KELOWNA – Okanagan residents will join thousands of people from communities across the country this weekend for Culture Days. It’s the sixth year the cross-country initiative has taken place.
“Culture Days gives us an opportunity to link our hands on a grander scale this weekend and celebrate our creativity, culture and diversity that does live in this country,” says Rawle James, Culture Days Coordinator.
He says that means getting to take in an array of activities from Japanese tea ceremonies, dancing, crafts, art exhibits and seeing artists like Amanda Shatzko in action. The Vernon-native decided to blend her passion for acrobatics and painting into a very unique art form where she combines both those activities.
“Sometimes people ask me: you do what? You hang in the air upside down and you do painting?” says Shatzko, a contemporary artist.
In West Kelowna, the Sncewips Heritage Museum is gearing up for a showcase of its own.
“We have an exhibit that’s on that’s called Native Art: Beyond Beads and Feathers and we are hoping to open some doors, break down some barriers and create discussion about how sometimes culture defines us,” says Heritage Officer and Curator, Tracy Satin.
With more than 100 activities planned for the weekend, organizers say there’ll be something for everyone. Culture Days coordinator Rawle James says it’s not just about a weekend of arts and culture.
“This is an event to make art and culture part of their lives, make it a process and come out once a month, once every two weeks that supports the arts,” says James.
He says dozens of volunteers are the driving the force behind the celebration and a big reason why all of the events are free for the public.
Click here for a list of all the events going on throughout the weekend.
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