I had the good fortune to respond to a request for knitting teachers and ended up as a Core Staff member for the Girl Guides’ Spirit of Adventure Rendezvous (SOAR) 2011 last week. The position was volunteer and it wasn’t knitting, but I was thrilled nonetheless. I’ve missed working at camp with kids since getting a “career”.

Sunset on Mt.Cheam during the Closing Ceremonies

I learned that SOAR happens every 3 years, but skipped a year (2010) for the 100th anniversary of guiding in Canada while they had a country-wide celebration. Resuming for 2011, the 6th annual SOAR was taking place in Agassiz, BC — a small town in the Fraser Valley near Harrison Hot Springs, approximately a two-hour drive from Vancouver.

The opening parade through Agassiz, BC. Pink shirts are all the girls, blue are Core Staff.

SOAR is organized by the BC council for Girl Guides, but is an international event with nearly 2,000 Girls, Guiders, and Staff gathering for a week-long adventure camp.

Read the rest of this entry »

Off the Highway: Growing Up In North Delta is a memoir by local author Mette Bach and installment 18 in the Transmontanus Series published by New Star Books. The Transmontanus series, edited by Terry Glavin, are “short illustrated books about some of the more unusual aspects of life in a corner of the world currently known as British Columbia.”

About thirty kilometres south of Vancouver, just over the Alex Fraser Bridge and bordering with Surrey and Ladner, lies North Delta, a suburb replete with strip malls, single detached family homes and every–half–hour bus service. It was a sleepy suburb, one considered the boonies, until 1986, when as part of the Expo city–wide upgrades, the Alex Fraser Bridge was built to connect the two sides of the Fraser River.

Part social commentary, part personal memoir, and part history, Off the Highway is Mette Bach’s thoughtful examination of growing up in North Delta.

We learn about the valiant efforts of the Burns Bog Conservation Society volunteers who work tirelessly to preserve the Bog, North America’s largest raised peat bog and one of Canada’s natural wonders. We find out that her family rented a bedroom in their home to Expo 86 visitors and that her mother composted, a practice well ahead of current environmentally–responsible times. We also get a glimpse into North Delta’s storied settlement in the 1860s when Alexander Loggie opened the first cannery, Bach takes us on a grand tour of the landmarks that define the suburbia in which she grew up.

From the publisher, New Star Books

It was really interesting and sometimes shocking to read Mette’s memoir about growing up in the Lower Mainland. Some of the local-ish sentiments she expressed I had felt also (and sometimes in reverse) while growing up.

I was really excited to read Mette Bach contrast Canada and America with the same metaphor I learned in school: “America saw itself as a melting pot, an image that requires a level of assimilation. Canada, on the other hand, was supposed to be a multicultural mosaic, a place where it was okay to be from here and from other places, too.”

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the films at the Vancouver International Film Festival that was highly anticipated was Michael Ostroff’s documentary about Emily Carr — Winds of Heaven: Emily Carr, Carvers, and the Spirits of the Forest. Carr is one of BC’s most famous artists but wasn’t appreciated during her time and is historically written as cranky. I think the film did an excellent job giving an overview of her life, the times, and her work as an artist. The cinematography was gorgeous — Carr’s paintings coupled with historical footage, stories, photographs, and commentary. I really enjoyed the narrative-style and found it engaging. I think this is an important film for all BC residents to watch, not only to learn about Emily Carr, but to experience the beginnings of our province and appreciate the contributions of the Northwest Coast’s First Nations.

An impressionistic exploration of the spirit that informed the solitary life of one of Canada’s most celebrated and irrepressible painters. Emily Carr began painting in an era when women didn’t, at an age when most people shouldn’t, traveling to remote locations that few professional adventurers chose to go. Not only did she adopt the painting techniques of modernism, when such ideas were considered dangerous, Carr chronicled the extraordinary art and culture of native peoples, who were invisible to the dominant culture.

