Arts & Culture | Updated July 2020

MAKE/SPACE Mural Project. Artist: Andréa Searle / Open Space Artist Run Centre

Five Ways to Explore Art at a Distance

1. Attend a Livestream festival, performance or talk. Belong to a shared experience in real time. Live stream events transmit an event over the internet while it’s happening.2. Visit a gallery, outdoor event or public art. Enjoy personal space and fresh air while enjoying art. Be sure to maintain a physical distance of two metres from others when visiting.

3. Participate in an online class, singalong or download an art kit. Connect with others and learn some-thing new in a creative pursuit such as music lessons, dance classes, poetry competitions, or interactive craft kits.

4. Buy an album or CD. Treat yourself to a sample of some of the world-class musicians living in the region and support local not-for-profit organizations. Listen to the playlist at home or while taking an art walk.

5. Experience exhibitions, perfor-mances and podcasts online. Never before has there been so much access to the incredible range of local art col-lections, dance performances, theatre, film, media and more whenever you are ready, wherever you are.

Explore Arts & Culture while maintaining physical distancing

Local Arts Carry OnArts and culture organizations have postponed programming and events that bring people closely together to stop the spread of COVID-19. But the arts did not stop. There has been a rise in creative presentation formats that follow the directives of the Provincial Health Officer and reminders of the many ways we can continue to experience our remarkable local arts scene while maintaining physical distancing. Now, more than ever, arts and culture are an integral way to improve mental well-being and connect our hearts and minds. The following list shares some of the local arts and culture initiatives that can be experienced from a distance by organizations funded by the CRD. Please check websites for event details.

Community ArtsArts & Alzheimer’s Creative Caring Interactive online workshops to enhance communication and connection for older adults with dementia living at home and their caregivers. Free with registration. www.werageweweep.com

Creekside Concerts A series of three Creekside Concerts along Bowker Creek limited to 50 people with livestreaming. friendsofbowkercreek@gmail.com

The Proulx Global Education & Community Foundation Art Hive Online on Camera. Online open studio space for art and craftmaking. Monday afternoons 1:30-4:00pm. Contact the office for Zoom registration. info@ciiat.org

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership Invites you to One Wave Gathering – a vibrant celebration of Indigenous & Pacific arts, knowledge, and culture each September on Lekwungen territories. Sign up to e-news or contact them to get involved. www.pacificpeoplespartnership.org

Ptarmigan Arts Creative opportunities through education and engagement in the arts. Virtual gallery, online commu-nity gatherings, zoom-alongs and more. www.ptarmiganarts.org

Victoria Arts Council Increases access to arts and culture through community programming, artist residencies and cel-ebrations at their gallery and satellite ex-hibition spaces. Main gallery operations open with physical distancing protocols in place, Tuesday-Saturday from noon to five pm. www.vicartscouncil.ca

Yellowhouse Arts Centre Interdisci-plinary programming based on Galiano Island hosting a virtual programming on Facebook and open studios with limited participants in-person. www.yellowhouseartcentre.ca

DanceBallet Victoria Professional ballet company offering several ballet related activities online and with newsletter sign up including links to past performances, dance activities and classes for youth and free live ballet classes for students via Instagram. www.balletvictoria.ca

Dance Victoria Brings the world’s best dance to the region and supports the de-velopment of new dance. Find excerpts of internationally recognized ballet and contemporary dance performances on their Vimeo channel along with short interviews with dancers. www.vimeo.com/dancevictoria

Embrace Arts Creates meaningful artistic opportunities for individuals of all abilities. Online classes and Summer Summit build safe places of connection and artistic expression. www.embracearts.org/online-classes

Suddenly Dance Supports,creation, presentation, and preservation of the dance arts. Online anti-bullying initiative with a non-verbal dance-film now avail-able for streaming to parents, caregivers and educators. www.witsinmotion.ca.

Virtual Victoria Flamenco Festival Enjoy FREE on-line shows at the 8th Annual Victoria Flamenco Festival on July 23-26 where artists from across Canada, Spain, and Mexico perform bold and haunting rhythms through dance, song, guitar, and percussion. www.victoriaflamencofestival.com

Film & MediaCineVic Film and media production cen-tre. Offering equipment rentals, network-ing, and a local, short film archive for you to enjoy from home. www.cinevic.ca

MediaNet/FLUX media gallery Media arts, education and programming. Exhibitions in the FLUX Window Gallery and online videos by local artists. www.fluxmediagallery.org

Full Circle Spoken word documentary podcast by, for, and about the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) community produced by artist Kemi Craig. www.cfuv.uvic.ca/cms/?p=23258

Victoria Film Festival The Vic Theatre has reopened with physical distancing protocols in place. www.victoriafilmfestival.com

Victoria International Jewish Film Festival Retro drive-in event from August 23-Aug 25, 2020 at the Legacy Drive-in at the University of Victoria. All Covid-19 preventative measures will be taken including only allowing 50 cars at a time with two meters distancing. www.vijff.ca

