In the spring, the arts council Board voted to install a commemorative bench in memory of Jennifer Mapplebeck at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre.  A bench had long been proposed for a shaded outside area by the Studio bay doors. It seemed fitting to  remember Jennifer with a bench to rest upon after so many years of activity and service to the arts council. Jennifer served on the Board of Directors, acted as rental agent, and often cleaned the centre when it was in need of tidying.

The bench chosen is in an attractive grey concrete with pebbled aggregate surface and a smooth high-gloss finish. The design, called “Gull Wing” has an appealingly curved back and seat. A laser-etched black granite plaque was also selected, and is recessed in the seat back. The quail logo was added as a “watermark”. The plaque appears as follows:

The memorial bench has arrived at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre. A concrete base is being constructed by Trevor Leigh, Osoyoos Handyman Services. Installation will occur later in the fall, when the concrete has set.

Donations are welcome. Please make your cheque payable to the “Oliver Community Arts Council” and put “Memorial Bench Donation” in the memo line. Charitable receipts are available for donations of $50 and up. If you wish to have your donation publicly recognized please include a note. Mail cheques to the Oliver Community Arts Council, P.O. Box 1711, Oliver, BC V0H 1T0. Donations for the commemorative bench will be received until December 31. You can still make a donation at any time

GEORGE BOWERING, former Canadian Poet Laureate and a native of Oliver, will be at the Oliver Library on Tuesday, October 6th from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. Come and meet Mr. Bowering and enjoy his presentation about his new book: “Writing the Okanagan”.

The Friends of the Oliver Library will be providing
refreshments so, if you can, please take your contribution to the Library. This is a free event sponsored by the Okanagan Regional Library.

SOUTH OKANAGAN CONCERT SOCIETY 2015-2016 SEASON

What a concert season we have before us! In South Okanagan Concert Society’s first full series the new Venables Theatre has proved to be a popular venue with attendance soaring and huge community support.   No need to sit under a cloud bank pouting this winter.  Get a flex pass and join friends for an eclectic mix of high standard performances.   Learn the meaning of EXCEPTIONAL!

So what’s on?  First to hit the stage on Friday, October 23^rd is Locarno (pictured).  Supremely talented Juno winner, Tom Landa, has collaborated with Joby Baker to create a compelling blend of Mexican, Cuban and North American pop music delivered with exuberant energy.  Landa moved to Canada from Mexico City at age 15 and writes lyrics in both English and Spanish.  He loves the true Jarocho rhythms of Veracruz and creates danceable, fun, truly original Latin music and the crowds come.

For those impatient to get tickets, here is the scoop.  Four admission flex pass tickets for $75 are already on sale for the concert series at Beyond Bliss in Oliver, Imperial Office Pro in Osoyoos and at the door.   As always, the pass can be used in any combination: four to one concert or one to four concerts.   Snowbird couples could share a pass.   Single entrance is $20 and students under 17 years are free.  Need a ride from Osoyoos?  Call Maureen at 250 495 7978.  All concerts start at 7:30 pm.

Daniel Gervais and his trio are returning after three years Friday, Dec. 4^th.   Daniel is the only Albertan to win the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Competition.   His love of music is expressed in the sounds of Swing, Gypsy jazz, classical and Celtic.   He explores the roots of French-Canadian culture through stories and music and is now in high demand in France.   Whatever he explores, Daniel comes up with excellence.   He has a Masters in Music, seven albums and awards so plentiful they look like grocery lists.

What else is in store for you?  On Friday, February 5^th the Capilano University Singers, a national and international prize-winning ensemble, perform.  The choir is part of the Diploma of Music Program at the university and most the singers are voice majors.  They have toured Europe and performed in the original venues where composers such as Vivaldi wrote their music.  Lars Kaario, conductor, singer and educator, creates concerts characterized as “unforgettable, delightful, beautiful and deeply satisfying musical experiences”.

The Wolak/Donnelly Duo will be on stage for the finale of the season Friday, March 18^th.  Armed with a clarinet, a piano and their personable stage presence, Kornel Wolak and Chris Donnelly present a remarkable blend of classical and jazz music rarely heard in live performance.  Pianist Donnelly is the jazz guy.  Wolak is the classical expert recently seen in the principal clarinet chair with the Ontario Philharmonic.   Together they produce “Common Ground” the name they chose for their debut duo album.

The South Okanagan Concert Society invites each and every one of you to get your tickets and join us for the 2015-2016 concert series.   Let the pleasure of good company and good music be yours!

