HUNGER HELP | Construction of a new food bank kicks off in Lake Country [A6]
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Friday, March 20, 2015
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Unique gallery houses Print Triennial RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff
Vernon has been unveiled as a cultural capital. The Okanagan Print Triennial launched Thursday, and it will feature 90 works of art until May 21 at the Vernon Public Art Gallery and a satellite exhibit space across from Cenotaph Park. “There’s a good crosssection of traditional print techniques right into digital,” said Lubos Cullen, VPAG curator. Organizers originally considered 179 artists from 35 countries and 23 were ultimately selected to have their work on display. “There are some largescale works. One is sevenfeet-by-eight-feet,” said Cullen. “The size is comparable to the human body so it creates its own environment.” The satellite exhibit space has been established in four storage lockers provided by BigSteelBox. Modus Structures developed the wall systems required to display the art. “It’s been a huge project but it’s been such an exciting journey,” said Dauna
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Sigrid-Ann Thors looks at the prints in the Gallery in a Box as the Print Triennial opens Thursday in Vernon. Kennedy Grant, VPAG executive director. “It’s amazing to see it all come together.” Key to the project has been the support of the business community including presenting sponsor
KPMG, corporate sponsor Fraser Financial Wealth Management, the B.C. Arts Council, local government and volunteers. “It’s an indication that they want to see vibrancy here,” said Kennedy Grant of
downtown Vernon. “It’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience.” It’s not known how many people will attend the triennial but Kennedy Grant anticipates it will be popular with local residents and
tourists. “We will track the numbers. It will be an indication of interest here and right now, we don’t have baseline statistics on cultural tourism,” she said. Checking out the satel-
lite gallery Thursday morning was Marion Morrison, a former VPAG president and cultural advocate. “I love it, it’s fun,” she said of the structure. “I’m glad we’re able to do it but it’s temporary. We need a real gallery.” VPAG had hoped the triennial would be held in a new, purpose-built art gallery, but the process towards a facility has been delayed. The storage lockers sit on the site identified as the future home of an art gallery. “The exhibition has out grown us and highlights the fact the space (current gallery) is not up to our needs,” said Andrew Powell, VPAG president. That is also the view of Sean Harvey, a former Vernon mayor and Modus chief executive officer. “I hope these steel containers serve another purpose, to draw attention to the continued lack of a modern, functional, long-term home for the Vernon Public Art Gallery,” said Harvey. The Okanagan Print Triennial is open at both locations Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
OK Spirits on top of the world Morning Star Staff
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Peter von Hahn, senior distiller, basks in the glory of Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery winning several honours at the 2015 World Spirits Awards.
Vernon’s Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery has won distillery of the year and spirit of the year, while retaining its world class distillery designation at the 2015 World Spirits Awards in Denmark. This is the second time in a row Okanagan Spirits has entered the international competition and been awarded its highest honour, distillery of the year, beating out distilleries from Europe, Australia and the U.S. A double gold distinction was award-
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ed not once but three times to senior distiller Peter von Hahn who represented the craft distillery in Koje, Denmark, with eight spirits this year, all of which received medals. Blackcurrant liqueur achieved spirit of the year with 96 points and a double gold medal (Okanagan Spirits blackcurrant also won this designation in 2013). Also to achieve double gold were first-time entrant Haskap liqueur and Danish-style Aquavitus. “Double gold status for Okanagan
S S E N MAD
Spirits Craft Distillery’s Aquavit, being awarded here in Scandinavia — the birth place of aquavit — was very exciting,” said von Hahn. “Imagine, a small Canadian distillery in B.C. producing some of the best aquavit in the world.” Gold medals were also awarded to the raspberry liqueur, Genuine Taboo Absinthe and the lottery-only Laird of Fintry Whisky (2014).
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