2018 BC Culture Days Ambassadors Announced
/The following is excerpted from a communication issued by Culture Days.
BC Culture Days has announced the winners of its 2018 Ambassador and Awards program. Each ambassador will be awarded $1,000 ($500 production budget + $500 Artist Honorarium) to present a Culture Days activity and act as a spokesperson for BC Culture Days leading up to the Culture Days weekend, September 28, 29, and 30.
Besides activating their local communities, ambassadors will engage the public in discussions around arts and culture and encourage them to participate behind the scenes with B.C. artists, curators, heritage experts, creators and other creative people over the Culture Days weekend. Ambassadors will play an important role in B.C.'s communities, sharing arts and culture related stories through the Culture365 blog page, social media, TV, and radio.
The following ambassadors were selected from across the province after review of their applications and proposed projects by the BC Culture Days Steering Committee:
- Elana Bizovie (Kelowna)
Activity: Play in a Day
The Play in a Day competition will take place over the course of 24 hours during the Culture Days weekend. During the event, groups will be given rules, regulations, and prompts for their plays. They will then have 24 hours before they will present their creations to an audience. Groups will be responsible for all aspects of the production (including writing, acting, directing, and any technical or design elements they wish to include) being sure to incorporate the prompts given. Assistance from local theatre professionals will be available throughout the planning process. After the 24 hours is up, teams will be adjudicated by a panel of expert judges, with winning teams awarded either a judge’s prize and/or an audience-choice award. - Rob Buchanan (Revelstoke)
Activity: Luna Festival Fish Bowl Installation
Rob Buchanan will be presenting a fish bowl themed installation as the lead artist in the nighttime Luna Festival. It will be one of approximately eleven free contemporary art installations, involving hundreds of volunteers and artists with ages ranging from school children to seniors. - Ashley Good (Victoria)
Activity: Spotlight on BC Indie Film
Ashley Good and several other Victoria-based indie filmmakers will be inviting the public to join them in celebration of BC film at CineVic: Society of Independent Filmmakers. A collection of locally produced shorts will be screened, with a Q & A period following each screening. - Lynette La Fontaine & Michael Kast (Prince George)
Activity: Beading & Healing
Prince George co-ambassadors Lynette La Fontaine and Michael Kast will present a multi-exposure multimedia project. The public will also be invited to participate in a guerrilla-style graffiti project by Michael Kast, where passersby will create art using street chalk and then have their art photographed. - Diane Moran (Port Renfrew)
Activity: Driftwood & Drums by the Beach
Local artist Diane Moran will be presenting a hands-on art exploration set in nature. Guests from the Pacheedaht First Nations will also share some of their knowledge and heritage of the area. - Lori Paul (Chilliwack):
Activity: Spiderlodge's So Long Summer Garden Party Picnic
Spiderlodge’s So Long Summer Garden Party Picnic will take place at Gwynne Vaughan Park. Activities will include music workshops and art demonstrations. Live music will be played throughout the day by musicians and singers of all age, including student performers and established artists. - Mandy Rushton (Vancouver)
Activity: Pop Culture Cabaret and Sing-a-Long
Mandy Rushton will be sharing her informative behind-the-scenes take on pop culture and The Great American Songbook. This cabaret-style, all-ages friendly performance piece is based on her own life experiences woven through songs. Participants will be invited to join in for a live collective karaoke sing-along. - Johnny Trinh (North Vancouver)
Activity: Poets In The Kitchen
Art, food, and performance are all celebrated in this poetic food pop-up. Developed from Johnny D Trinh's YouTube series, "Poets In The Kitchen," diverse artists and foodies come together for a potluck of poetry and great eats. The performance will start with a "cooking-school" session where Johnny and guests teach viewers how to make a dish. During this time, there is a dialogue where participants will learn about each other and share stories. The next segment is where participants share the food in a celebratory feast. In the final segment, each guest will share a poem, a performance, or artwork, followed by a jam session (an improvised collaboration) to make something new.
Artist biographies are available at BC.CultureDays.ca.
"We're looking forward to another exciting year, filled with many new projects for the Culture Days weekend. We encourage interested participants to connect with our ambassadors to share their stories about all the creative activities going on in their community, and be sure to connect with us through social media," says Nazanin Shoja, BC Culture Days Manager.
Culture Days raises the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. It is a collaborative movement dedicated to providing free, hands-on, and interactive arts and culture activities to cities and towns across Canada.
For more information on how to take part in BC Culture Days or to sign up for the BC Culture Days newsletter, visit: BC.CultureDays.ca
For updates on BC Culture Days and the BC Culture Days ambassadors, please follow BC Culture Days on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
