Today is the first day of Culture Days. Communities across the country have beefed up their local listings and are pulling out the festival tables for a weekend of arts and activities that engage and inspire. We, at the Kelowna Art Gallery, are no exception.
Like organizations around Kelowna, our doors will be open, and admission will be free on Saturday and Sunday. This is a great time to get to know us. And we want to know you: how curious are you? Have you walked past our big glass windows and wondered what goes on inside? Seen an ad for an exhibition and wondered if it’s something you might like? This is the place to ask questions. The gallery, like any museum, is quite literally a place of wonder: a place to be curious and to have your interest peaked.
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Now, I won’t leave you too in the dark. This weekend you can expect to see our ongoing exhibitions Woven Together (of contemporary Indigenous artists working in weaving) and A Cultivating Journey: The Herman H. Levy Collection (remember I was telling you about that Monet? The van Gogh?), as well as some activities where you can get your hands dirty. Get artsy in the Levy Learning Space or in the Art Lab where you can exercise your curiosity by exploring with art materials. Our Family Sunday feature activity this weekend will have you creating colourful collage postcards inspired by Swiss German artist Paul Klee (1879-1940). Klee wrote extensively about colour theory and was a teacher at the Bauhaus school of art, design and architecture. The Bauhaus school celebrated the relationship between art and everyday life, just like our own education and interpretive programs, which help every visitor find a connection with what’s on view in the gallery.
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By participating in gallery events, like those on offer for Culture Days, you will really find that the KAG is a place for everybody—there is something here for everyone. Some visitors may be excited to learn more about art figures such as the Bauhaus in historical exhibitions; others may be thrilled about special programs just for them. Saturday morning, for instance, we are launching the first Saturday Social, a pilot program designed for adults ages 60+. Tomorrow, at 10:30 am, those of you with more life experience to share can learn about the Gallery, do an art activity, and enjoy tea and treats while embracing your art-curiosity. Hey early-birds: I’m looking at you! Help us kick off our weekend. I’ll be there too, as the first pit stop on my Instagram takeover tour of Kelowna Arts. Follow my journey on Instagram @kelownaartgallery as I make connections of my own, get to know some of our cultural neighbours, and check out what they are up to over the weekend. It’s sure to be an adventure.
Laura Jane Ritchie is Curator at the Kelowna Art Gallery.
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