Tag: Citys

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First Black artist in Vancouver given city’s Studio Award hosts zero-proof event

First Black artist in Vancouver given city's Studio Award hosts zero-proof event

Since 1995, the City of Vancouver’s Artist Studio Award Program has supported local artists by providing studio spaces and one of this year’s recipients is the first Black artist to receive the award. 

Naomi Grace is a multisensory artist and entrepreneur who’s work is “centered around reclaiming sacred medicine in its many forms, which she expresses through painting, mixed media, music, text, culinary arts and sculpture,” reads Grace’s biography on the city’s award recipients page.

“I’m really grateful to have access to this space,” Grace tells Vancouver Is Awesome via phone. 

She plans on using the space for an large scale art installation, community arts integrated workshops, pop-ups and events, and intimate concerts and talks. The space will also serve as an order pickup location for her brand Melanin Rising. 

To celebrate, Grace is hosting a zero-proof open studio event on Saturday, Aug. 20.

Grace wanted to create a sober social event for several reasons, partially inspired by her own transition to an alcohol-free lifestyle. 

“People don’t drink for a number of different reasons. Sometimes it’s because people are pregnant. Sometimes they have friends who just don’t like the feeling of alcohol. Some people are allergic to alcohol. For some people, it’s for religious or cultural reasons. Sometimes people are in recovery,” she tells VIA.

Aside from the non-alcoholic lemonade cocktail bar, she will also be setting up a Melanin Rising pop-up sale.

Zero-Proof Open Studio Pop-Up

When: August 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Where: Naomi Grace Studio – 1573 West 6th Ave

Cost: Free

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Kelowna residents want music to be focus of city’s next signature event – Kelowna News

Kelowna residents want music to be focus of city's next signature event - Kelowna News

Making Kelowna ‘eventful’

After nearly five years of work, the City of Kelowna is pulling back the curtains on its grand plan to fill the calendar and support the local event industry.

On Monday, city council will take a look at the final draft of the city’s event strategy, a broad 10-year plan that aims to return Kelowna to an “eventful city.”

The city has for many years toyed with the idea of bringing a “signature event” to Kelowna. While Penticton has Peachfest and Vernon has its Winter Carnival, Kelowna has to look back decades to the Regatta since it was home to a truly iconic event.

Public consultation conducted as a part of the creation of the event strategy shows 71 per cent of residents want the city’s next signature event to be focused on music. Opportunities for retailers, history, water sports and competitions were also popular focuses.

“A city-led organizing committee comprised of community residents is currently in the process of planning a one-day family-oriented event for Saturday, August 27,” said a report to council accompanying the event strategy.

Details of the August event were not revealed.

The strategy notes that the majority of events hosted in Kelowna are either smaller events of less than 500 attendees or weddings. Most events are held in the downtown core or surrounding area.

Survey respondents reported that they felt there currently is not enough of a variety of events throughout the year, and when asked what barriers contributed to not attending events, the bulk of respondents cited lack of awareness and cost as the main reasons.

Event organizers were generally satisfied with Kelowna as a host community, although just 52 per cent of events were able to recruit enough volunteers. Rising costs, lack of marketing and aging infrastructure were also highlighted as challenges for event organizers.

Check out the video below for the story behind the Kelowna Regatta, which defined the Okanagan summer from 1906 until 1987.

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City’s youth festival returning to in-person events

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The Juvenis Festival, Kingston’s multidisciplinary youth festival and one of only two in Canada, begins next week and is returning to in-person events (as well as some online) for the first time since 2019.

This year’s festival, which runs from April 27 to May 7 in conjunction with national youth week, offers eight events and 20 workshops and will see more than 100 people 30 years of age and younger take part.

Dance, writing, visual art, music and film will be among the disciplines featured in festival events.

Among this year’s events are two stage plays and a few other theatre-related works.

First up is “13: The Musical,” which opens Thursday night at the Rotunda Theatre tucked inside Theological Hall, 85 Stuart St., and runs until Sunday, May 1. The curtain rises at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $20.

At the Baby Grand theatre, it will be “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” which opens Wednesday, May 4, and closes Saturday, May 7. Performances begin at 7 o’clock each evening and also at 2 o’clock Saturday afternoon. Tickets for this show are also $20.

“Life of August,” meanwhile, is a “virtual musical theatre work that calls on youth conscience,” a news release reads, being shown at the Grad Club on May 1. It will also be available online after that date.

“Young Storytellers: Literary Heroes” (May 6) sees young people perform their favourite songs and scenes from musicals based on children’s books, while “Viva Voce: Away” (May 2) features youth presenting “thematically connected stories (told) through song, dance, dramatization and other creative ways,” the release reads.

The visual arts will be showcased from April 27 to May 7 in the Storefront Art Gallery, found in what used to be Bluenotes store near Indigo books, and at the Kingston School of Art’s Window Art Gallery at the corner of Victoria and Princess streets.

Music will be featured in the Battle of the Bands, which takes place May 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the Spire, and in “Saudade,” a rhythm and blues music video “that journeys through the bittersweet times of change in our lives.” It will be shown May 1 at the Grad Club along with “Life with August.”

Among the 20 workshops taught by professionals and aimed at those between 13 and 30 years of age are the “skillbuilder” and “arts career” series. They both run the duration of the festival, from April 27 to May 7.

For further details about the festival or to buy tickets for events or to register for workshops, go to www.juvenisfestival.ca.