The Kootenay Gallery of Art is preparing for 150+ Creative Acts.
The celebration to mark Canada’s 150th anniversary will kick off with the launch of student public art on May 26.
Students from both Stanley Humphries Secondary School (SHSS) and Kootenay-Columbia Learning Centre (KCLC) have been working on art projects that will be displayed publicly on Zuckerberg Island, at Mitchell’s Supply, at Crumbs Bakery Café and around town.
“What we’re going to have for that day is sort of like a little car cavalcade, where we drive around to each spot,” explains Maggie Shirley, curator and gallery assistant.
Details for the launch are still being nailed down, but will be available at kootenaygallery.com.
The celebration will continue on June 16 with the launch of an exhibit at the Kootenay Gallery and the launch of the Creative Community Challenge.
The exhibition will feature work from six artists — Susan Andrews Grace, Sarah Elizabeth Grimwood, Jane Merks, Natasha Smith, Deborah Thompson and Rachel Yoder — around the theme of 150 Creative Acts.
“Some of them have interpreted it very literally. So there’s a woman who’s done 150 maple leaves, and then there’s another woman who’s done … 150 circles, but three panels of them to represent how long she’s been in Canada and then she’s painting on top of them,” says Shirley.
The exhibit launches at 7 p.m. on June 16 and runs until July 29.
Once you’ve had a peek at the exhibition, it’s time to get creative. The Kootenay Gallery is challenging locals to engage in creative acts
Those who choose to participate can share their creativity via social media (@150creativeacts on Twitter or Instagram, or 150 Creative Acts on Facebook), by email at 150creativeacts@gmail.com, in person or by mail.
For every 150 acts completed by July 29, the gallery will light a symbolic birthday candle.
To help get people involved, the gallery will be hosting travelling workshops. The gallery will be at the Canada 150 Celebration in Millennium Park on July 1 and at Kootenay Festival in Millennium on July 22.
“We’re really trying to reach out to people who might not otherwise participate,” says Shirley.
If you know of a group that would like to take part in a workshop, contact her at 250-365-3337.
The project is being funded in part by a Canada 150 grant from Heritage Canada and the gallery also received a Summer Jobs Canada grant to hire a summer student who will start at the end of May.
Local businesses — including Mitchelle’s, Crumbs, Kootenay Columbia Business Intelligence and Columbia Power — are also supporting the project.
Shirley says the Kootenay Gallery wanted to make 150+ Creative Acts a community engaged project.
“I think creativity is really important right now in our culture. … If we’re going to think about things like climate change, we’re going to have to think about it creatively,” says Shirley. “And if we think about things like reconciliation, we’re going to need to re-think how we relate with First Nations culture and how we can heal some of those wounds, and do it in a positive, creative way.”