BC Culture Days aims to reconnect BC community members with art

BC Culture Days will be holding events across BC from September 24 to October 24 and hopes these interactions with art will also create connections within the community.

“We’ve all been impacted over the past 18 months and have had to adapt to new ways of interacting and communicating with one another. It is our sincere hope at BC Culture Days that the events and activities offered this fall will serve as a catalyst for British Columbians to rediscover their creative pursuits, safely reconnect with their communities, and collectively reimagine a new future supported by shared experiences,” said BC Culture Days Program Director Nazanin Shoja.

10 ambassadors have been chosen to share different forms of art, and one is located in Prince George:

• Jeni Chen (Richmond) – Art Journaling for Beginners: An illustrator and soon-to-be picture book author, Jeni showcases several techniques for starting an art journal with materials found around the house. 
• Laura Rechwan (Colwood) – INTERCHANGE Art Exhibition: A visual artist and entrepreneur, Laura invites her community to participate in an online art exhibition, featuring livestream events from local artists and art enthusiasts, including studio tours, artist talks, poetry readings, and other performances.
• August Bramhoff (Vancouver) – Our First Conversation: Digital Art Show A photographer and arts inclusivity advocate, August hosts a curated, virtual art show featuring B.C.-based artists. 
• Jean Baptiste (Prince George) – Medicine Pouch Making: A storyteller and nonbinary, Two-Spirit member of the Wet’suwet’en Nation in the Laksilyu clan, Jean leads an in-person workshop on sewing a beaded pouch as well as identifying medicines or sacred objects to fill the pouch.
• Alyssa Amarshi and Her Tribal Roots (Vancouver) – Jam Out! With Her Tribal Roots Alyssa is a dancer and member of the interdisciplinary collective, Her Tribal Roots. The collective hosts an in-person workshop, facilitating movement, vocal, and percussive games and exercises, followed by a dance and music jam session. 
• Valeria Ascolese (Vancouver) – Where Do We Go From Here? Conversations About the Future of Performance: A Peruvian-Italian multidisciplinary performance artist and educator, Valeria hosts a six-episode series exploring the impact and aftermath of COVID-19 on the artistic performance sector, featuring conversations with six emerging B.C. artists.
• Kenthen Thomas (Salmon Arm) – Secwepemc Stepetkwll: Legends that teach with Kenthen Thomas: A teacher and storyteller, Kenthen journeys into the ancestors’ knowledge from the Secwepemc territory through the live sharing of stories in-person.
• Tara Rajah (Port Coquitlam) – Environmental Vibrations: A classically-trained cellist, Tara presents an in-person, child-friendly performance project that explores the human connection with nature in a public space.
• Carter Kirilenko (Vancouver) – Climate Solutions Film Festival: A documentary filmmaker, director, and producer, Carter hosts an online film festival featuring a series of short films with nature-based solutions to the climate crisis.

“Art is really uniquely positioned so people can explore really in-depth topics, things that are really important to them. But also it creates this really amazing shared felt experience between the artist and the people who view it,” said Ambassador Jean Baptiste.

Baptiste will be holding a workshop in PG, and said this is a good way to engage in healing work after having so much isolation due to the pandemic.

“It’s good to know who your facilitator is, and the person who is going to be leading the workshop because people are going to be entering a space, and I want them to feel like it’s the right space for them, especially because it can be so vulnerable.”