Image Credit: Contributed
July 24, 2016 - 12:58 PM
KELOWNA - The “Arts on the Avenue” festival introduced to the community in 2015 is returning to Kelowna on Thursday, July 28th, 2016 from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm.
Based on the interest shown by both the public and the artist community, this year’s event has expanded to 2 blocks on Bernard Avenue and will feature more than 70 artists with art to sell, live cultural performances, “Spotlight Artist” presentations, drop-in visual art activities, interactive community art projects, and more.
“When we launched this new visual arts festival last year we were unsure how people would respond to the event,” explains Lisa Brown, Event Assistant with Festivals Kelowna and the festival’s producer. “To say that we were blown away by the positive feedback, the huge number of artists that wanted to participate, and the willingness of local arts groups like the Federation of Canadian Artists, Kelowna Arts Council, and Artsco to partner on the event would be an understatement. This year’s event is shaping up to be even bigger and better than last year.”
Initially launched in 2015, “Arts on the Avenue” 2016 will now feature over 70 juried artists from a variety of disciplines selling their original handcrafted products from such artistic streams as fibre art, jewelry, pottery, painting, wood carving, and more.
New this year is the inclusion of two “3D Chalk Artists”, Emmanuel Areizaga, an emerging visual artist heading to CATO this fall, and Shawn Smith, a professional and well-known local chalk artist whose work can be seen in restaurants all over the Okanagan and who is breaking into new territory with the 3D format.
Also new this year is a large-scale, drop-in community art project headed up by the Okanagan chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists in celebration of the Group of Seven’s 75th Anniversary. Using multiple mini-canvases, patrons of all ages and painting skills will be invited to paint a portion of Tom Thomson’s “The Pool”, forming a single, large painting once assembled.
Returning to the festival is the popular “Spotlight Artist” element where professional artists speak about their process and explain their creative inspiration. This year’s artist is another well-known local artist, Alex Fong, whose beautiful and whimsical watercolor works are very distinctive and reside in personal art collections around the world.
“People should come prepared to buy art and experience all kinds of visual arts,” enthuses Ms. Brown. “This is a great chance to start some early Christmas shopping or to buy a one of a kind gift for a special occasion. We’ll also have live musical performances throughout the night so plan to spend a few hours with us.”
Further details about the festival can be found on facebook at both the Arts on the Avenue fan and event pages. A list of participating artists with links to their websites can be found on the “Arts on the Avenue” page at the Festivals Kelowna website. Patrons are invited to tweet their arts experience using #ArtsonAveKelowna and #BuyCreateCelebrate.
Festivals Kelowna is a non-profit organization that produces community-focused, family friendly festivals and events. We strive to enhance the lifestyle of our residents and visitors through positive cultural experiences in unique outdoor environments.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016