Literary Arts Planet Earth Poetry A launching pad for the energies of writers and poets established and not. Transitioned to an online poetry open mic, a published col-lection of pandemic poems out soon. www.planetearthpoetry.com

The Victoria Festival of Authors Literary events celebrating great books, great writers, and great readers. Free virtual festival, Sept 30 - Oct 4, 2020. www.victoriafestivalofauthors.ca

Victoria Poetry Project The art of spoken word poetry. Co-hosting online spoken word open mic events. a published collection of the best of the pandemic poems available soon. www.victoriapoetryproject.com

MusicAventa Ensemble Canadian and inter-national new music concerts. Videos of concerts on Vimeo. www.aventa.ca

Campbell Bay Music Festival Society Presenting emerging artists in a diverse array of genres on Mayne Island. CBMF Presents live concerts Saturday afternoons in August at the Agricultural Hall grounds and virtual performances. www.campbellbaymusicfest.com

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Artwork courtesy Victoria Native Friendship Centre Beading Circle

Explore Arts & Culture while maintaining physical distancing

CapriCCio Vocal Ensemble Audi-tioned adult choir. Listen to performances of choral music ranging from the 15th century to the present, online. www.capriccio.ca/listen

Coastline Music Society String ensemble comprised of BC’s top young musicians ranging from ages 14-21. Their third album available soon, by pre-sale. www.coastlinefiddle.com

Eine Kleine Summer Music Cham-ber music festival and series offers CDs for purchase on their website. www.eksm.ca/cds

Emily Carr String Quartet Music ensemble performing string quartet rep-ertoires from classical to contemporary. Recordings online and a CD for purchase. www.emilycarrstringquartet.com

Ensemble Laude Choral Society Auditioned women’s community choir performing medieval music and contem-porary choral repertoire. CD available. www.ensemblelaude.org

Esquimalt Farmers Market Poviding music througout the 2020 summer mar-ket season in Bullen Park. www.esquimaltmarket.com.ca Friends of Music Programs using music to promote rehabilitation and socialization for people with a mental illness in support of mental health. In-person summer programming and with a COVID-19 Safety Plan. www.friendsofmusic.ca

Garden City Electronic Music Soci-ety Developing Wonderment 2020 with in-person aspects and an online program. www.gcems.ca. Listen online. www.soundcloud.com/gcems

Meridiem Wind Orchestra Wind ensemble plays complex historic works, popular and contemporary music, orches-tral transcriptions, as well as world pre-mieres of new compositions by Canadian composers. Listen online. www.meridiemwindorchestra.weebly.com

Pacific Opera Victoria One of Cana-da’s leading opera companies has moved off stage and online to continue to share the love of opera and the knowledge of our artists and community from their homes. In this time of “physical distanc-ing”, Listening Party Podcasts, Acoustic Afternoons, Inside Operas, and more are keeping us socially connected through music. www.pacificopera.ca.

Sooke Folk Music Society One Coffee houses and concerts throughout the year. Providing a monthly online events showcasing quality music played by various artists from the Sooke and Greater Victoria areas. www.sookefolk-musicsociety.com

U-Jam Advocate, mentors, educates, and acts as a resource for jazz listeners and musicians. Holding monthly jam sessions in a virtual format with discussions, open mic and interactive jams. www.u-jam.ca

Victoria Conservatory of Music A centre of excellence in music education across all genres and instruments offers high quality lessons, group classes and music therapy sessions. Downtown and Westhills locations open with health and safety measures in place. www.vcm.bc.ca

Victoria Good News Choir Non-audi-tioned community choir led by legendary musician Louise Rose. Their CD ‘Good News Blues’ is available to buy online. www.victoriagoodnewschoir.com/music

Victoria Guitar Society Education and appreciation of classical guitar. Has developed a virtual guitar ensemble and creating a virtual open mic. Developed a virtual presentation/workshop for schools. www.victoriaguitarsociety.ca

Victoria Philharmonic Choir An auditioned, multi-generational ensemble singing a wide-ranging repertoire, from the Renaissance to the twenty-first cen-tury, offers highlights from past perfor-mances. www.vpchoir.ca/highlights

Victoria Symphony The region’s 50-piece orchestra presenting symphonic music in the genres of classical, new music and pops for audiences of all ages. Connect with Victoria Symphony conduc-tors and musicians to share the experi-ence of beautiful music at home. www.victoriasymphony.ca/watch-listen

Vox Humana Choral works from a variety of musical genres frequently with Victoria Symphony. Listen or purchase the Summer Rain concert. www.voxhumanachoir.ca/media

TheatreAtomic Vaudeville Cabarets and commissioned performances that are a mélange of theatre, music, song, dance and puppetry. Now creating zany, comedic virtual cabarets. Watch online.www.atomicvaudeville.com

Belfry Theatre Victoria’s largest contemporary theatre. Watch COVIDEOS: Creation in Quarantine by the Belfry 101 Collective. www.sparkfestival.ca

Kaleidoscope Theatre Theatre experiences for young people and their families. Classes and programs online. Free musical theatre and opera work-shops Fall workshop registration open. www.kaleidoscope.bc.ca

