Art in the Valley - by Artist Michael Arne Jorden

    WHERE ARE THE ARTISTS

My previous column outlined a number of art organizations in the south Okanagan.  This issue will talk about where art can be found.  A painting colleague recently reported that in all of Canada, in allpublically accessible galleries, there are about 30,000 spaces on walls for individual artists to hang a picture.  With close to a million painters producing one or more pieces a year it seems just finding a public spot to hang your painting is the next most difficult thing to actually producing it.  That being said, artists in the Okanagan are especially fortunate to have access to a surprising number of venues for displaying and viewing art. 

In Osoyoos, our own community art gallery occupies a heritage building next to the Town Hall [it features the former town jail in its basement] and hosts approximately eight art events throughout the year.  A new artists’ co-operative gallery in Oliver, of which I am a founding member, was formed in 2011 and now provides a commercial outlet for over sixteen artists from Osoyoos to Keremeos and Penticton.  The Quail’s Nest art center in Oliver, while primarily a studio and teaching facility, does open its doors from to time, especially in the summer, as an exhibition space. Commercial establishments such as Dolci’s Deli on Main Street often provide wall space for local artists to display their works on a sale by commission basis.  Penticton features two or more commercial galleries (including Tumbleweed and Lloyd Gallery), a smaller artist-owned gallery (Local Colour) and the large and respected Penticton Art Gallery.  The latter gallery is publically funded with a mandate to feature local, provincial and nationally recognized art and artists.  Local artists are also regular contributors to charity auctions and fund-raising events in each of the Valley communities.

The real advantage of the south Okanagan however is the relationship of the arts community with local wineries.  There is a strong and historic relationship around the world between wine, visitors and culture, and that is true here as well; all of which reinforce the important role that tourism plays in the valley economy.  The evolution in recent years of the wine industry has seen diversification from grape growing to estate wine production and more recently to tourist accommodation and fine dining.  In addition, a number of wineries including Nk’Mip Cellars, Burrowing Owl, Tinhorn Creek, Rustico, Lang Vineyards and Red Rooster winery to name a few have all provided space for local artists and/or hosted exhibitions.  This trend takes advantage of the large number of visitors that these wineries enjoy.  Art exhibits in turn have been shown to increase traffic for the business, especially on exhibition opening days.  Revenue from art sales obviously benefits both the artist and the host winery.

As the weather warms up this spring, why not consider an art tour as a component of your next wine tasting excursion.

Michael Jorden is a local painter of landscapes, historic and western subject matter.  He welcomes your comments and suggestions and can be reached at mike@jordencook.com.

   Art in the Valley - by Artist Michael Arne Jorden
 
    Issue No. 2: February 2012

    WHO ARE THE ARTISTS

My first column talked about the impulse to make art and making art is, by its nature, a solitary pursuit. Most artists, however seem to feel the need to engage in organizing for a variety of purposes.  Exchanging ideas, arranging teaching gigs and workshops, hosting exhibitions and just socializing – these and other pursuits bring artists together and they form groups.  In the Osoyoos area, the Osoyoos and District Arts Council is the umbrella organization for the arts.  Member groups include Artists on Main [painters], the Osoyoos Art Gallery, Osoyoos Photography Club, O’s Own Writers, several music and dramatic groups, Osoyoos Woodcarvers, Osoyoos Potters and the Quilters Guild.  Painters and potters meet regularly at the studios behind and above the art gallery on Main Street and visitors and new members are always welcome. The Council’s website www.osoyoosarts.com contains information and links to each of these groups as well as information about Council activities.  The Oliver Community Arts Council www.oliverartscouncil.org has a similar mandate and features 16 member groups including the Oliver Sagebrushers, that community’s long-standing painters group.

The senior painters’ organization in Canada is the Federation of Canadian Artists.  Celebrating its 70^th anniversary this year, it is the oldest and largest group of its kind in the country – founding members included some of the Group of Seven - and sets national standards for adjudicating art and artists.  The provincial association  is headquartered on Granville Island in Vancouver and can be found at www.artists.ca. Its local  affiliate – the South Okanagan/Similkameen Chapter – meets monthly in Penticton.  It currently consists of 95 members, many of whom belong to the other groups mentioned above as well as local informal associations in Summerland, Naramata,  Okanagan Falls and points south.

 A unique feature of life in this part of the world is the seasonal nature of the population.  The summer influx of vacationers fills the coffers of local businesses and increases visits to local galleries.  In the winter, however regular snowbird visitors swell the ranks of churches, community groups and the art community. Unlike casual summer visitors, these stalwarts become active participants in the life of the community and Artists on Main looks forward to their return each year.  Not all artists belong to organizations however and works created by our more solitary colleagues appear from time to time at gallery shows open to non-members prompting comments and questions like “Who did this?”. The advantage for any artist in belonging to a group aside from the relationships formed is accessibility.  More exhibition opportunities are available to members, teaching and demonstrations are regularly held and the chance to critique one another’s work on a regular basis is one of the techniques members use to improve their craft.

If you are an artist, would like to be one or simply appreciate art, consider getting involved in one of the organizations in your community.