Naramata Arts Studio – 17th Annual Show and Sale, October 1-7, 2015
A popular Okanagan event each fall is the annual exhibition by the Naramata Arts Studio. This year marks the 17th anniversary for this event, and there will be many new and original works of art on display in the Naramata Community Church Hall. The opening reception, with artists present, is on Thursday evening, October 1, from 7-9 p.m. — and you are invited to be there. The show runs until October 7 in the Naramata Church Hall. Regular daily hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The exception is Sunday afternoon, that’s October 4, when the hours will be noon to 6 pm. Naramata Arts Studio’s 17th Annual Show and Sale takes place during the Fall Wine Festival, adding to the variety of activities on offer for residents and visitors alike.

What: Naramata Arts Studio’s (17th) Annual Show & Sale
When: October 1-7, 2015
Where: At Naramata Church Hall
Opening Reception Thursday October 1, 7-9pm
Daily Hours 11am-6pm, except for Sunday Oct 4 (noon to 6 pm)
Publicity Contact for Naramata Arts Studio: Carol Munro
carol @ carolmunro.ca

Oliver Chronicle and Global Okanagan Present
Byrd Dawg & the Vintage Electric Band: The Old Friends Tour
The Ultimate Tribute to Two Iconic Duos:

The Everly Brothers and Simon and Garfunkel

Friday October 2nd – 7:30 pm 

* fantastic unbelievable harmonies!

* spectacular performance

Byrd Dawg starring Joel Dietrich and Wayne Rempel are The Ultimate Tribute to THE EVERLY BROTHERS…and artists they influenced and SIMON and GARFUNKEL. The Old Friends Tour showcases hits spanning the decades including – All  I Have To Do Is Dream, Wake Up Little Susie, Bye Bye Love, The Boxer, Bridge Over Troubled Water, The Sound of Silence…..  Relive the excitement with Byrd Dawg and the awe-inspiring harmonies of Joel Dietrich and Wayne Rempel on the Old Friends Tour!

Tickets with assigned seating available online at OnTourTickets.com ; by phone  1.855.411.7500 or in person  Oliver Chronicle offices on Main Street
Check out their Website:   ByrdDawg.com

South Okanagan Concert Society presents

LOCARNO

Friday October 23 – 7:30 pm

Locarno’s approach is so genuine and so welcome for audiences who enjoy great song writing with the collaboration of Juno winners, Tom Landa and Joby Baker. Their compelling blend of Mexican, Cuban and North American popular music delivered with exuberant energy is a winning combination.

South Okanagan Concert Society presents

DANIEL GERVAIS TRIO

Friday December 4 – 7:30 pm

Back by popular demand, Daniel promises to delight audiences with another dazzling performance with the help of a couple of musician friends and a variety of music and styles that will please everyone.

South Okanagan Concert Society presents

CAPILANO UNIVERSITY SINGERS

Friday February 5, 2016 – 7:30 pm

Capilano University Singers is a national and international prize-winning ensemble. Their busy schedule, which frequently takes them around the globe also includes an annual tour to smaller communities in BC, giving concerts and workshops to community and school groups.

South Okanagan Concert Society presents

WOLAK / DONNELLY DUO

Friday March 18, 2016 – 7:30 pm

Armed with a clarinet, a piano and their personable stage presence, Kornel Wolak and Chris Donnelly present a remarkable blend of classical and jazz music rarely heard in live performances.

Tickets are an unbelievably low $20 per concert. Maximize your fun with a $75 flex pass (4 single concerts, or 2 concerts for two couples, or 1 concert for a foursome!) Tickets available at Beyond Bliss in Oliver and Imperial Office in Osoyoos.

by Michael Jorden

This is the story of the closing of the Oliver Art Gallery, a small and earnest business with which your writer has been associated since its inception.  However, the tale actually begins a number of years ago as the result of another closure.  In February, 2011 the Handworks Gallery on Main Street in Oliver, B.C. closed its doors forever.  In retrospect, some would regard the demise of such a venture as a clue.  Another entrepreneur, Steve Staresina, saw it as an opportunity – a chance to create a new gallery in the town and so continue the legacy of art as a community asset.  He set about finding a small group of enthusiasts to create what would become the Oliver Art Gallery.  The Main Street location he secured, while visible and with lots of glass, had a spotted history and needed a lot of work, including a new ceramic tile floor, to be serviceable.  Three or four volunteers including yours truly stepped forward to trim, tile, scrub, saw, sweep and paint and within a month the upstart gallery was open for business.  It was April, 2011.

