SURREY — This new year, 2017, has some significant celebrations scheduled. Of course, we are mostly all aware of Canada’s 150th birthday in this year, and the arts community is presenting this milestone birthday as a theme for many events, exhibitions and festivals.
Theatre BC, the province-wide community theatre festival, has required all festival entries to be Canadian. This is a real promotion for Canadian playwrights, and does promote awareness of some very fine plays. Sometimes there just has to be a platform to promote our own product.
The Arts Council of Surrey presents an annual juried exhibition of visual art. This exhibition celebrates art making in Surrey and the Lower Mainland, recognizes local artists’ merits and achievements, and creates professional development and promotional opportunities for local artists. The theme for ARTS 2017 is “Reflections on Canada.” For this special year, ARTS 2017 will celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday by encouraging artists to submit work that reflects upon Canada, both now and in the future. Artworks submitted to this show should represent the artists ideas or perspective on Canada.
That gives a pretty wide scope, and just about anyone can enter. Residents of the Lower Mainland can enter a maximum of two works per artist (regardless of category) for adjudication. However, only one work (regardless of category) per artist will be selected for the exhibition. This show is open to all artists in the Lower Mainland, but they must belong to a club that is a member of the Arts Council of Surrey, or they must be an individual or associate member of the arts council. To encourage applications by post-secondary art students, the membership requirement is waived with a copy of valid student ID accompanying the entry form.
Entry fees are being waived this year, in honour of Canada’s 150th. But membership policies remain in effect. The completed entry form must be received by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24. That should give you plenty of time to consider your entry. Actual works of art must be delivered to Surrey Arts Centre on Friday, June 2, and adjudication takes place on Saturday, June 3. That’s nearly half of the new year to get something done.
CLICK HERE to read ARTS 2017 competition information, in PDF form.
The rules say the work must be original – no copies of the work of others or things made entirely from a kit or commercial design, including those made entirely from a commercial mold. Work is to have been completed within the last two years, and must not have been previously shown in a public, commercial or juried exhibition. Check with the Arts Council of Surrey for more information, at Artscouncilofsurrey.ca, or dial 604-594-2700. Just start the creative process now. It’s one way to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday.
The arts council’s next general meeting is on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 7:15 p.m. start, at Newton Cultural Centre, 13530 72nd Ave. Everyone is welcome, and you might want to connect with this active group. This year, they are celebrating their 50th year of operation, which started in 1967. Got an idea of how the arts council can celebrate this milestone? Contact them with your idea. Opportunities are waiting for you.
