revelstokemountaineer.com SEPTEMBER/���FREE�Elements of Art. p · 16. Timeless tattoos. p · 20. LUNA Nocturnal Art & Wonder guide. p · 31-34. Day & Night of a DJ. p · 52. ARTS ANNUAL
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3Guide From MSRP $50,800* • Included Freight, PDI and Dealer Fees Hilltop Toyota 2380 10 Ave NE Salmon Arm, B.C. V1E 1M9 hilltoptoyota.ca250-832-9433 2022 Tundra D/C SR Love Where You Live Each office independently owned and operatedREVELSTOKE REAL ESTATE TYLER BRADBURY PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION 250-814-7679 REVELSTOKEREALTOR@GMAIL.COM Avoid time-consuming and costly mistakes and put my experience to use. Trust Tyler to ensure you feel confident and educated every step of the way.
Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine is a free monthly publication featuring the best of Revelstoke outdoor life, food, style, visitor experiences, lifestyles, entertainment, home style and healthy living. We are an independent, locally owned publication dedicated to showcasing our amazing mountain town and the great people who create the stoke. Each issue we distribute over 3,000 free copies to over 200 public venues across Revelstoke, including hotel rooms, shops, restaurants, cafes, community centres — everywhere people meet.
COVER PHOTO: The Garden. Oil on Canvas, 2022 by Brett Mallon, exhibitor at the 2022 LUNA Fest.
It's been a pleasure working on our first ever Arts Annual issue for September, a deep dive and showcase of the Revelstoke arts scene. The team at Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine is happy to bring you our biggest issue to date, a reflection of the diverse and growing arts sector and the support it receives.
‘The Garden’ is an imaginary landscape that explores the power of life’s small joys. Flowers dance and explode off the canvas with energy. Vigorous brush strokes and dabs of colour shimmer and tremor on the surface of the painting, creating a layered history of experience. A possible railing in the bottom right hand corner, that may belong to a stairway leads the viewer into the painting, inviting them to sit in a courtyard, or green space, at a table and chair. Within the painting the viewer is invited to rest and experience the vibrating energy of an image inspired by the colour of nature.
2022 Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine Arts Annual issue
A particular focus of this issue was telling the story of how Revelstoke's arts scene works behind the scenes, how it developed into what it is, and how it can continue to grow and diversify into the future. We've tried to include as many arts voices as possible and hope we've done an OK job doing so. One thing we realized soon was there was no way to include everyone who participates in this diverse scene. To make up for that, and because we had so much fun creating this one, we plan to make each September issue our Arts Annual.There's a lot going on in the arts this September and this fall, so have a read and don't miss out!
—Aaron Orlando, BA, MJ; Creative Director, Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine, revelstokemountaineer.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Aaron aaron@revelstokemountaineer.comOrlando EDITOR Aaron aaron@revelstokemountaineer.comOrlando STAFF JOURNALISTS Nora nora@revelstokemountaineer.comHughes EDITORIAL DESIGN/ADVERTISING DESIGN Emma emma@revelstokemountaineer.comGraham WEBSITE Chris chris@revelstokemountaineer.comPayne CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jill Macdonald, Bailey Gingras-Hamilton, Carol Palladino, Melissa Jameson, Rob Buchanan, Marquie Murphy, Layne Seabrook, Lisa Moore, Anita Hallewas, Meghan Porath CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS Sik Kim, Alexie Borisov, Alexi Mostert, Katee Pederson, Kerri Knapp, Katie Langmuir, Mukuknda Lorenzo, Jill Macdonald, Nora Hughes, Aaron Orlando CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Benji Lowclass For all inquiries, please contact us Forinfo@revelstokemountaineer.comatRevelstokedailynewsonline,pleaseseeoursisterpublicationwww.revelstokemountaineer.com2508148710info@revelstokemountaineer.com606RailwayAvenue.Revelstoke,B.C.P.O.BOX112·V0E2S0
In a statement, Mallon says the painting invites the viewer to "rest and experience the vibrating energy of an image" inspired by nature: My work has always, in some way, been a way to express how I interact with the world. Painting outdoors, en plain air was my chosen technique, it helped me observe, learn and experience my surroundings in a very physical way. On my latest project however, I have turned my gaze inwards and explored how I feel about the places I interact with. My hometown of Revelstoke and it’s beautiful summer gardens, cool breezes off the Columbia River and arbitrary home decor that ignites cheerfulness. Small and easily missed moments of life that I have chosen to focus on, and imbue with meaning to enhance my overall happiness in daily life. The result of these summer meditations is a collection of work that assembles current moments, past memories, and future aspirations in a colourful and energetic celebration of life.
