Take the Columbia Basin Culture tour
By Contributor
Taking place August 11-12, 2012 10 am – 5 pm, the Columbia Basin Culture Tour allows you to explore artists’ studios, museums, art galleries and heritage sites during this free, self-guided event.
Travel to studios and archives that aren’t normally open, see demonstrations, new exhibitions and collections or meet people behind the scenes. To participate in the tour, simply grab a map, your Culture Tour Directory and go!
Rossland artists Tricia Rasku and Stephanie Gauvin will be opening their working studios for the Culture Tour. At Tricia’s busy studio there will be demonstrations for those of you who wish to know about fibres, weaving, spinning, felting, and the benefits of handmade soap. Meet painter Stephanie Gauvin, who illuminates the scenes she paints with her own mix of vivid, rich, bold, and often contrasting colours. Her studio displays a selection of original paintings, giclee prints, posters and art cards.
Rouge Gallery is located in a historical Rossland building and features local artists who work in a variety of media from acrylics, watercolours and egg tempera, as well as photography, fibre, clay, porcelain, and sculpture. Joining the tour this year is Alley Cat Glass Workshop, owner Christy Holden describes her love of her craft: “A glass artist’s vision lies somewhere between the photon wave a scientist observes when light travels through glass, and the simple appreciation of shape and colour we feel for the glass we use and handle daily..”
In Trail visit RJ Photos where you will find a wonderful selection of treasures including magnets, postcards, t-shirts, lavender bath salts, lavender pouches, desktop calenders, matted and or framed photography. You can request a wheel demonstration at Pottery by Fran and will be able to view a variety of Fran’s finished pottery as well as view pots in the various stages of creation. Visit Diane Oser, a painter who creates abstract and representational work in oil, watercolour and mixed media. On Cedar Ave in Trail you will find Something Sweet Creative Studio – Sugar Shack Quilting, where Tina Ihas lovingly creates a selection of soft toys, bags, and other useful items using recycled upholstery fabrics and clothing, including a line of original quilt patterns.
In Montrose stop by The Art Shack Studio and Gallery and meet artist E. Rebecca Leeworth at this venue you will have the privealage of watching this artist at work, painting with oils and acrylics and also designing and creating crocheted hemp items.
Opposite the airport in Castlegar, the Doukhobor Discovery Centre is a ‘Traditional’ Village that features over 1,000 artefacts. There will be guided tours at 11:00am and at 3:00pm for Culture Tour visitors. This is also the home of the Selkirk Spinners and Weavers Guild, who will be demonstrating the various techniques of making fabric, from preparing and spinning fibres to yarn, setting up a handloom and weaving cloth.
They also feature a lovely gift shop, full of handcrafted work. Just down the road is The Kootenay Gallery of Art, a principal gallery for the visual arts within the West Kootenay region. It provides a professional venue for regional as well as national artists to show and sell their work. A wonderful gift shop on site features the work of over 100 local artists and craftspeople.
In the Robson area, visit Sandra Donohue who paints still life, landscapes, and florals In a representational style using mailnly watercolour and acrylic, and some pastels. Just a little further down the road meet Mirja Vahala at Inspiring Minds Fine Art. Enjoy a tour of Mirja’s personal studio plus 1000 sq.ft workshop instruction studio and view her colourful landscapes and ‘mindscapes’.
In Salmo at Joe’s Art Gallery you will find a warm welcome from artist Joe Horvath who loves to share the art that he enjoys so much creating. There will be an assortment of large and small pictures and also a collection of rocks on display.
Tour brochures are available at tourist information centres and participating venues. Visit the website to view full artist/venue profiles for further details on each location’s activities or register to receive a tour brochure in the mail. For further information, call the CKCA at 1-250-505-5505 or toll free at 1-877-505-7355. The Columbia Basin Culture Tour is generously supported by Columbia Basin Trust funding.
