The Massy Arts Society is seeking submissions from visual artists to transform the street front window of their new gallery space at 23 East Pender Street. Some may recognize the address as the historic Ming Wo building. The window display will be visible to those walking by on street level. The aim is to support emerging practices of artists of diverse mediums. They are looking for experimental and non-conventional forms of work. If you are interested in submitting your work for consideration, the deadline is August 23rd. The first exhibition opening is planned for September 7th. For more information for those that wish to submit their work, visit MassyArts.com.
The producers of the Eastside Culture Crawl Festival are bringing you a new innovative event, that being the CREATE! Arts Festival. The CREATE! Arts Festival is a new community initiative of the Eastside Arts Society which brings together over 40 local artists for art making. They will help you explore, learn and create art together through a series of affordable and accessible art workshops.
This is an all ages event in which you can learn felt making, ceramics, glass blowing, painting, printmaking, jewellery making and the list goes on. Most of the events will take place outdoors in Woodland Park Saturday August 21st and Sunday, August 22nd with a few workshops taking place in some Eastside studios. Workshops are $25 per person ($10 for kids workshops). For more information or to register for workshops, visit CREATE! Arts Festival.
Looking to work off some Covid pounds? Maybe you consumed a little too much sourdough during the pandemic? OK maybe that’s just us. If you are looking to workout, but maybe not quite ready for indoor group classes, Trout Lake Community Centre has an option. They are offering outdoor Zumba classes this August on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. You can expect a great workout with some Latin rhythms to get you moving that combines Salsa, Merengue and Cumbia. Classes are designed for all fitness levels. Note, no drop-ins for these classes. Registration is required. Visit Recreation.Vancouver.ca for more details and to register.
Just Off Main is an event happening Saturday, August 14th from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm and you guessed it, just off Main Street. This free outdoor event will be happening on various side streets up and down Main Street. Things available to see, eat or drink include beer, burgers and dance as well as live music and yes ballerinas. Hub Cycling will be on hand along with other community organizations. There will be activities for the kids along with ice cream and cotton candy. To learn more about this upcoming event and any specific locations you wish to check out, visit Mount Pleasant BIA on Instagram.
Yes, it’s back! Trout Lake Community Centre is hosting a lantern procession on Wednesday, August 25th from 8:00 pm till dusk. The Carnival Band will lead the procession around Trout Lake and we are certain you can expect to see some circus performers join in on the fun for the evening. This is a free all ages event. All you need to participate is to bring a lantern(s) for a meandering walk around the lake. We expect the community centre will be leading some lantern making workshops, as they’ve done in the past, prior to the event. Contact them directly for further information.
The Firehall Arts Centre and the Vancouver Independent Music Centre present the 2021 Music in the Courtyard series from Friday, July 30th to Sunday, September 5th. The performances for the second edition of this series will take place outdoors in the courtyard at The Firehall Arts Centre at 280 East Cordova Street. The shows will mainly take place Wednesdays to Saturdays at 7:00 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm. Tickets range from $20 to $40. It is strongly recommended that tickets be purchased in advance as tickets are expected to go quickly. The line up of talent is all over the map. You can expect to hear solo, duo and group performances. The sounds range from a string quartet to rock & roll to artists you might expect to find at the Vancouver Folk Festival to soulful blues. We invite you to check out the full rundown of talent and grab your tickets by visiting the Firehall Arts Centre.
Note: Each performance will be limited to 50 patrons. Patrons will be required to wear masks in public areas within the building, but may remove their masks once seated in the outdoor courtyard area.
The Havana Theatre on Commercial Drive will play host to a jaw dropping dance cabaret July 27 – August 7. Under the direction of creator and choreographer, Jen Oleksiuk, you can expect an evening of splendid awkwardness, joyous sexuality and wild seduction. The Smoke Show combines enticement and humour in the form of an interactive dance cabaret inspired by modern and classic genres. You can expect to see influences from Motown, fosse, jazz, rock and burlesque. We are hearing this cabaret is one of Vancouver’s best kept secrets. To purchase your ticket, visit Showpass.com. Note, this show is 18+ years of age.
You are invited to enjoy the sweet sounds of summer at Kafka’s beautiful space at 120-577 Great Northern Way this summer. In July and August, Kafka’s will be hosting weekly live outdoor concerts on Friday and Saturday afternoons between 3:00 and 5:00 pm. The free all ages outdoor music event is curated by co-artistic director of the Vancouver World Music Festival, Robin Layne. Come celebrate the sounds of summer with an eclectic mix of jazz, world and roots music. You can nosh on the patio and raise a glass to the weekend with craft beer, cider or BC wine. Kafka’s is fully licensed and offers a great selection products from local and BC makers including 33 Acres, Brassneck, Mission Hill and Cedar Creek. For those that might be driving, the parking lot will be cordoned off and car-free during all performances so they can maximize space for everyone to gather safely outdoors. As an added bonus, VCC Clark Skytrain Station is within walking distance. We’ve set out the current music line up for July. Stop by and enjoy the sweet sounds of summer.
July 16 Trad Jazz with Wynston Minckler and Josh Roberts
We are living through an unprecedented heat wave which should be no surprise to anyone on the WestCoast. We have not seen any rain in going on 6 weeks now. The trees in our City are important for so many reasons such as mitigating climate change, providing shade to keep us cool, the abundant urban wildlife and the list goes on. In my neighbourhood, each summer when we have a stretch of summer weather without rain, I make a point of watering some of the area’s boulevard trees. Two things happen when I do this, one people say thank you. Two, others get inspired to do the same. I personally would have liked to have seen some communication from the City of Vancouver to encourage Vancouver residents to water boulevard trees they were physically able to or within reach of their home by hose or watering can, but that hasn’t happened. With climate change and its affects being top of mind for so many with forest fires raging in our province, I think preserving the abundant tree canopy in the City where we can is important for human life and urban wildlife.
So with that, I encourage you to adopt a tree(s) on your street and water where you can. If you wish to read more on this, CBC has done a recent feature “Vancouver trees dry out as heat wave continues to take its toll.” And if you wish to read further on the disparity of tree cover between the East Side and the West Side, we invite you to check out this piece by Christopher Cheung in the Tyee Vancouver Shade Inequality. We’ve copied in a great image from Christopher’s piece from Urban Forest Strategy, 2018 update, City of Vancouver which highlights the importance of trees in our urban landscape.
The Britannia Plaza Market outside of the Britannia Community Centre and Britannia Library is back this summer. For the months of July and August, you can stop by on Thursdays between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to pick up some fresh produce, bread, eggs and baked goods. We hear Fractal Farms will be a regular staple on hand for Thursday’s market. On Saturdays, stop by between Noon and 4:00 pm to check out a variety of offerings from local artists and makers. The markets we understand will be held weekly throughout the summer months. We invite you to stop by and support your local artists, makers and growers.
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