114Forage@forage.and.fillandFillFirstStreetCuratedW Consignment | Refillery | Retail for the conscious consumer
Revelstoke Mountain Resort update: Like most employers in town, RMR has experienced labour shortages that have slowed or stalled plans.
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52 Day and Night of a DJ: We checked in with local DJ Simon Hunt to see what he’s doing when he’s not behind the turntables, part of a feature exploring the local EDM scene.
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42 Performing arts fall guide: Find out what’s on stage this fall with our visual guide.
DJ downbeat: Revelstoke is home to a growing roster of EDM practitioners. Here’s our guide to some of the names on the DJ scene.
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Townie Talk: A plan to raise mayor and council pay and a new temporary Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Revelstoke were two of the changes on the city beat in August.
46 Outdoors briefs: September is a big month for the backcountry biking scene, including four major events. Find out more here.
Contributors: Find out more about some of the contributors to this month’s issue.
35 Carol Palladino has been an arts organization leader in Revelstoke since the 1990s, often serving behind the scenes focused on grants, finances, organizational capacity and volunteerism. In her essay, Palladino provides background on the development of the local arts scene, relating it to how it will shape future development.
The evolution of art in Revelstoke: Melissa Jameson explores the history of organized visual arts in the community through the lens of the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre. 30 Arts Revelstoke thanks the longservice executive director and welcomes a new one this September. 31-34 LUNA Nocturnal Art & Wonder guide and map pullout!
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We checked in with RMR VP Peter Nielsen for an update on construction and development plans at Revelstoke’s key resort. 26
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60 Mirror Mirror: For our Arts Annual, Jill Macdonald sought out historical images of Revelstoke to explore depictions over time.
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School of skate: A Revelstoke teacher has pioneered a first-of-its-kind skateboarding class at Revelstoke Secondary School.
48 There is no shortage of arts leaders in the community. For this mini-feature, we reached out to six local leaders for their crystal ball view on what the future of the scene holds.
CONTENTS5216
The Elements of Art: In this feature, Nora Hughes reduces the Revelstoke arts scene to its basics elements, focusing on local artists working in fiber, wood, jewel, metal, earth and fire.
Opportunities to make a living online as an artist grow every year, but in her feature exploring the changing nature of the arts business, Nora Hughes found that local artists who were successful online often had a hybrid model, finding clients and customers in the community.
36 The Art of Living: Jill Macdonald explores the life philosophy behind visitors trekking to Revelstoke for a bucket-list experience soaring in the sky.
Calendar: Find out some of the events happening around town in September. Don’t forget to submit your events for free online revelstokemountaineer.com/eventsat
12 News briefs: Basecamp Resort starts construction downtown; the city plans $9 million in borrowing for two projects; two Upper Arrow Heights developments get approval at the council table; a report recommends charging a hotel tax to customers in the Area B regional district 14 Jill Macdonald checks in with homegrown Revelstoke ballet talent Zachary Rogers on his international dance career.
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45 Isabel Coursier statue project: Learn about a statue project to be unveiled this month commemorating pioneering Revelstoke ski jumper Isabel Coursier.
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62: Words: Revelstoke by AI: Editor Aaron Orlando teams up with an AI generator to find out what the algorithms think Revelstoke is all about. 38
Timeless tattooing: Revelstoke-based tattoo artist Ryan Krebs is opening a new space and focusing his passion for tattoo art. Find out his reasons for this new direction in a story by Nora Hughes with photos by Alexi Mostert.
Visual arts fall guide: Learn about visual arts shows planned for the fall in our fall arts guide.
Back to the bushes: Bailey GingrasHamilton parties with the Ewoks at a Revelstoke-area bush rave, a scene that continues to grow under the old growth.
Alexi Mostert is a twenty-year-old photographer raised in Revelstoke. Alexi’s photography journey began in 2017 and has since worked on a variety of projects including shooting for events, commercial, portrait and family photography. Recently, she has been expanding into videography. In the fall, Alexi will begin her studies in tourism management and plans to get even more involved in Revelstoke’s community and local culture. In this issue, Alexi turned her portrait lens on Revelstoke’s tattoo scene.
Emma Graham is the graphic designer for Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine. When she is not exploring her creativity through paint nights with friends and mixing up new cocktails you can find her outside biking, climbing, and snowboarding with her community.
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Nora Hughes is a recent graduate of the Thompson Rivers University Interdisciplinary Program, where she combined her passions for Adventure Tourism, Communications and Journalism. With a strong interest in community news, Nora is passionate about giving a voice and face to the people of Revelstoke through storytelling.
