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December 17, 2011
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In this age of digital commerce, of high speed, hi-tech banking, not everyone relies on the internet and a smartphone for money transfers. Sometimes, some people like a simple, more direct method … like a bag of cash handed over personally ... That was the case recently at Vancouver Foundation’s...
December 14, 2011
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What do Google, a security guard, Vancouver Cantata Singers, the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre, and Vancouver Foundation all have in common? An unlikely combination, they are changing the face – and sound – of choral music in Vancouver and contributing to spinal cord research at the same time. Many...
December 14, 2011
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You can learn a lot on a farm. At the Curly Willow Farm in Grindrod (just an organic carrot’s throw from Enderby) you learn that raspberries make good greeters; that beets have British accents; and, after a short but intense conversation with some asparagus, that they’re quite enlightened. Over the...
December 14, 2010
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In the early 1920s … A young woman named Lillian Alling arrives on the east coast of North America. Part of the post-war crush of immigrants from Europe, she joins the hordes of people seeking prosperity, a new world, or just a fresh start in America. Like millions of others, she is processed...
December 14, 2010
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“Our Kulture,” a duet by local rapper Discreet Da Chosen 1 and the Sto:lo band Ostwelve, blares in the background as 27-year-old Orene Askew gets everything in order behind the scenes, preparing to go live for her weekly show Sne’waylh on Vancouver’s Co-op Radio. Unlike the song, Askew doesn’t belt...
December 14, 2010
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Doubt clouded Ron Horsefall’s mind. “Can I really do this?” he asked himself, as he began to craft his first piece. He had the potential – he’d always had that. He had beads and materials, thanks to a $1,000 grant from the Downtown Eastside Small Arts Grant Program, a partnership between Vancouver...
December 14, 2010
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Sometimes we are so mired in the challenges of the Downtown Eastside, we don’t see the neighbourhood’s beauty. Artist Colleen Carroll, who lives just steps from the Carnegie Centre at Main and Hastings, wants to show people the other side of Canada’s poorest postal code. “People might not have much...
December 14, 2010
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Bill Reid Gallery The smooth voice of legendary Haida artist Bill Reid echoes under the high ceilings of the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art. His larger-than-life image moves ghost-like across a movie screen. His presence is infused in the walls, in the art (look closely at the totem pole...
June 14, 2010
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Arts Club Theatre Othello, Waiting for Godot, and Death of a Salesman are all classics of Western theatre. It’s easy to forget that before they were great, they were once nothing more than a spark of inspiration in a playwright’s imagination. It's only because someone took a chance -- and took...
December 14, 2008
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Circus West Circus West School of Circus Arts has been teaching trapeze, unicycle, juggling, wire walking and other circus skills since 1985. Jay Nunns was one of the first Cirkids more than 20 years ago. He’s now Artistic Director of the group. “Its our passion … we love circus, we love putting on...
December 14, 2008
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Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Ludwig van Beethoven left a remarkable legacy of music for future generations to hear and enjoy. Between March 29 and April 7, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Bramwell Tovey, will be performing all nine Beethoven symphonies, in chronological...
December 14, 2008
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Vancouver Opera 1791 in Vienna... Mozart pens his last and one of his most popular operas - The Magic Flute. At the same time, halfway round the world, Spanish Captain Jose Narvaez "discovers" the mouth of the Fraser River; and British Captain George Vancouver explores the west coast of BC. He...
December 14, 2008
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Vancouver Historical Society The earliest known surviving film footage of Vancouver, shot in 1907 by a hand-cranked camera mounted to a streetcar, mysteriously surfaces in Australia, and is given to the Vancouver Historical Society. Those were the days when horse and buggies dominated the street,...
December 14, 2008
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The Volcano Theatre Company crossed the ocean from Wales to bring its water-based installation to Britannia Secondary School. The theatrical event, called A Few Little Drops; the extraordinary life of water, transformed the school’s field into a watery playground. From a flooded-ravaged house to a...
December 14, 2008
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Urban Republic/Cineworks Urban Republic and Cineworks recreated the drive-in movie experience in the heart of Vancouver, with their own contemporary spin. The roof of a Gastown parkade was transformed into a drive-in theatre. “Vancouver Starts as Itself” was the theme of the series, which ran in...
December 14, 2008
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It’s 9 a.m. A Tuesday morning, and I’m waiting my turn to interview Dal Richards – well-known bandleader, sax player, Freeman of the City, philanthropist, and nonagenarian. “Dal” is being interviewed by a local TV station. This is just the first in a long series of events today, we are informed by...
December 14, 2008
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Origami – the art of paper folding – has long been relegated to the far corner of the craft store, considered simply a hobby or a child’s pastime. That view holds true even in Japan, the country long associated with the tradition of paper folding. However, an original, new play called The Life of...
December 14, 2008
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Heritage Legacy Fund of British Columbia Society Eighty-six-year-old Cyril Holbrow grew up in Clayburn, a picturesque village just outside of Abbotsford where he still lives today. He’s pleased about the recent restoration and refurbishment of the Clayburn Schoolhouse – the schoolhouse he attended...
December 14, 2008
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Emily Carr Summer Institute Aboriginal teens with artistic inclinations had the opportunity to participate in Emily Carr’s Summer Institute for Aboriginal Teens, thanks in part to $13,000 grant from Vancouver Foundation. From drum-making, cedar basketry and weaving to contemporary arts, students...
December 14, 2008
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DTES Small Arts Grants The elderly First Nations man limps toward Oppenheimer Park, as he does nearly every morning, bearing the weight of his bum knee on a copper-coloured cane. If Oppenheimer Park sounds familiar, it is because it’s an infamous park, a park with a 100-year-plus history, a former...
December 14, 2008
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Ballet British Columbia Who doesn’t like Frank Sinatra? Inspired by old blue eyes himself, Nine Sinatra Songs is a ballroom-dance ballet set to the swooning voice of Sinatra, presented by Ballet British Columbia. The ongoing support of Vancouver Foundation helped bring this show to life. With...
December 14, 2008
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"Is that art? Or is it mass production?" Instructor Val Batyi leads a group of students through the Artists for Kids Gallery in North Vancouver. They've just moved on from Ed Burtynsky's Oxford Tire Pile and are now considering Douglas Coupland's enigmatic six-foot-tall Toy Soldier. Hands fill the...
December 17, 2007
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Arts in Action Society The Arts in Action Society has launched its new magazine, Lester’s Army, which aims to strengthen intergenerational friendships by connecting youth and seniors. The magazine includes stories about Vancouver seniors, written by young, local, and up and coming writers. “...
December 17, 2007
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Kids Up Front Foundation Kids Up Front Foundation gives underprivileged families the opportunity to attend entertainment events they couldn’t have afforded otherwise. One father says, “It’s been everything from hockey to ballet.” These are just a few of the many sports and activities parents can...
December 14, 2007
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Vancouver Sculpture Biennale "The Vancouver Sculpture Biennale is a bi-annual citywide celebration that transforms the city into an open air museum. It features contemporary works by artists from across the globe. Open Spaces was the largest public art exhibit and festival in Vancouver and the only...