Tara Hovanes and Marion Trimble are having a show and sale of their latest work and would love to have friends drop in to come by….. or , come buy!
Visit them at 6220 Main Street – between the Oliver Shoes and the Artisan Bakery. Enter through the doorway and proceed down the hall towards the back of the building.
Thanks to funding from the Oliver arts council, the Desert Sage Spinners and Weavers are able to invite weaver Alison Irwin from Duncan for a two-day workshop on Pick-Up weaving using 4-harness looms on October 1 – 2 at the Shatford Centre in Penticton.
Alison Irwin lives in Maple Bay and has a weaving studio set up in her home. 
She teaches beginner courses and more advanced classes both locally and beyond BC’s borders. One look at her handouts and you know she’s got a graphic arts background! Several of her projects have been published in ‘Handwoven’ magazine. Alison also likes to keep a camera close by. Some of the images taken on her walks down to the beach, or out in the yard, or in the studio are then altered a little or a lot in Photoshop.
Anyone not yet registered will be out of luck: the workshop is booked solid already. As weaver Barbara Levant explains, “It has sold out because our Guild is quite big and we do have a waiting list. 
Our members go from Summerland to the border, so the OCAC funding has been spread over the South Okanagan. The participants are all very appreciative as the cost of the workshop is reasonable for all because of the funding. So again thanks to the Board for supporting this workshop!”
Abracadabra! Hocus pocus! and the Oliver Library was transformed into the enchanting world of Leif David’s magic. Nearly a hundred kids in the Library’s Children’s Summer Reading Club were thrilled last night by the deft sleight-of-hand of Leif’s amazing tricks. In his highly participatory program, the magician had the kids rollicking with laughter with his mystifying illusions. Thanks to the Friends of the Oliver Library and the Community Arts Council who once again sponsored this highly entertaining performer. The Reading Club continues every Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. through the summer with a variety of excellent programs. Registration any time at the Library or on Thursday evenings. All kids over five are welcome.
Beamer Wigley delivered a strong performance of current country hits at Music in the Park on Thursday night. Anyone familiar with his work as an actor and singer in Penticton’s Soundstage productions will know he packs a lot of charisma and stage presence into his slender 14-year old frame. He’s mastered the country “slides and growls”, and his musical theatre background has taught him to convey the emotion of a song. His youthful voice has an impressive range, handling the falsetto with ease, and reaching down into light baritone.
Appealing to all ages, Beamer mixed contemporary hits by Ed Sheeran and Enrique Iglesias with some oldies by Percy Sledge and Jim Croce, putting his own style on the classics by serving them up with a side of country.
Mr Wigley was ably backed by Dustin McGifford on acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies. McGifford, a music teacher at Wentworth Music Kelowna, entertained with deft flamenco style on one Latin number, and provided some amusing “transition music”. Content to stand in the backline, this guy was a solid pro.
Most impressive of all, Beamer premiered two of his own compositions, showing some real talent with catchy melodies and an enviable way with lyrics. His romantic ballad “Greener” was a good example. Watch for his debut album, “Meteorite” on sale this August. For this busy and gifted young man, youth is definitely not wasted.
Check out a video from the concert, and updates on Beamer’s music at www.beamerwigley.com
Next in the Music in the Park lineup: classic rock duo Timbre Wolves on Thursday July 14, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Photo by Penelope Johnson
The guild will be crafting along with other heritage arts and crafts such as
quilting, rug hooking, and pottery in honour of the centennial event. 
by Sid Ruhland
We have softly opened the doors! We’re still hanging decorations and waiting for merchandise shipments, but the beer is flowing and the vinyl is spinning 😀 We are here everyday to host you as our guest, and strive to make you feel right at home.
We have not yet permanently set our hours of operations, but you can be sure that from now on we’ll be open here every day from Noon til 8pm for retail beer to-go and bar-service enjoyment on-site. For pints we use the UK Imperial Pint (20 UK-oz), which is 20% larger than a US Pint. All of our prices include tax… because who really feels like crunching math equations when they’re out for a beer?!
The last of the Kickstarter Rewards (t-shirts, hoodies, and stoneware growlers) will be arriving in 2 weeks. Everything else is in! Soon we’ll be planning a reward pickup event, but you can come in any day for your reward(s). We’ll keep the updates coming so everyone is informed about what’s happening.
Our Grand Opening Party is tentatively set for Friday, July 22. We’ll be sending out invites for that very soon. Jam Nights, Vinyl Nights, and Beer Club events are also in the works, so stay tuned!
Please come check us out! We’re openly accepting feedback, good and bad, so that we can quickly iron out the kinks and make this space the best it can be. We are super excited, and love our new home! Thank you to all backers; you made this happen. The Backer Barrel Table is here and ready for your signature. Cheers!
Kicking off the summer for art lovers, the Artists of the South Okanagan-Similkameen are pleased to be showing a collection of member works in their upcoming exhibit at Tinhorn Creek Vineyard. Treat your senses to a blend of Art and Winery ambiance! Duration of Exhibit: July 8-25/2016 Hours: daily 10:00AM -4:00 PM. For more information please visit our website at http://fca-sos.ca
The Oliver Community Arts Council recently awarded two bursaries of $500 each to 2016 graduates from Southern Okanagan Secondary School: Gavin Buttar and Christina Raposo.
Gavin Buttar is perhaps best known for his on-stage charisma, both as a lead in SOSS Drama productions and as an Oliver Ambassador. He provided able assistance during the quiz portion of the arts council’s Community Christmas Concert last December. Christina Raposo is a talented visual artist, and had won previous awards in English and French, and had been the junior grades award winner in fine arts. Both graduates were among many talented artists displaying their work in the SOSS Year-end Art Show at the Oliver Public Library on June 15. Both were awarded one of twelve District Authority Scholarships, for $1250.
