta in 1992
The Vancouver Sun praised Burgess’s “intense performance” as Jean Valjean: “Burgess is exquisitely moving when he sings the show’s one beautiful song, ‘Bring Him Home’ . . . .” (26 Jul 1990). Maclean’s said, “Burgess is an affecting Valjean: a solid masculine presence whose soaring spirit is captured by a pulsing tenor” (27 Mar 1989). Burgess holds the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. and recently was presented with the Order of Ontario.
Burgess performed last summer in Penticton, with 3000 in attendance. Tickets to another concert scheduled for this summer have already sold out — within days,, and at much higher prices. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear the glorious tenor which is … Michael Burgess.
Canada's own Jean Valjean performs in Oliver
Forget Les Miserables at the movie theatre. Nothing compares to hearing Mr Les Miz in person! Canada’s premier musical tenor, Michael Burgess, is slated to perform on Saturday August 3, at 7 pm at the Oliver Bandshell, brought to you by the Oliver Community Arts Council. Really? Truly? Yes.
A small number of early-bird tickets will be sold to generate funds necessary to cover upfront expenses. They are already selling like hotcakes, so contact the arts council to reserve yours fast. They will be sold for the unbelievably (non-refundable) low price of $20 each, a steal when Burgess commands tickets for three to five times that price.
Regular advance tickets, at $25 apiece, will be sold at local vendors once the first 100 early birds are gone. Ticket price at the door will be $35. Stay tuned for the announcement of vendors in Oliver, Osoyoos, and Penticton,
Early bird tickets can be purchased from committee members Bernice Myllyniemi, Penelope Johnson, Mary Fry and Stephanie Salsnek. Contact olivercac @ gmail.com and include in your request the number of tickets and preferred payment. Credit card payment can also be received directly by calling Paw Prints Studio and Gallery at 250.498-4732
A popular singer, tenor, and actor, Michael Burgess was born in Saskatchewan but raised in Toronto. He made his professional debut in The Fantasticks (Edmonton 1968), but came to national prominence as Jean Valjean in the long-running original Canadian staging of Les Misérables (1989-92). Later, he was Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha (Edmonton 1992, Toronto 1993), and appeared in the musicals Ten Lost Years, Blood Brothers, The Fantasticks, and Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. He created the role of Victor Frankenstein in the world premiere of Frankenstein . . . Do You Dream (Hamilton, 1 Nov 2003), and of Sound Man in Brian Finley’s Rapunzel (Westben Arts Festival, 10 Jun 2005).
Although without extensive opera training, Burgess sang his first opera role in 1974 (La Bohème, at Toronto’s Dell Cabaret Theatre), and has sung for Dallas Civic Opera, Western Opera Theatre, San Francisco Opera, and Virginia Opera. As Captain Corcoran, he performed in HMS Pinafore for the Stratford Festival in 1981. He was tenor soloist in Messiah with the Bach Elgar Choir (1996), and MacHeath in The Beggar’s Opera for Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre (1995).
Perenially popular among show-tune aficionados for his solo pop concerts and soulful yet virile demeanour, Burgess has toured extensively in Canada (often accompanied by Doug Riley), and has performed with the Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg symphony orchestras and the Calgary Philharmonic. His signature song is “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables made doubly famous beyond the theatre world when Kurt Browning used his version to perform in the 1990 World Figure Skating Championships.
He is also known in Canada for his frequent vocal performances of national anthems. Hockey fans are sure to have heard his heartfelt renditions that blow the roof off the stadium. Burgess was also the first individual to sing “O Canada” at the baseball World Series, in Atlanta in 1992
The Vancouver Sun praised Burgess’s “intense performance” as Jean Valjean: “Burgess is exquisitely moving when he sings the show’s one beautiful song, ‘Bring Him Home’ . . . .” (26 Jul 1990). Maclean’s said, “Burgess is an affecting Valjean: a solid masculine presence whose soaring spirit is captured by a pulsing tenor” (27 Mar 1989). Burgess holds the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. and recently was presented with the Order of Ontario.
Burgess performed last summer in Penticton, with 3000 in attendance. Tickets to another concert scheduled for this summer have already sold out — within days,, and at much higher prices. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear the glorious tenor which is … Michael Burgess.