[From White Pine Pictures, the documentary's co-producer]

I really liked these quotes from the filmmaker in various interviews:

“I was not going to make a film about an irascible old woman with a monkey on her shoulder, that image of her created by the tourist world,” Ostroff says. … That clichéd idea of the eccentric artist runs against that of the complex woman he portrays in his movie. — The Georgia Straight

Ostroff says his documentary about the enigmatic artist tries to avoid what he calls the Emily Carr ‘freak show.’ ‘What I wanted to do was present a living, breathing, tough, vulnerable, smart, confused, and ultimately a very sympathetic woman.’” — News1130

“I found her to be an extraordinarily sympathetic person, [someone] who paid an enormous price to do what she felt she needed to do, which was to be an artist.” — The Vancouver Sun

I think he did it quite well and the end result is a stunning documentary, not only about Emily Carr, but about the people and the places of British Columbia. She did so much travelling in her lifetime, painting the First Nations’ totems and the wilds of BC. I am a little torn about the inclusion of certain rude remarks against the First Nations people. On one hand, you can see from first-hand accounts (Carr wrote her autobiography) that she was truly interested and intrigued by the First Nations people of the Northwest Coast. However, it is clear that there were certain opinions during her lifetime regarding the First Nations people.

While she resisted the predominate white attitude of portraying natives as ‘savages’, devoid of cultural sensibilities, the film explores the critique of Carr that she did contribute to the “traffic of native images”. It also recalls the racism of the day – the Canadian government’s celebration of the ancient native arts and its determination to preserve the totem poles, while ironically advocating and implementing policies that were determined to assimilate First Nations people and eradicate their way of life and culture.

[From the Winds of Heaven blog]

After the screening (and thunderous applause), Michael Ostroff was present for a Q&A. I think this has been my favourite part about the Film Festival: the opportunity to discuss the film in more detail. The two questions I want to dicuss here are about (1) the fact that images from different First Nations groups were shown when speaking about a specific culture and the fact that they didn’t correspond, and (2) Emily Carr’s voice, tone, and intonations.

In answer to the first question, Ostroff said that it was mainly a lack of material. He was able to find a lot of archival images and some video, but not necessarily in exact equal measure. So sometimes the narrative talked about Haida Gwaii, and the images perhaps were showing Coast Salish people. The question-asker also inquired if Ostroff was worried about insulting the First Nations people, to which Ostroff wittily replied that he had his poetic license in his back pocket.

As for the second question, this really bothered my dad (who joined my sister and I at the screening). He didn’t feel that Carr should have been portrayed as a cranky old lady. I am of two minds about it — on one hand, Carr did set her feelings in writing, but sometimes the tone of the narrative was not how I would have interpreted. Ostroff said that while she never recorded any audio, he did rely on a number of first-hand accounts from friends and associates. There was also a plethora of letter correspondence between herself and Lawren Harris of the Group of Seven.

If you’re interested in watching the Q&A, Jason (a mutual friend and fellow Winds of Heaven attendee) tweeted that he filmed some of it.

• Winds of Heaven at VIFF
• Winds of Heaven blog
• Winds of Heaven — White Pine Productions

We’re already a week into August (can you believe it?!) and despite arts funding cuts, I’m very excited about the 9th Annual BC Cultural Crawl! The best thing about living in the Lower Mainland, is the proximity to other cities. I technically live in Vancouver but can easily go to Burnaby, Richmond, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, New Westminster, Langley, Abbotsford, and that’s not even mentioning all the nearby Island communities.

So I started looking through the list of BC Cultural Crawl activities for cities throughout the Lower Mainland. The Cultural Crawl listings are also a great way to learn about new artisans and artists in the Lower Mainland as many of the crawls are self-guided. Here are some of the activities I’m hoping to attend and/or looking forward to:

Surrey: Cloverdale Blueberry Festival
August 14th & 15th
I’ve been to the Abbotsford Berry Beats Festival, which combines a farmer’s market with music and a festival atmosphere. I’ve not been to the Cloverdale Blueberry Festival, but it’s already blueberry season here in BC! There is a Show ‘N Shine Car Parade in Cloverdale during the Blueberry Festival.

