Culture Days returns to the Parksville Qualicum Beach area Sept. 22 to Oct. 15.
The event spans three weeks and brings together an array of artists, organizations and communities for joyful artistic and cultural celebrations, according to a news release by BC Culture Days.
Audiences can expect a wide variety of free and Pay-What-You-May activities for all to enjoy.
The Oceanside Community Celebrates BC Culture Days hub in Parksville will be home to three unique Culture Days events.
The Steampunk Miniature Scrap Metal Sculpture Project is open to all ages and focuses on upcycling and recycling metal objects to create new works of art in a 3D form. The project consists of a hands-on workshop where participants will be introduced to the basic skills of sculpting scrap metal and learn to transform trash to treasures.
The Art Banner Crawl will introduce the community to a selection of new art banners that will be installed in the Downtown Business District to add to the collection of unique banners that already enhance the area. Locals and tourists will follow a treasure hunt style map to locate the banners while enjoying the unique shops and boutiques in the downtown area.
The Exquisite Corpse Project is back again by popular demand. Artists will celebrate the unveiling of 15 collaborative paintings together at the gala evening party at the Bayside Resort.
From Dashwood to Union Bay, along Route 19A, the Route 19A Arts Festival will feature dozens of local artists with a week-long festival of studio tours, exhibitions and concerts in the Locally Produced hub.
READ MORE: Parksville artist’s portrait shown in 2023 London art show
Qualicum Beach will host the Art of Nurturing Nature hub. Local artist, 2015 BC Culture Days ambassador, and community connector Diane Moran has been personally involved with Culture Days for many years. For this year’s celebrations, she’s playing the role of community organizer and is using her Culture Days hub as a way to strengthen environmental consciousness in her community.
“Culture Days in Qualicum Beach is new for our community,” said Moran. “We are very excited to celebrate the arts and inspire public engagement around The Art of Nurturing Nature in Qualicum Beach. With many of us thinking about climate action, nature and the outdoors, it seemed fitting to come together to plan some innovative events and experiences. Art has long been a tool to inspire, encourage, and motivate. We’ve partnered with Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute, Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society and the Town of Qualicum Beach to celebrate the arts and offer opportunities to gather and learn from each other, while also celebrating and acknowledging B.C. and World Rivers Day.”
The Art of Nurturing Nature in Qualicum Beach community hub takes place throughout Qualicum Beach on the unceded traditional territory of the Qualicum, Snaw-naw-as, Snuneymuxw, K’ómox, Tseshaht, Hupacasath and Ditidaht First Nations from Sept. 22 to Oct. 1.
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