Arts to the rescue

Since PRL's events section collapsed a year ago due to COVID's gathering restrictions, one group of locals has consistently reinvented their work: artists. Using technology, social distancing, and initiative, every single month Powell River has continued to host a thriving creative scene. March is no different. Three galleries are launching new shows with new works.

The Festival of Performing Arts and Festival of Youth are presenting multidisciplnary performaces online.

And Catnip, AKA Stefan Fogarty, has created a masterful self-guided mural-tech tour that bridges visual art, video games and IRL prizes. All of this, BTW, is available for free.–PW

Lumen: Lighting for strange times

At Townsite Market's Crucible Gallery March 5 to April 10. This stained glass was made by Feather Mills. See works by David Molyneaux, Bob Mackle and guests (likely seven artists will show new works.) Thursdays to Saturdays 5 to 9pm, Sundays noon to 5pm.

Challenge to Choose: Art Response to Gender Inequality and Bias

In Celebration and Support of Women, The Art Centre Public Gallery will be presenting a multi-disciplinary, online and in person exhibition this Spring, starting with an online film screening of The Least We Can Do and panel talk. This talk will open the exhibition at 1pm, March 8 in conjunction with International Women's Day. A diverse and tentacular series of evolving events will follow; films, talks, and activities from March until May.

Details will be announced following updated Public Health Orders and posted on powellriverartscouncil.ca website and social media pages.

Exhibition Info: The Art Centre Public Gallery will also be exhibiting works by local and non-local artists, with submissions currently open at powellriverartscouncil.ca/calls We are currently accepting works for the physical gallery and online gallery. (See more on Page 38)

* This image above, Challenge to Choose/Choose to Challenge, describes tentacular methods of thought, where many ideas flow in many directions; creating a metaphor between the human hand and the octopus's tentacles. The text can be read in both directions, a play on words, showing how our language affects our thinking.–by Laurance Playford-Beaudet

How to be a Humanist

Tidal Art Gallery's new artist in residence, Brigitte Potter-Mael, opens her first show March 5 to 22. It kicks off with a celebration of Rosa Luxembourg's 150th birthday, honouring her herbarium. Brigitte will be collaborating with Powell River artist Donna Lytle early in her residency. See Tidal's Facebook page for opening hours and more details.

Festival of Performing Arts and Festival of Youth

These annual concerts normally draw thousands of viwers; this year they're going ahead, but online.

The Grand Concert for the Festival of Performing Arts will be available mid-March as a video (the regular festival was in late February). Watch for notice for the video release at www.events.solarislive.com/prfestival.

The Festival of Youth is four concerts, March 16 and 17: a collaboration between all local schools. For a Zoom link, watch the PRL Facebook page this month.

Local youth are shockingly talented, including dancer Georgia Malamas, 14, who will be performing tap, lyrical, hiphop and many other styles of dance, and Jaid Kirzakow who will be playing the Prelude in C minor by Bach and also a Nocturne in C# minor by Chopin.

When Colours Bleed

Amber Friedman shows fabric art at Tidal Art Gallery March 26 to April 9. "Looking at humans as colours, seeing all of the energy and emotions we are in constant exchange with others, a colourful mélange between the sorts," she explains. "Noticing how we store emotions and words in little compartments inside ourselves, never to come out. This exhibition is an artistic visual experience of both when colours bleed, and when they don’t." With guest artists Annie Robinson, Julie Briscoe, Olo Friedman, Nettle Friedman and Oriah Briscoe.