Congratulations to you both!
The Ripoff Artists are SCREAMING in anticipation of this year’s Ripoff challenge!!! This year’s artwork, The Scream by Edvard Munch, will have everyone shrieking with glee!
This also marks the tenth Ripoff Artist challenge! Besides the usual skullduggery of ripping off a famous artist, the group is showing works from all their previous challenges. AND, for the first time ever, many works will be for sale! Come celebrate with the artists, and take home a piece of history.
The opening reception will be on Monday, July 11 from 6 to 8, and will feature the wines of Montakarn winery, music by Brian Mapplebeck, and a Norwegian-style smorgasbord spread in honour of Edvard Munch. See, with your own eyes, the many works created by this talented group of South Okanagan artists over the past 9 years.
Throughout the week, the show will remain open, while the Ripoff Artists will also carry out their usual shenanigans in the Studio building, ripping off Munch’s famous image of The Scream (itself one of the most-stolen artworks in history). The usual suspects will be there: Enid Baker, Tara Hovanes, Kurt Hutterli, Terry Irvine, Barb Levant, Norberto Rodriguez de la Vega, Marion Trimble, JoAnn Turner and Russell Work. Between them, this motley crew will tackle collage, mixed media, fabric and fibre arts, acrylic painting, 3 dimensional assemblage and furniture painting. In addition, this year the group will welcome guest artist Bethany Handfield, an encaustic and mixed media artist from Penticton! With a group this cunning and talented, you never know what else they might be up to! Come and see for yourself!
Steal away to the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre, 5840 Airport Road in Oliver, during the week of July 11 to 16. The retrospective show and sale will be open in Big Blue 10-2 Tuesday to Friday, while the gang will be hard at work in the Studio building everyday from Tuesday through Saturday between 10 and 3. It’ll be a scream!
The Ripoff Artists thank the Oliver Community Arts Council for their generous support.
Announcing the 2016-17 Theatrical Season
It has been SOAP’s wish to move to a three-show-per-year format for some time. Maybe the Okanagan Zone Drama Festival made us feel invincible, or maybe we are just crazy, but ready or not, your daring board has approved an ambitious three-show season for 2016-17. In addition, we endeavour to plan next year in advance, too. The advantages to a season planned in advance are many, but the best reasons are that we can begin to advertise much sooner and seek sponsors for a season brochure.
After careful deliberation, the SOAP board has approved of the following series for 2016-17:
Boeing Boeing by Marc Camoletti (End October 2016) – Directed by Nathan Linders
Don’t Dress For Dinner by Marc Camoletti (End January 2017)
Art by Yazmina Reza (Beginning May 2017 and Okanagan Zone Festival) – Directed by Trevor Leigh and Aimee Grice
Auditions for all three shows commence in June! Please mark your calendars. While we must cast Boeing Boeing now, if enough people show up we may be able to cast the rest. As such, we are holding, at a minimum, two auditions each in Oliver and Osoyoos. The dates are:
Both genders, all ages. Bring friends! A good turnout is better for the production!
This is also a call for volunteers for backstage roles. There is room for everybody in every role behind the scenes.By the way, even if you don’t want to be onstage, you are still invited! The readings are fun, and you might find something else you’d like to do for the production!
Tell a friend! We are casting for a broad age range but we are particularly short on 20-40 something actors. Also, we will be looking for a large male to have some fun portraying a figure of menace for the climax of one of our shows.
If you think you can pull off intimidating we have a part for that
If you think you can pull off 60s stewardess, we have a part for that
We’ve got great parts for cheating men, art lovers, a cheeky housekeeper, and more. AS ALWAYS WE CONSIDER ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS.
Some tips:
Ladies, work on your convincing French, German, and California accents (definitely an asset). Leading men may find a French accent an asset.
We can cast for most age groups as long as we can cast in groups of similar age so don’t stay home because of what I said above about 20-40 somethings.
Correct email and website:
by Marion Boyd
Grab a chair and $10 (only $5 if you are a student) and come for some fun! Thursday, June 9th at 7 pm Oliver’s Grandmothers for Africa are presenting the Thursday Night Jazz Band at the Quail’s Nest on Airport Road.
Last year these amazing musicians filled the air with toe tapping, body swaying music. The audience, camped out on chairs they carried to the venue, spilled out the big doors into the warmth of a perfect Spring night. We should be so lucky again!! It was a happy mellow mood. Walls were hung with African fabrics. Host grandmothers wearing their distinctive lemon yellow shirts with the black logo of mother and child plastered on front welcomed the crowd.
The idea of the Thursday Night Jazz Band is unique, brilliant and quite different from a formal concert. Talented and generous, a substantial group of jazz musicians from the South Okanagan get together in various combinations to perform. They have to practice and most have day jobs. So Thursday nights, informal and fun, are practice time and why not practice in front of an audience and help local charities raise money for worthwhile causes?
On June 9th the cause is the Stephen Lewis Foundation programs in Africa to help African grandmothers raise grandkids orphaned by the AIDS pandemic. The history of AIDS in Africa chronicles hardship and painful losses but it also is the story of indomitable grandmothers. They put their grandchildren through school, harvest crops, create local savings and loan groups, teach others about HIV prevention and treatment, and participate in innovative income-generating programmes. They form support groups and deliver comfort and hope through home-based care.
When you join us June 9th you will be part of a win/win musical evening with a variety of big band jazz pieces and some incredible improvisations. Come with your friends for some fine entertainment knowing that by attending you are helping children in Africa survive and thrive.
