Salmon Arm Art Gallery, Shuswap Theatre among highlights of Pride Project Festival

Beginning Saturday, Oct. 16, the Salmon Arm Art Gallery will be presenting Breaking the Binary, an exhibition featuring 12 2SLGBTQ+ artists exploring the binaries in gender and sexuality in contemporary society.

Tracey Kutschker, director/curator at the Salmon Arm Arts Centre, explained in a news release that the theme of Breaking the Binary can be found throughout the 2021 Salmon Arm Pride Project Arts and Awareness Festival, with a diverse offering of digital and in-person events between Oct. 18 and 24. They range from ‘awkward photo shoots’ to a Pride Pumpkin Party & Drag Show to guided walks and a bike ride.

The exhibition at the art gallery, which runs Oct. 16 to Dec.11, invites artists to continue the conversation about Breaking the Binary in a meaningful way.

Photographers, painters, filmmakers and sculptors share their stories through art, showing that gender and sexuality exist on more of a three-dimensional spectrum rather than a binary, Kutschker writes.

The opening reception takes place Saturday, Oct. 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m, with refreshments and live music. All public health orders will be followed, so masks are mandatory inside the gallery.

Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is by donation. The Artists Talk will be held on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m., in accord with what public health orders allow.

Kutschker included thanks to the generous sponsors of Breaking the Binary.

In collaboration with the Salmon Arm Arts Centre on this year’s Pride Project, Shuswap Theatre is presenting The Explanation.

Thanks to the return to the Shuswap of well-known director James Fagan Tait, there will be a live staged reading of his original work on Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Suggested minimum age 16. Tait directed the Wizard of Oz and has worked extensively with Caravan Farm Theatre and other communities. The staged reading, written for the Salmon Arm Pride Project, will feature Marcus Smith, Peter Grainger and Jaci Metivier.

Shuswap Theatre suggests that people who wish to attend should check the theatre’s website for matinee and evening ticket information because seating will be limited.

For more information about the Pride Project: the Arts + Awareness Festival to further awareness, understanding, and celebrate the 2SLGBTQ+ community, visit salmonarmprideproject.ca.

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