They’re everywhere. They live amongst us, silently, often unrecognized, going about their day-to-day lives with anonymity. If you live in New West, chances are you live near one of them – and you’ve never known it.
They’re artists, and they’re invading all corners of our city.
Welcome back to the New Westminster Cultural Crawl, which invites residents and visitors alike to experience the studios, galleries and public spaces of the city on the weekend of Aug. 10 to 12. The 15th annual event, co-presented by the Arts Council of New Westminster and Van Dop Gallery, takes visitors on a self-guided tour of artist studios and workplaces.
It all kicks off on Friday night, Aug. 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. with a special event at the Anvil Centre Community Art Space. Artists in the Boro will launch its new exhibition, Worlds of Light and Shadow, and patrons will be able to enjoy a glimpse of the work of artists participating in this year’s Cultural Crawl – with a cash bar and live entertainment.
“We’re really excited for that,” said Darylina Powderface, this year’s Cultural Crawl coordinator. “It’s like a sneak peek of the weekend.”
Visitors can pick up a brochure or check out the New Westminster Cultural Crawl website to plan their visits for the following two days. The city is divided into five neighbourhoods – Sapperton/Victory Heights, downtown, uptown, West End and Queensborough – with a variety of different, walkable venues in each area.
The Crawl has evolved from a one-day art walk in 2003, with eight venues and a handful of artists, to last year’s 37 venues and more than 150 artists, with some 4,200 visitors.
The Crawl has also expanded beyond the boundaries of the traditional gallery viewing, with a variety of hands-on events and activities (see some highlights in sidebar below). It’s also broadened to embrace the performing arts, with events including Uptown Unplugged, featuring musicians outside Westminster Centre on Saturday and Royal City Centre on Sunday, from noon to 2 p.m.; and an artist doing a live theatre performance in collaboration with dancers at Royal City Centre both days.
Steel & Oak Brewing Co. is also getting in on the fun this year, welcoming art lovers to its Third Avenue tasting room so visitors can stop enjoy to enjoy a beer while touring.
Powderface said many artists return year over year, and each year also attracts new faces.
“We have over 12 new artists participating this year, so it’s really exciting and I’m really looking forward to seeing their work,” she said.
Powderface, who studies theatre at Simon Fraser University, said she’s hoping to see the event attract all kinds of visitors – from those who’ve lived in the city for a long time to those who’ve newly arrived and don’t yet know what the city has to offer.
“Before moving here, I did not know that this city was full of artists,” she said. “It was really interesting for me to take part in this, to grow as an artist myself.”
See www.newwestculturalcrawl.com for all the details.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Royal City Gogos and Friends: The Royal City Gogos host eight artists, 10 artisans and a special exhibit of 30 carved and painted paddles, with live demos all day. There’s also a barbecue featuring hotdogs and the famous, much-coveted Royal City Donuts. It’s at the Unifor Hall, 326 12th St.
Rainbow Reception and Revel: New West Artists host an evening of art, music and refreshments for the post-crawl hours, 6 to 8 p.m., at the Network Hub (second floor of River Market). Cash bar included.
Outdoor Family Eco Arts Fun: Artist Karen Colville will be on hand outside The Gallery at Queen’s Park on Saturday, Aug. 11 from 1 to 4 p.m. with a hands-on family art workshop. A variety of performances will also take place in the bandshell.
The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party: Artists in the Boro hosts this popular event on Sunday, Aug. 12, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Port Royal Community Garden. Enjoy a scrumptious tea, fashion your own customized hat (with help from the on-site millinery volunteers) and check out the art.
VENUES
The Crawl includes more than 30 venues around the city.
A few of the highlights:
VAN DOP GALLERY
The gallery, owned by Trudy Van Dop, hosts an exhibition of work by the New Westminster 7: Gabor Gasztonyi, Jerry McLaughlin, Leslie Poole, Lanta Meng, Rodrigo Sarrat-Cave, Jim Walsh and J. G. Freedman. It’s at 421 Richmond St. (Sapperton/Victory Heights).
100 BRAID STREET STUDIOS
This gallery, studio and venue space gives visitors a peek into the working lives of its member artists, while also giving them a chance to check out a historic building – the site of the B.C. Distillery. It’s at 100 Braid Street (Sapperton/Victory Heights).
AMELIA DOUGLAS GALLERY
The gallery at Douglas College presents Landlocked? and Flotsam Fixation, a double exhibition by Tiki Mulvihill. An opening reception is on Saturday, Aug. 11 from 1 to 3 p.m., with a free collage-making workshop. It’s on the fourth floor north at 700 Royal Ave. (downtown).
PLASKETT GALLERY
The gallery at Massey Theatre is presenting Life, Death and Other Dreams …, featuring work by Clarissa Argueta, with the artist on hand Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s at 735 Eighth Ave. (uptown).
QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY CENTRE
Experience Art in the Atrium, with Artists in the Boro’s new multimedia exhibition, It Comes Naturally, along with a new triptych in the Channel Room and the Making Funny Faces project on the centre’s west side. It’s at 920 Ewen Ave. (Queensborough).
