The 14th annual Columbia Basin Culture Tour is returning to the Kootenays in 2022, with four stops in Creston.
Held on August 6 and 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at each venue, the self-guided tour combines a road trip with a unique cultural experience.
A total of 84 venues are participating this year, with stops from Revelstoke to Grand Forks and many communities in between.
By following the tour map, participants will have the chance to see art galleries and studios not normally open to the public, meet the creative minds behind the scenes, visit museums and heritage sites, shop for original arts and handcrafted pieces, and experience special events planned just for this weekend - all free of charge.
In Creston, professional oil painter Jenny Steenkamp will be sharing her works.
“My artwork is all about the beautiful colours in nature, and the joy of painting,” said Steenkamp.
“Flowers are my first love, but I do landscapes and portraits as well.”
At the Creston Museum, learn about the valley’s vibrant past of forestry, mining, and agriculture. There are many interesting stories that staff are eager to share, from how Creston got its wacky time zone, to the steamship that became a tractor, to the great bank robbery on Main Street.
To delve further into the arts, stop at the Tilted Brick Gallery, an artist-run exhibition space. During the tour, Carol Wallace’s Give or Take a Few Million Years will be on display. As an interdisciplinary artist, Wallace’s practice draws on imagery and ideas from her former work as an earth scientist. The combination of textiles, video projection, and sound will offer an immersive experience of geologic phenomena.
The last stop in Creston is the Tilted Brick ArtSpace, a studio and community meeting workspace that operates as a second arm of the Tilted Brick Gallery. It provides opportunities for artists to share what they learn, exhibit their work, and collaborate on projects all while inviting the public into meaningful conversations about art. ArtSpace includes the Creston ArtSpace Painters Group, Kootenay Film Society, a Creston Valley writers’ collective, Empire of Dirt Residency, and a small but growing multitude of individual visual artists, musicians, writers, photographers, and filmmakers.
Heading out of Creston on Highway 3A towards the Kootenay Bay Ferry, stop at the Gray Creek Store for Kootenay history books. Then venture on to the Lida Gallery and Gift Shop to view the works of owner Garth Low, who specializes in oil landscape paintings and pottery. The shop also features handmade jewellery with colourful beads and fine chains, created by his wife.
Further down the road, make an afternoon of shopping at the various artisan shops of Crawford Bay including North Woven Brooms (any Harry Potter fans?), Dog Patch Pottery, La Gala Jewellery, Barefoot Handweaving, Forge and Furnace Gallery, and more.
On August 6, plan to end the day at Music in the Park hosted at the Riondel Campground from 2 to 4 p.m.
For detailed information and profiles on each venue, visit www.cbculturetour.com. A tour directory can also be picked up at the Creston Valley Visitor Centre.
READ MORE: Non-profits in Creston receive Community Gaming Grants