“Writing is my way of figuring out things that I don’t understand or that I find interesting or confrontational. It’s a way to meet people and get beneath the skin of a place and that is important to me.” In this issue, Jill Macdonald explores the history of Revelstoke imagery in The Art of Living and profiles Revelstoke ballet dancer Zachary Rogers.
EMMA GRAHAM
CONTRIBUTORS
NORA HUGHES
JILL MACDONALD
ALEXI MOSTERT
The video below is cued to the start of the discussion:
8 TOWN TALK
In late 2019 and early 2020, a proposal to raise council pay during budget discussions (to $70,000 for the mayor and to $25,000 for councillors, over several steps) led to the resignation of Coun. Steven Cross, a major crisis for council, who then backed off of the plan.That council pay increase plan was ill conceived. The oral discussion originated from councillors in budget committee meetings without any formal reports. The plan shifted in debates over several meetings and eventually blew up with Coun. Cross’s resignation, which drew intense scrutiny of the pay raise plan in the community.
Eventually, three volunteers were mustered in March of 2022. The committee members were Stuart Andrews, Miranda Murphy, and Steven Cross – the latter being the councillor who resigned over the pay raise issue. The final remuneration report was tabled over a week into the pre-election period, which began on July 18, 2022. NOT NOTICE IT IN REVELSTOKE, BUT IT'S LOCAL ELECTION AN UPDATE ON HAPPENINGS AT CITY HALL.
YOU MAY
By Aaron Orlando
Pay raises for mayor councilandahead of Oct. 15 electionslocal
In October 2021, council opted to explore the pay raise issue again, opting to form a special three-person task force to prepare a report.Later in the year, the city advertised for committee members, but the deadline passed with fewer than three applying.
The Council Remuneration Task Force report has recommended a 33% increase for the mayor position, from $36,000 to $48,000.
The report made 10 recommendations including an ongoing annual increase equal to the Consumer Price Index, keeping the existing expense policy, adding child care expenses up to $20 per hour, an option for group health benefits. It also recommended deducting $200 per council meeting missed after four absences in a year.Thereport also recommended a review of council remuneration every eight years, and adopting a policy that council only review remuneration for the next council, not the sitting council.
At the July 26 meeting, the mayor and council generally commended the committee on the report, saying it was well done.
At the July 26 meeting, council voted unanimously to support the task force recommendations. Staff will take the report and convert it into formal recommendations for council at one point. The B.C. General Local Elections are on Oct. 15, 2022, when all mayor, council, school board, and regional district elected positions across B.C. come up for election.
The report recommends the raises come into effect soon after the October 15 B.C. General Local Elections, when all B.C. mayors, regional district directors, and school board elected official positions are up for election.
A committee formed to look into Revelstoke city council pay has recommended a significant raise for mayor and councillors in the City of Revelstoke, coming into effect after the Oct. 15, 2022 election.
The committee also recommended a 45% increase for city councillors from $16,600 to $24,000.Atcouncil’s July 26, 2022 meeting, the committee presented its report, which stated its guiding principles were fiscal responsibility, community representation, and fairTheremuneration.13-pagereport recommends the increases, deliberating on a number of factors, including similar community comparisons, living wage considerations, and the inclusion benefits and reimbursements.
Background: New plan follows big controversy
In addition to council remuneration, the mayor also receives $12,000 for sitting as the City of Revelstoke representative on the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) board of directors; the CSRD appointment has traditionally been filled by the Revelstoke mayor, although a councillor can fill the position.
SEASON. HERE'S
Next steps
The task force report said it weighted its recommendations based on population, municipal revenue, tax base, land area, and the fact the community collects the Municipal and Regional District Tax.
Watch the committee’s presentation and council discussion
The City of Revelstoke has hired a new interim Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Evan Parliament, who started on Monday, Aug. 15.Parliament said he has been hired on an interim basis ahead of the Oct. 15, 2022, general local election and that his future beyond then would be up to the consideration of the next council. The CAO is the city’s top employee and is the liaison between the city and council.
Right:MagazineEvan Parliament is the new interim Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Revelstoke. He has been brought in on an interim basis, saying that it will be up to the next council to make a final decision about his future. The city has had a revolving door of CAOs since the current council term started in late 2018. There have been three permanent and two interim CAOs.
(When Parliament was hired in Sicamous in 2015, current Revelstoke Councillor and former Revelstoke CAO, Tim Palmer, was interim CAO in Sicamous and is quoted in the media release announcing Parliament’s hiring.)Parliament said the turnover in the CAO position had led to uncertainty in the business community, staff and residents. “When you multiply that four or five times, it just equals frustration,” he (Revelstokemountaineer.comsaid. has chronicled senior staff turnover at city hall; see this story from July 2022 for links to main developments over the past two years.)
