Sacred Circle Steppers by Mary Matheson
BC Culture Days, an annual Arts Event covering multiple artist disciplines, has announced its 2020 festival programming, offering art lovers an all-access pass to events taking place across BC and Canada, whilst also enhancing accessibility & diversity through month-long offerings of free, inclusive activities hosted in-person and online.
BC Culture Days invites British Columbians to experience creative connection and artistic discovery during its 11th annual celebration of arts and culture. For the first time, BC Culture Days will run for an entire month— September 25 to October 25, 2020, allowing culture enthusiasts the chance to check out a wide range of events that suits their interests and their comfort levels, in these challenging COVID times.
Lorita Leung Dance Company by Mary Matheson
The event will feature a newly expanded line-up of free, interactive events, activities, and diverse content to suit all levels of comfort and accessibility. From in-person painting and paper-making demonstrations to live-streamed plant ink and comic book workshops, from musical recordings to self-guided art and agricultural tours, the month-long celebration allows visitors to virtually criss-cross the country exploring creative collaborations under the theme of ‘unexpected intersections’—highlighting the excitement and intrigue of unlikely pairings and unique mashups.
Ital Blue by Kristen Lawson
To help further support widespread community involvement within the artistic process, BC Culture Days has selected five exceptional emerging artists from across the province to act as cultural ambassadors—raising heightened awareness and boosting participation in their communities, and virtually across Canada. Ambassadors will explore their distinct artform in unexpected ways, pushing traditional boundaries to discover new cultural understandings. Each ambassador will be paired with a mentor to help steer their creative journey over three months, supported by provincial partner C*SARN (Canadian Senior Artists Resources Network) and The Hamber Foundation.
BC Culture Days 2020 Cultural Ambassadors
- Coral Santana (Vancouver) — Artivism: Sex and The Unheard
The Afro-Latina writer and activist will produce a live stream festival, highlighting the connections between minority experiences and sex, sexuality and body ownership. Activities will include live music, comedy, spoken word, aphrodisiac cuisine, and burlesque.
- Damian John (Ymir) — Exploring Reconciliation Through Creativity
An acrylic/graphic painter, poet and member of the Tl’azt’en First Nation, Damian will host an interactive presentation exploring the history and experience of First Nations peoples in Canada. Participants will be encouraged to create artwork inspired by their thoughts and experiences, informed by both the presentation and their personal journey.
- Molly Beatrice (Victoria) — Queer and Trans Youth Cabaret
The queer emerging theatre artist, director, and producer will facilitate a 10-week performing arts workshop with queer, trans, and gender non-conforming youth in the Victoria area, culminating in a cabaret performed by the youth and hosted over Zoom.
- Edward Fu-Chen Juan (Vancouver) — Plant Ink Extraction Outdoor Artist Demo (Vancouver), Foraged Ink for Printmaking (Sechelt), Artist Panel and Ink Extraction Demonstration (Powell River), Gallery Opening at Tidal Art Centre (Lund)
The printmaking artist, whose work bridges traditional artisanal skills with contemporary art practices, will offer a guided tour and workshop on how to turn foraged native plant specimens into ink material for silkscreen printmaking, thereby highlighting the importance of conservation.
- Bambi (Revelstoke) — Behind the wall: The making of a collective mural (Kelowna)
Based on a game of “exquisite corpse,” in which each participant consecutively adds to an artwork one element at a time, the French-Canadian graphic designer will collaborate with the Kelowna-area Francophone community on August 28th and 29th and will repeat the process with the Revelstoke community on September 25th to produce a collective line art and painting piece.
For full artist biographies, visit culturedays.ca/en/bc/2020ambassadors
BC Culture Days 2020 will officially kick off with a 45-minute virtual event on Thursday, September 24, 2020 at 4pm PST, hosted by the City of North Vancouver. The cultural event will feature performances by local artists, South Asian, Persian, and First Nations dancers, an Indigenous welcome ceremony by Dennis Thomas-Whonoak of Tsleil-Waututh Nation, messages from Minister of Tourism, Sports and Culture Lisa Beare and the City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan, and introductory video clips from all five ambassadors.
For more information on how to take part in BC Culture Days, including live streaming options as well as a revised registration system that supports a wider array of both in-person and online events and activities, or to sign up for the BC Culture Days newsletter, visit culturedays.ca/bc.
For updates on BC Culture Days and the BC Culture Days cultural ambassadors, please follow BC Culture Days on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
