A region-wide celebration of the arts is back this summer, from the shores of Kootenay Lake to the heart of the Elk Valley., and communities in between.
The Columbia Basin Cultural Tour promotes art and culture in the Basin by offering free visits to artist studios, art galleries, museums and heritage sites.
The tour takes place on Saturday and Sunday, August 10 and 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A project of the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance, the Columbia Basin Culture Tour is supported by Columbia Basin Trust, with additional support provided by Nelson and Kootenay Lake Tourism and the Province of British Columbia.
The tour is self-guided, and you can visit as many venues as you wish.
Sticking to the east side of Kootenay Lake, you can begin your tour in Crawford Bay and Gray Creek.
Crawford Bay is home to a diverse group of artisans. Find handmade brooms, weaving, copper enamel, ironwork, food, pottery and jewellery in our unique, quirky studios (log, strawbale and ex-bootlegger and ex-gas-station buildings), all within easy walking distance from each other. Visitors are welcomed into the shops and studios to watch artisans work, ask questions and purchase directly.
In Creston there are a number of studios and shops ready to welcome cultural tour participants including the Creston Museum, ArtSpace, The Pottery on Canyon, Art Barn Studio, McDowell’s Hilltop Gallery, Jenny Steenkamp, Eversfield Ceramics, Lynne Mizera and Earth Wind and Fibre Designs wit Anne Ferrerly.
Heading further into the East Kootenay there are galleries and studios in several communities including Cranbrook Arts, Kimberley Friends Art Collective, Dragon’s Rest Working Studios and Dragon Iron Forge, Three Crazy Gals With Paintbrushes, Fernie Forge, Lillian Rose, Bavin Studios and Purcell Mountain Painters.
To learn more about the Culture Tour, discover the venues and view a map of locations, visit cbculturetour.com. Printed copies of the Columbia Basin Culture Tour directory are also available around the region in locations like art galleries, visitors’ centres, chambers of commerce, hotels and cafés.