Over the next four years, new members would join the group and others would leave but a nucleus of believers would stay and grow the organization.  Around the end of year two, they became a registered Artists’ Co-operative under British Columbia Statutes joining a handful of other B.C. galleries in Nelson, Duncan and Granville Island organized in the same way.  By the fourth year total membership had grown to 22 although only eight or nine would consistently be ‘Core’ members [meaning they paid more for the privilege of hanging and had to manage the operation of the gallery as well].

For a while all went well.  Sales in year one were approximately as forecast.  Sales grew in years two and three but then levelled off.   Meanwhile membership was growing and the little gallery was becoming, frankly crowded.  For months, the group looked for alternative premises in Oliver but nothing suitable could be found.  At the regular monthly meeting in June, several members remarked how much better things were at the public gallery in Osoyoos and wouldn’t it be great if our gallery was located there instead of here?  After a pregnant pause it transpired that everyone had been thinking the same thing but it took someone to actually say it to get the ball rolling.  It has gradually become obvious to us that the major market for art in the valley is the tourism industry and despite the predominance of wineries in the Oliver area, tourists loped back to the sybaritic pleasures of Osoyoos at day’s end.  Nothing in Oliver seemed to hold them for long and without tapping the tourist market more effectively; the Co-op could not hope to grow the business.  With certain reluctance the group decided that if suitable premises could be found, the co-operative would be better off located in Osoyoos.

It took less than a week of sorting through real estate listings and a brief episode of tire kicking before a promising commercial premise on Osoyoos’ Main Street was found.  The former offices of a local lawyer comprising over 2000 square feet in six separate rooms, the place actually looked like a gallery.  Each back room was flooded with light from an overhead skylight. A coat of paint and cleaning of the tired carpets appeared to be the only significant work required.  Like most illusions, this one too was short lived.  Light switches in the wrong places were moved and patched; absent wall outlets were installed.  The excellent air conditioning system seemed to be operating on only one lung. An existing tenant for one of the offices would become a tenant of the gallery and we figured all would get along just fine. We never had the opportunity to find out as she folded her tents in the night and quietly stole away leaving us to pick up her rent in addition to our own. Osoyoos may be a small town but it proved to be much more picky than Oliver about minutia like signs, insurance coverage and business licenses.  Difficult but not impossible things to overcome in a short time and they have been dealt with.

And now it is time to move and it is August in the season of fire.  Smoke from wildfires in Oliver, Osoyoos, Rock Creek and Tonasket, Washington – from all four directions – stings the eyes and fills the lungs.  Some of us have had to leave our homes briefly under threat of burning, a diversion which can get in the way of renovating and moving;  but that is how the weather was served up this year.  We wonder why this bright idea hadn’t occurred to us months ago.  Still the troops have rallied; several members of the co-op showed up for a work party to clean and cart out debris from the renovation.  And now our enthusiasm is become evident in gifts of old furniture and rugs – cast offs that threaten to have the new venture looking like a garage sale – a rest home for retired detritus best consigned to the municipal land fill.  And yet the venture stops just short of this outcome.  Minimalism seems the best course and some gifts are voluntarily reclaimed by the donors leaving large spaces begging to be filled with art. The place is starting to look like a real gallery.

Hours of Operation: 11 am – 4 pm, Tuesday through Saturday 

Email: office @ okanaganartgallery.ca

Telephone: 778-439-3320

Location: 8302 Main St, Osoyoos BC

‘Embracing the Stitch’  show by the Fabricators

Blue cats play alongside red fire-breathing dragons amid pink cascading leaves and twirling purple umbrellas in the latest exhibit at the Peachland Art Gallery on the shores of Okanagan Lake.  The show title ‘Embracing the Stitch’ features quilts by the 16 member South Okanagan group, the Fabricators.

Photo: Rita Macdonnell and Darlene Chapman of the Fabricators checking out Maya Brouwer’s playful cats

These quilts will never warm your bed but they will warm your heart and tickle your imagination. They might even inspire you to try out the innovative tools and techniques used by today’s artists in fabric and fibres. You can find coffee bags, garden twine, oil paint stiks, paper and Tyvek, and effects created by heat guns, candles and paint rollers if you look carefully. Nothing is sacred.

The Fabricators have been working together for 13 years. Members come from Oliver, Penticton, Grand Forks, Kelowna, Peachland and several points beyond. What began as a design workshop ended up as a monthly gathering to share and explore ideas and techniques in fibre art. The group produces a major exhibit regularly, and displays their work at galleries and community events.

The Peachland Gallery exhibit features the group’s first joint endeavour, ‘Rapt in Threads’ and their latest, ‘Our Colourful Language’.

