Want to spend a quiet but delightful hour or so between April 30 and May 3? Then why not take the time and take in the Art Show titled Artists In Our Neighborhood ~ Past, Present and Future in the Creston Room at the Creston and District Community Center. The show is open daily between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Monday to Wednesday and closes at 3:00 pm on Thursday.
Sponsored by the Creston Valley Arts Council in conjunction with Focus On Youth, the show will feature art from a wide perspective of talent and ages. The Past will be represented by many artists. Among those featured will be Margaret Moore who is well known for her paintings of First Nations people from BC, Alberta and the US northwest in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Also featured will be the paintings of Robert Stark, an orchardist living in the valley from 1910, who painted views from his property at the top of 16th Ave North.
Serena Naeve is loaning the exhibition a still life painted by her mother, Virginia. During her 75-year art career, Virginia created paintings, mosaics, woodblock prints, collages, and tapestries. She was also involved in the peace movement, attended disarmament conferences and helped survivors of Hiroshima.
Other artists representing the past include Doreen Tate, Harry Kennedy, Julie Butt, Chris Herchmer, Geri Buchanan and Helen McMichael.
The present will be represented by many talented local artists, many of whom are well known not only throughout the valley but throughout the Kootenay’s and BC. This is an opportunity for some artists who rarely exhibit in a large show such as this, to showcase their creative efforts. Anyone interested in having their art in this show, whether it be woodworking, clay, multimedia, painting, sculpture, fibre arts, photography etc, can contact Brenda Brucker at 250.428.3358 or blbrucker@shaw.ca to arrange for their work to be included in this exhibition. The only stipulation is that they be appropriate for family audiences.
The future is represented by students from throughout the valley. As this art exhibit is part of the Focus On Youth week, many students will be displaying their artwork. Schools from across the valley are featured – class projects as well as individual pieces.
Throughout the exhibits demonstrations of the visual arts will be given. Children’s creative centres will be held during the show – stamping with Emmie Roloefse of Art Foamies and clay work with the Valley Mudders pottery group. Tuesday morning Val van der Poel will be doing a watercolor demo based on a Mira Vahala workshop. Artists in the community will find this demo or interest. The Creston Art Club will be holding their annual “paint out” on Wednesday morning at the Rec. Centre. Visitors will also be able to create fabric house collages or construct a townscape from cardboard scraps.
A mini concert on April 30, the opening night of the exhibition, will be held at the art show between 6: 30 pm and 8:30 pm and is titled, Family and Friends. The concert will feature siblings, parents, and children as well as groups of friends who enjoy entertaining together. Anyone wishing to volunteer their talents for this show can also contact Brenda Brucker.
As a spring treat to yourself, why not take in the art show or one of the many concerts of the Focus On Youth festival to show your support for the many talented artists from five to ninety-five.