BC Culture Days Reignites Metro Vancouver Arts With Hybrid Lineup Of Events

BC Culture Days announces a dynamic selection of interactive arts and cultural events taking place in Metro Vancouver and online at culturedays.ca/bc from September 24 to October 24, 2021.

The month-long celebration invites culture enthusiasts to reconnect with their communities by learning a new skill or discovering creative talents. Participants are asked to come together to 'RE:IMAGINE' a brighter future post-pandemic, enhanced through creative connection.

Featuring a wide range of activities in alignment with public health recommendations, BC Culture Days offers socially-distanced outdoor and pre-registered indoor events, pre-recorded video content, livestream presentations, self-guided activities, and more.

"There is incredible strength that comes from the collective pursuit of creativity, beauty, and wonder. It forges friendships, unites minds, and supports communities," says Nazanin Shoja, BC Culture Days Director. "At BC Culture Days, our primary goal is to make cultural exploration and artistic expression accessible to all who seek it. We are incredibly grateful to the hundreds of artists and cultural leaders across B.C. who have joined with us in our goal by creating, hosting, and facilitating workshops, tutorials, and presentations. Together, we are working towards building a brighter future for all."

To further enhance the 2021 arts and culture celebration and help boost community engagement, BC Culture Days has selected nine outstanding emerging artists to participate in this year's cultural ambassador program. Representing a wide array of artistic disciplines - dance, theatre, visual arts, storytelling, poetry, film, and music - each ambassador will host an interactive event free to the public, as part of the ambassador event series, RE:CONNECT. For a full list of ambassadors, visit culturedays.ca/bc/2021bcambassadors.

This year's BC Culture Days activities will kick off with a brand new video series, RE:GENERATE, showcasing the creative resilience of five remote or rural B.C. communities, as they adapt to COVID-19 restrictions and re-emerge with inspiring ideas for the future. Each week of the month-long event, several new videos will be released online, featuring event coverage and interviews from one of five communities - Prince Rupert, Bella Coola, Sooke, Salmon Arm, and Kimberley.

There will also be a pre-recorded welcome ceremony from Chief Kwakwee Baker, member of the Squamish First Nation, as well as a pre-recorded provincial proclamation from BC Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, Hon. Melanie Mark.

Featured BC Culture Days events taking place in Metro Vancouver include:

VANCOUVER

Together/Apart | Sept. 24-Oct. 9 | Digital

Our First Conversation: Digital Art Show | Sept. 24-Oct. 24 | Digital

Jam Out! With Her Tribal Roots | Sept. 27, 5:30-8:30pm | Trout Lake (John Hendry Park)

Where Do We Go From Here? Conversations about the Future of Performance | Sept. 25 & 29, Oct. 9, 13, 16 & 20, 7-8pm | Digital

Windows | Sept. 27-Oct. 3 | Digital

ART & VR Exhibition: An Immersive Journey in Virtual Reality | Oct. 1, 2-6pm; Oct. 2, 10am-6pm; Oct. 3, 10am-6pm | Centre for Digital Media

Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival | Oct. 15-17 | Roundhouse Community Centre

Climate Solutions Film Festival | Oct. 22, 4-5pm | Digital

Weaving the Future | Oct. 24, 11am-5pm | Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art

NORTH & WEST VANCOUVER

WVAM! Drop-in Family Art Project | Sept. 25, 12-4pm | West Vancouver Art Museum

Silver Harbour Art Crawl and Pop Up Shop | Sept. 25, 11am-3pm | Silver Harbour Centre

Adult Ballet Classes | Sept. 30 & Oct. 7, 6-7pm | The Dance Conservatory

Pottery Show and Sale | Oct. 23, 10am-2pm | Gleneagles Community Centre

RICHMOND

Art Journaling for Beginners | Sept. 24-Oct. 24 | Digital + Sept. 25, 1-3pm | Richmond Cultural Centre

Drawing Jam! | Sept. 26, 1-2:30pm | Richmond Art Gallery & Digital

Seniors Acting Out: Platinum Players | Sept. 26, 2-3pm | Minoru Centre for Active Living

Raise Your Voice, Raise Your Spirit! | Sept. 26, 2-2:35pm, 2:40-3:15pm | Minoru Cultural Center

StoryWalk(R) with Rachel Rozanski and Richmond Public Library | Sept. 25, 11am-12:30pm; Oct. 2, 11am-12:30pm | Minoru Park

TRI-CITIES

Art 4 Life Virtual Artist Talk & Reception | Sept. 23, 7:15pm | Digital

Upcycled Pop-Up Portraits with Dawn Livera | Sept. 26, 1:30-2:30pm | Digital
Environmental Vibrations | Oct. 2, 1-5:30pm | Port Coquitlam Community Centre

Get Hooked by Rug Hooking | Oct. 16, 2-4pm | The Michael Wright Art Gallery

SURREY

Stories From the Past with Surrey Heritage | Sept. 24-Oct. 24 (Every Friday) | Phone

Under the Sea | Oct. 1-8 | Digital

Introduction to Land Art Workshop | Oct. 2, 9am-12pm | Digital

The Flame: Hope Springs Eternal | Oct. 15-22 | Digital

MAPLE RIDGE

Maple Ridge Museum: Open Hours | Sept. 24-Oct. 24 | Maple Ridge Museum

The Bee's Knees: A 1920's Fashion Exhibit | Sept. 24-Oct. 24 | The ACT Arts Centre

Mapping Home | Oct. 16, 10-11am | The ACT Arts Centre

MISSION

Nutcracker Re:Imagined | Sept. 24-Oct. 24 | Digital

Our Home Town Mural: Mission, BC | Oct. 8, 11-11:30am | Digital

Then & Now: Mission, BC | Oct. 15, 11-11:30am | Digital

ALDERGROVE

Community Heritage Day | Sept. 25, 10am-3pm | Aldergrove Community Museum & Archives

ABBOTSFORD

A Study of Birds | Sept. 25, 1-4pm | Kariton Art Gallery

Visit culturedays.ca/bc for a full list of events. More events continue to be added until Sept. 24, 2021.

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 across Canada.

For more information on how to take part in BC Culture Days - including live streaming options as well as an enhanced registration system that has made it even easier for participants to plan and share their events in 2021 - or to sign up for the BC Culture Days newsletter, visit culturedays.ca/bc.