Picture the Ocean at Medici’s
Picture the Ocean at Medici's
Collection of short stories stirs many emotions
Gail’s early retirement from a career in social work opened the doors to hone her writing gift.
She moved from the coast to the sunny Okanagan and began to write seriously. She was encouraged by joining the Penticton Writers and Publishers group, as well the River Writers in Arizona. Previously she produced a weekly vegetarian cooking column for a small newspaper in the Gulf Islands. Her stories and poems have appeared in a variety of publications. The Cap is self-published.
Gail divides her living and writing time between Oliver, B.C., Little Bear Lake, Saskatchewan and Bullhead City, Arizona.
Copies of The Cap can be ordered directly via her email gaileyprior @ gmail.com for a special price for OCAC members of $10. Not an arts council member? You can still get one at the regular price. Here are some of her readers’ comments, from the A2Z Books website:
Loved Gail’s book, The Cap. We can all identify with the characters who experience love and loss in life. Quick read and definitely left me wanting more!
Beautiful cover and photos. I related easily to feelings in stories. The Cap story made me cry.
Gail’s stories take us into the minds and emotions of her characters. Most of us can relate to stories about love and loss; it can be loss of a parent, or parents, or a lover~ we can empathize.
Makes a great little gift for Mom – and not just on Mother’s Day!
Download entry form for Fall Art Show and Sale
The Fall Art Show and Sale (FASS) is always the arts council’s biggest event, and this year we’re celebrating our 35th anniversary! In honour of that milestone, and to encourage the absolute best work, the arts council has announced the theme this year is “Artist’s Choice” .
Works across all visual media are welcome: Photography, Fibre Arts, Three-Dimensional (sculpture, metalwork, jewelry, woodcarving, basketry, etc), Oils, Acrylics, Watercolours, Other Media (mixed media, encaustic, pen and ink, charcoal, etc) , and Emerging Artists (under 18 years of age). Up to two (2) works may be submitted per artist. The public judges and awards prizes in each category, and also selects Best in Show. All works must be for sale. Please read the entry form for details about readying your work for competition.
The annual competition, exhibit and sale will be on Saturday October 5 and Sunday October 6 this year. As usual, it is held in conjunction with Oliver’s Festival of the Grape at the Oliver Community Centre.
The deadline for registration is Friday September 13 at 4 p.m. Please note: artwork is not submitted until the morning of October 5, so artists have an extra three weeks to complete a work in progress.
Download your entry form by clicking on this link: FASS 2013 Entry Form Print double- sided.
Cull your book shelves now for good cause
These Friends Of The Oliver Library (FOTOL) are definitely nuts about books! They are hard at work sorting books in preparation for the
15th Annual Summer Book Sale
Saturday, July 6th
9:00a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Oliver Regional Library parking lot
Proceeds go to the Library’s Summer Reading Club for Children. Additional book donations are welcomed and can be left at the Library now. Many thanks!
Photo Credit: Heather Frank
Third anniversary celebration at Quail`s Roost Gallery
On the morning of Saturday May 25, the Sagebrushers will be assisting the winery with the Half-Corked Marathon. What a delight to view the costumes, the runners, and the happy faces.
On Sunday May 26, the Sagebrushers will be part of the cancer fundraiser for Chloe Kroeger. Everyone is invited to the Stampede Pancake Breakfast from 9 am to 12 noon.
The Quail’s Roost Gallery will be open during all of these events.
Directions: Drive 6 kms south of Oliver (or 12 kms north of Osoyoos) on Highway 97. Turn west onto Road 16. Turn south onto Golden Mile Dr. (formerly 123rd Street). Distance from the highway: 0.4 km
Encaustic Art workshop May 23 & 24
Join me, Jan Kreut, for a
2-day Encaustic Workshop
May 23 & 24
10am to 3pm
Quail’s Nest Arts Centre
5840 Airport Street, Oliver BC
All art supplies are included. The basics will be covered the first day and we will cover layering, incising, & embedding and make an imprinted T-shirt the second day.
Bring a T-shirt or other cotton article on Day 2. The cost for the 2 days is $150. Register early as the class is limited to 12.
Contact Jan Kreut at 250-498-4090 or email kreutopia @ gmail.com