Town, art experience partner to help the hungry

From page 1 duced by Paquin Entertainment Group, features more than 300 of Vincent Van Gogh’s iconic artworks and takes the art lover into a three-dimensional world.

Supervisor Saladino stated, “The Town of Oyster Bay is proud to partner with Long Island Cares throughout the year, and we thank Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience for their good corporate citizenship and willingness to give back to Long Island. Residents can enjoy the iconic artwork of Vincent Van Gogh while displaying generosity and helping children who may not have access to school meals during the summer break.”

“We’re very excited to partner with ‘Beyond Van Gogh’ and the Town of Oyster Bay to raise awareness of food insecurity on Long Island, which impacts 221,000 people, including 65,000 children,” said Paule Pachter, president

& CEO of Long Island Cares, Inc. - The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank.

“Long Island has warmly welcomed Beyond Van Gogh its their community since we opened in March, and we are proud to team up with Long Island Cares and the Town of Oyster Bay to give back,” said Justin Paquin, president, Paquin Exhibitions & Theatrical, Division Of Paquin Entertainment Group. “

To donate to Long Island Cares, ensure that all nonperishable items are unexpired and unopened. Acceptable donations include canned soups, tuna, vegetables, fruit, pasta packages, crackers, juice boxes, bottled water, juice bottles, cereals, and granola bars. A minimum donation of two nonperishable items is required to qualify for the promotion. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.vangoghlongisland.com.

July

Who could have imagined such an immersive experience into British Columbia’s indigenous culture revival in the heart of a bustling, modern metropolis like Vancouver?

I come to Vancouver intent to see how indigenous heritage culture is being resurrected, revived, and coming to the forefront of national consciousness and respect.

My trip is very much a voyage of discovery, in so many ways so surprising, illuminating and enriching, especially once I am sensitized to look.

My itinerary is arranged by Indigenous Tourism BC, one of Canada’s oldest (at 25 years) provincial entities to promote the economic and social benefits tourism brings to revive and sustain a heritage that had been relegated to shadows.

These efforts have accelerated after Canada signed its historic Truth and Reconciliation Act, in 2014, acknowledging the harm of 140 federally run residential schools that operated from 1867 up until 1996, and other laws, like the Indian Act, banning the practice of indigenous culture that amounted to cultural genocide.

It was only in 1951 that amendments to the Indian Act removed restrictions on rituals, customs and culture. Canada’s indigenous peoples – who account for five percent of the population - could not vote until the 1960s.

Skwachays Lodge, Canada’s First Aboriginal Art Hotel

My voyage of discovery starts as soon as I check in to my hotel,

A famous Bill Reid work, “Raven and First Men” that depicts the Haida creation myth, in white onyx is on view at the Bill Reid Gallery © Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

Skwachays Lodge, the nearest thing to staying in a First Nations community you might find in a major modern city.

Skwachays Lodge, Canada’s first aboriginal art hotel, opened in 2012 as a social enterprise that turned a derelict building into a boutique hotel combined with an artist-in-residence program supporting indigenous artists with housing and studio space.

Even though it is late, Rick, the night manager, is eager to show me around to the art studios and introduces me to two of the 24 artists in residence who live for up to three-years in apartments on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors. The hotel also has a gallery and a superb shop.

The 18 guest rooms and suites, which occupy the 5th and 6th floors, have been individually designed by six indigenous artists – there is the Water

Room (502), the Sea Kingdom Suite, Northern Lights Room, Forest Spirits Room, Earth Room, King Salmon Suite.

Mine is the Moon Room (505), designed by Sabina Hill and Mark Preston, equipped with a kitchenette, desk/workspace, and a giant round bed on a platform. The ceiling is decorated with the moon’s radiance in gold, and the wall, in gold calligraphy, tells the legend of the trickster god Raven who stole the sun, the moon and the stars and released them into the sky. “Delivered to its heavenly perch by the daring Raven, the Golden Moon watches over the world below.” It’s almost like finding yourself in a painting, in the story.

The hotel also offers opportunities to do a Sweat Lodge ceremony in the rooftop garden; a Smudging Ceremony

GOING PLACES NEAR AND FAR in the traditional Smudge Room; as well as studio visits with the artists in residence. Its Kayachtn (“Welcome”) room, where breakfast is served, also provides a traditional community gathering place, as well as a gallery.

Atop the hotel is a totem, a marvelous counterpoint to the arch that marks the entrance to Vancouver’s Chinatown, a half-block away.

Skwàchays Lodge 31 W Pender St Vancouver, BC V6B 1R3 604.687.3589, 1 888 998 0797, info@skwachays.com, https://skwachays.com/.

Bill Reid Gallery

My first morning, after a marvelous breakfast (served 8-10 am in the Kayachtn “Welcome” room), I walk over to the Bill Reid Gallery, which is just around a corner from the Vancouver Art Gallery and the historic, grand Fairmont Hotel.

The Bill Reid Gallery opened in 2008 to celebrate Haida cultural heritage, diverse living artists of the Northwest Coast, and the life and work of master artist Bill Reid (1920-1998). Reid arguably was responsible for bringing indigenous art from the shadows (after having been suppressed for 150 years) into the national consciousness, awareness and respect.

Bill Reid, I learn, is a national treasure. Two of Reid’s most popular works depict a canoe filled with human and animal figures: one black, “The Spirit of Haida Gwaii,” is at the Canadian Embassy, Washington, D.C.; and one green, “The Jade Canoe,” is at Vancouver International Airport (and was featured on the Canadian $20 bill).