Vancouver: Main Street Magazine Tour
A celebration of the local arts & culture magascene.
Presented by the Magazine Association of BC
Thursday, August 19, 2010. 6:00–10:00 p.m. Free event.
Starts at Rhizome Café (317 E. Broadway)  Continues at various venues near Main & Broadway. There are two different routes and the tour guides are Elizabeth Bachinsky and Jennica Harper. It all looks fantastic. I missed the Literary Tour last year as part of BC Book and Magazine Week, but I will be trying to get out to this!

Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival
August 20th to 22nd.
I am very excited about the Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival. Unfortunately this may be the last year of the festival (not fully due to funding cuts, but a retiring board). A few of us are probably taking a little field trip there on the Friday. There are classes, an exhibitor marketplace, and on the Saturday there is an artisan market on the Landing.

Langley: Arts Alive! Festival
August 28th, 2010. 10am – 5pm.
Fraser Highway between 204th and 206th
I went to the Arts Alive! Festival last year completely by chance. It was great to wander around and check out all the shops.

Richmond: Wild BC Salmon Festival
Saturday, August 28. 11am – 4pm.
www.wildbcseafoodfest.com

Vancouver: Bard on the Beach
June 3rd to September 25th, 2010
Anthony & Cleopatra | Much Ado About Nothing | Falstaff | Henry V
I try to make it to a show every year, as Bard on the Beach is one of my favourite festivals. The performances are always spectacular, and extremely accessible. In 2008 I blogged about seeing The Twelfth Night, I’ve seen Comedy of Errors, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, Romeo & Juliet, … and I can’t recall any others.

Richmond: Summer Night Market
May 21st to September 26th. Every weekend.
Live music, hundreds of vendors, and tons of food.
I’ve been to the Vancouver Chinatown Night Market this summer, but last summer the Richmond Night Market wasn’t operating. The Richmond Night Market is probably four times as large as the Vancouver Chinatown one. It’s great to grab some food, wander around, and haggle for some neat knick-knacks.

Maple Ridge: Meadows Maze
www.meadowsmaze.com
One of the largest corn mazes in the Pacific Northwest. Every year Meadows Maze has a different design. Last year celebrated the new Golden Ears Bridge, and this year is designed for the 100 year anniversary of the PNE.

Vancouver: Downtown Vancouver Art Walk
There is a ton of public art and art galleries in the downtown core. I’ve been trying to take photos of all the public art (and posting it in a Flickr set). I hope to get photos of all 18 Mosaic Art Tiles and all the Vancouver Biennale Sculptures.

Bowen Island: BowFEAST
Cultural Crawl the week before, Farmer’s Market on August 15th
Bowen Island is having a Cultural Crawl and BowFEAST during this week, all culminating on the August 14 & 15th weekend. This may be the perfect opportunity to visit my friends Adrian and Ginger on Bowen! Last summer we attended their wedding on Bowen and I am itching to go back to Bowen Island for more fun.

Circle Farm Tours
There are Circle Farm Tours in Abbotsford, Langley, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows, Agassi & Harrison Mills, and Mission. It’s a self-guided tour and there are tons of farms and artisans that I’d like to check out.

Granville Island Art Walk
When is going to Granville Island not tons of fun? Granville Island is actually chock-a-block full of artisans and artists. Honestly, I don’t know how they can afford the rent, but it’s an amazing place to spend the day. Grab some food at the Public Market, visit lots of lovely shops (including Circle Craft!!) and maybe catch a show at Waterfront Theatre or the Arts Club Theatre.

Last Friday my mom and I went for a bike ride on Deas Island Regional Park. Highway 99 decends in Delta on Deas Island and travels under the Fraser River to emerge in Richmond. Whenever I return to Vancouver, just before we go into the George Massey Tunnel, we pass over Deas Slough. Deas Slough always looks so picturesque, quiet, and beautiful despite the highway running right through it.

View of Deas Slough from Deas Island Regional Park

Deas Island Regional Park dock and boat launch

View of the Fraser River from Deas Island

Bicycling Deas Island Regional Park

Take a look at all my photos from the bike ride on Flickr.

The only downside to this beautiful day was that my car died inexplicably during the drive home (thankfully before we got to Highway 99 and the George Massey Tunnel).

Being towed home