The first project came about as a challenge where each person chose a topic and everyone contributed a small piece based on that theme. That left each artist with 12 diverse items that needed to be incorporated into one cohesive artistic unit.  This was more challenging than it appears, and the results are quite surprising and creative.

‘Our Colourful Language’ looks at the phrases we use in our daily lives that include colour words  such as ‘out of the blue’ or ‘seeing red’.  Everyone’s vision of these is unique, as are the quilts on display.

A visiting marine biologist from Scotland found a fish-themed piece has inspired him to ask for Scottish artists to create artwork work for their new Salmon Festival next year. Have a leisurely visit and see what might inspire you.

The Peachland Art Gallery at 5684 Beach Ave. In Peachland is open Tues. – Sat., 9-5, and Sun. 10 -5 until the show ends Nov. 14.

Photo Credit: Marianne Parsons

Contributed by Marianne Parsons

The Fabricators, sixteen fibre artists based in the South Okanagan, are featured at the Peachland Art Gallery  at 5684 Beach Ave. from Sept. 19 – Nov. 14.

‘Our Colourful Language’ and ‘Rapt in Threads’ are two of the group’s major projects that will be on display. Their fabric-based artwork demonstrates the wide range of innovative techniques available for contemporary artists in work that’s both on and off the wall, and definitely off the bed.

Gallery hours are Tues., Wed. and Sat. from 9-4pm, Thurs. and Fri. From 10-5pm and Sun. from 10-4.

The Artists of the South Okanagan-Similkameen present

“Art at Nk’Mip” exhibition

Sept. 25-Oct. 25, 2015

Once again, the Artists of the South Okanagan-Similkameen (Federation of Canadian Artists) are presenting an annual exhibition of their work at Nk’Mip Cellars. The artists are all members of the Federation of Canadian Artists, and are well-known for producing work of a high calibre. The show opens September 25 and runs until the 25th of October. With the Fall Wine Festival in full swing in early October, this exhibit of fine art is a superb complement to the pleasures of the grape.

Make a date with Art at Nk’Mip—1400 Rancher Creek Road in Osoyoos. Open daily, from 10 to 6.

Local arts enthusiasts may know Susan McCarrell’s distinctive mixed media work from her award-winning entries in the annual Fall Art Show and Sale. Combining sepia-toned photographs, archival newsprint text, and textured media, she creates haunting imagery with layers of meaning.

Now Susan has her own exhibit! Opening Reception is August 29th at the Osoyoos Art Gallery, and the show runs until September 19th.

Eclectic yet focused, Susan McCarrell’s mixed media works are reflections on memory, rituals of life, including celebrations, successes and hiccups.  She owns a unique style which is energetic, playful, bound by discipline and tradition.  Her art confronts the ups and downs of modern life with connections to similarities of past lives with strong feminine energy.

Using a combination of mixed media, photography and historical images, she likens her art to a ‘construction’ to produce her natural and organic pieces.  A thread runs through Susan’s work that makes it unmistakably hers.

Susan relocated from Vancouver, British Columbia to the South Okanagan, British Columbia in 1996.

With a set of powerful pipes and dynamic delivery, Darlene Ketchum  kept the rhythm and blues coming at Music in the Park on Thursday August 13. From Etta James’ At Last (My Love has Come to Me) and Billy Holiday’s God Bless the Child to the Motown sound of My Guy and You are the Sunshine of my Life, to the traditional gospel Wade in the Water, Ketchum showed her range. Backed by jazzy pianist (and husband) Kelvin Ketchum, solid bass guitarist Gerry Teichrob, and super-hot drumming by Tyler Friesen, the Delta-based quartet entertained with two sets that perfectly matched the sultry summer weather.

The backing trio, two of whom are members of Quintessential Jazz,  got to strut their stuff on two numbers, including the haunting Autumn Leaves. 

Ketchum also shared some of her original compositions, including the funky That Kind of Friend. Her theatrical delivery, radiant smile, and wide gestures were especially welcome in the large outdoor venue where distance can mute the emotional power of a song.  This lady knows how to hold the attention of a crowd.

Next in the Music in the Park lineup is the Kettle Valley Brakemen on Thursday August 20, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Oliver Community Bandshell on Park Drive. Admission by donation. Bring a lawnchair or blanket.  The popular beer and wine garden continues, including some fine brewskies by OCAC member business, Firehall Brewery. Evening market with fresh produce, crafts, and home items, bouncy castle and face painting for the kids, and food vendors for picnics in the park.