The 2015 Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts, presented by the Arts Council for the South Shuswap, will take place over four days, July 23 to 26.
Those wanting to take in the festival will enjoy a number of art engagement activities in music, visual arts and theatre. All venues and concerts are free of charge to attend. Donations are gratefully accepted by the Arts Council.
Some of the highlights for include:
• Visual Art Exhibit & Sale: a roaming art exhibit and show will take place at three venues in the South Shuswap. Most pieces will be available for purchase.
• Sorrento Memorial Hall will feature 2D hanging artwork created by a number of highly talented B.C. artists.
• Shuswap Lake Estates Community Centre will feature 3D artwork, including soapstone carvings, pottery, woodwork and more.
• At the Blind Bay Hall in the Reedman Gallery, the Blind Bay Painters’ work will be on exhibit and for sale. An artisan craft market will be held upstairs in the Blind Bay Hall on Saturday and Sunday only.
Open hours at all venues will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free but donations will be gratefully accepted.
This year’s festival takes on a new format with the addition of music and theatre offerings.
All music and theatre productions take places on the stage at Centennial Field on the waterfront in Blind Bay.
On Thursday, July 23rd enjoy the music of local recording artists and songwriters Larry and Jane Stephenson, followed by Blu & Kelly Hopkins with their blend of bluegrass and folk music.
On Friday, July 24, Cod Gone Wild will perform in the 2015 Festival Feature Concert. They take the stage at 7:30 p.m. There will be a beverage garden and barbecue on location.
Saturday July 25, The Coppertones, a local adult a capella group will open the show at 7:30 p.m. followed by musician, songwriter and performer Sylvain Vallee who will rock the keyboards, sharing some familiar classics and some of his original pieces as well.
Under the direction of Elaine Holmes, children attending a week-long theatre camp through the Arts Council will then share their small production on the stage at Centennial Field.
The Festival Committee has arranged for a excursion to the Salmon Arm Art Gallery to take in the world-famous Cardiff & Miller exhibits, Experiment in F# Minor and Muriel Lake Incident.
A two-day Pottery Intensive will be held with instructor Kathleen Raven, whose art is often inspired by her dreams. Now she’s been creating the dreamer, complete with bed, blankets and accoutrements.
Join her for two days of high-energy creating. You will design and sculpt a clay bed and unusual sleeping character. Use stamps, carving tools etc to create a complete work on the underside of the sculpture. This workshop is great for professional clay artists and those new to clay media, including children with parental help.
Other adult workshops at the festival include: antique book stamping and creation with Debbie Reeves, wet felting and introduction to needle felting with Lois McLeod, a plein air painting session at Recline Ridge Winery and a wool sculpting project with Melissa Nasby.
Children’s workshops will include owl creation with sculpting clay and a tie dye in the park session, under the instruction of Darby Arens.
For Information regarding the Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts, visit www.shuswaparts.com.