Impulse Theatre Multidisciplinary theatre company creating transformative, live performance including live-streamed shows. www.impulsetheatre.ca

Intrepid Theatre Contemporary theatre productions including the Fringe Theatre Festival, OUTstages and Uno Fest. New work, local premieres, original video content, streaming live performances and free artist talks. Re-opening limited rental activities. www.intrepidtheatre.com

SNAFU Society of Unexpected Specta-cles Theatre, puppetry, prison theatre. Streaming ‘Epidermis Circus’; body puppetry & bawdy animation here: www.facebook.com/snafudancetheatre

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Explore Arts & Culture while maintaining physical distancing

Story Theatre Narrative, educational theatre for young people that enhances and complements school learning. Watch ‘So Far Apart’online. www.storytheatre.ca

Theatre Inconnu Thought-provoking and affordable, quality theatre. Offering past performances online. www.theatreinconnu.com

Theatre SKAM Showcases innovative theatre for all ages and hosts a theatre school. Presenting fun theatre games and creative content for youth online. Pop-Up theatre transformed into an open-air stage on a flatbed truck, bringing shows all over the region. www.skam.ca

VOS Musical Theatre Musical Theatre camps for children and teens, workshops for adults and teens, viewing parties of past productions. Fall musical theatre classes for teens with full safety plan open for registration. www.vostheatre.ca

Visual Artarc.hive Artist run centre supports the emergence and development of inclusive collaborative practices in contemporary arts. Gallery open by appointment and on weekends, One ‘bubble’ at a time.www.arc-hivearc.org.Art Gallery of Greater Victoria The major regional art gallery on Van-couver Island. With over 20,000 objects, the AGGV collection represents signifi-cant works produced in this region. The AGGV has re-opened our doors to the public every day except Monday with a COVID-19 safety plan in place. Also offer-ing a wide-range of virtual programming including the AGGV Collection online and virtual events. www.aggv.ca

Deluge Contemporary Art Deluge represents a vanguard of visual and media arts in Victoria. The gallery is open Thursday to Saturday, 12 to 5pm. www.deluge.ca

the fifty fifty arts collective Volun-teer-run, multi-disciplinary programming space that supports both emerging and established artists. Virtual exhibitions: www.instagram.com/thefiftyfiftyartscollective

Landmarks Public Art Take a tour of over 170 public artworks across the re-gion with Landmarks Public art website. Discover art by location, artist or disci-pline. www.landmarkspublicart.ca

Ministry of Casual Living Artist-Run Centre, exhibiting the works of contem-porary, emerging and mid-career artists. Window gallery currently open and offering virtual weekly art club. www.ministryofcasualliving.ca

Open Space Artist-run centre present-ing and producing exhibitions and events by Canadian and international contem-porary artists. Bringing a series of vogue, performance, and arts workshops to by Zoom. Visit the website for upcoming public presentations of the artists’ sum-mer residencies. www.openspace.ca

Pender Island Arts Society Arts group that supports artists with work-shops and gallery shows. Virtual exhibit now online. www.penderislandart.com

PRINT Victoria Society of Print Artists Visual arts organization connect-ing and creating contemporary culture through printmaking. Facilitates print exchanges and produces a publication. www.victoriaprintsociety.weebly.com

About CRD Arts & CultureThe Capital Regional District (CRD) Arts & Culture Support Service supports, promotes and celebrates art across the capital region. Funding is provided by: Saanich, Victoria, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, View Royal, Highlands, Metchosin, Sooke and Southern Gulf Islands.

More informationwww.crd.bc.ca/artsartsdevelopment@crd.bc.caTel: 250.360.3215

Sooke Fine Arts Society Encourages and promotes a greater understanding and appreciation for the arts by organiz-ing an annual art show showcasing arts and artists from Vancouver Island and BC’s coastal islands, as well as hosting public learning opportunities. Re-imagin-ing annual show into an online version for 2020. www.sookefinearts.com

Southern Gulf Islands Arts Council Society promoting, and supporting cultural activity for residents and visitors. • Arts on Mayne Online Gallery Our

Island group show features images of Mayne Island. www.artsonmayne.org

• Arts on the Islands Regional Exhibition online exhibition of all submitted artworks and printed catalogue. www.artsontheislands.org

Tah’lum Indigenous Artists Collective Contributes to a healthy and thriving Indigenous arts community by directly supporting artists. • Language-learning colouring book by

artists Jesse Campbell, Brianna Dick (volume 1) Sarah Jim and Natassia Davies (Volume 2) sharing words from their respective Michif, Lekwun-gen and SENCOTEN languages. Free digitally and in print. www.openspace.ca/programming/colouring-book www.openspace.ca/programming/colouring-book-ii

• Recording of artists and facilitators of this project in collaboration with Family Sunday at the AGGV. https://www.fieldtrip.art/field-trips/template-draft-9nbad

www.crd.bc.ca/arts

@FeedtheArtsYYJ feedtheartsyyj crdartsdev

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Explore Arts & Culture while maintaining physical distancing