“Let’s get through the election,” Parliament said, adding he is new to the community and doesn’t have all the answers yet.
Top left: September will be a busy month on the local political scene as candidates for city council, school board and regional district area representative campaign ahead of the Oct. 15 general election. Pictured: Revelstoke City Hall.
Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer
In an interview with revelstokemountaineer. com, Parliament vowed to be accessible and responsive, saying he wanted to get out of the office and make himself available to anyone who wanted to meet. He hopes to bolster both internal and external communication. “Cities and local governments tend to think they get the word out,” Parliament said, adding the reality is people don’t necessarily access the information, so he hopes to make it easier and more consistent, focusing on issues like budget, taxation and finance. He said concrete steps include improving the website and providing summaries of long documents.
Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine
The recommended remuneration would put Revelstoke mayor and council at the high end of remuneration for similar sized communities in B.C. A recent CBC report polled municipalities across B.C., finding a high correlation between population size and remuneration.Generallyspeaking, small towns have small remuneration packages reflective of the parttime nature of the work. As the town size increases, so does remuneration. Larger municipalities offer compensation packages that reflect the fulltime nature of the positions. However, there is variability across the spectrum. According to the CBC report, the increase will put both the Revelstoke mayor and councillors’ remuneration the third-highest in what was defined in the report as the Kootenay region, behind Cranbrook and Nelson respectively. The report also found there was a lot of variability in how municipalities go about deciding elected officials’ remuneration. Staff remuneration report Mayor and council remuneration is far below city staff pay. This year, 31 staff members earned more than $75,000. Once a staff members’ pay exceeds that threshold, the city is required to list the staff member’s compensation on its annual Statement of Financial information (SOFI) report. The city’s top earner was city engineering director Steve Black, who received $140,670. A full list of senior staff compensation above is available on page 40 of the SOFI report. The City of Revelstoke is without a permanent Chief Administrative Officer (CAO); Ron Mattiussi is interim CAO, and the city has hired a consulting firm to recruit a new CAO, which would be its fourth CAO this term, in addition to Mattiussi, who has been hired as interim CAO twice, filling in after the departure of the second and third CAOs.
Parliament said housing is a key issue, saying it was causing brain drain in the community. Parliament said the solutions lay in partnerships with community groups and described a number of different possible policy tools, many of which were discussed in a housing plan recently completed by the city.
In B.C., general local elections are held on a set date every four years. This year, they are on Oct. 15, 2022. All elected positions are up for election, including mayor, councillors, school district trustees, and regional district representatives.Thedeadlinefor candidates to file their nomination papers is September 9. Find out how to run for an elected position through this City of Revelstoke webpage or this Elections B.C. website.
9 Provincial mayor and council pay
During the current council term starting in late 2018, the city has cycled through three permanent CAOs. It also hired an interim CAO, Ron Mattiussi, for a period in 2021 and again in 2022. The city announced an organizational review and plans to recruit a new CAO in ParliamentApril.isajourneyman CAO, saying he has served in 10 different municipalities in B.C. and Alberta over a 36-year career. His most recent post was in Sicamous from November 2015 until this July, when the District of Sicamous issued a statement saying the town and the CAO were parting ways.
New interim CAO
Key election dates Aug. 30–Sept. 9: Nomination period.
For those interested in running, the Elections B.C. General Local Elections webpage has information and packages for candidates, and the City of Revelstoke has published a webpage on its website dedicated to the election process, including document packages.
The period for candidates to submit their nominations to local election officials. Sept. 17–Oct. 15: Campaign period. The period that begins on the 28th day before General Voting Day and ends at the close of voting on General Voting Day. Candidate and third party expense limits apply during this period.Oct.15: General voting day.
THE WOODCHUCK DISC GOLF TOURNAMENT VOL. @2 Revelstoke Mountain Resort · 11 a.m. -4:30 p.m. Get outside and join in on all the fun for the Woodchuck Disc Golf Tournament. Rain or shine, this event will utilize the 9-hole course layout with two rounds and a shotgun start. Cost is $20 and each person gets a player pack with fun swag and beer courtesy of Coors or a non-alcoholic option. For more info com.revelstokemountainresort.visit 3. 4. 1. 2.
THE BANK HEIST TIME TRIAL PRESENTED BY @ARC’TERXRevelstoke Mountain Resort · 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. RMR hosts the 4th annual time trial. Racers will feel the burn as they run up one of North America’s most classic ski runs – Kill the Banker. Race fee is $15 with all proceeds donated to Revelstoke’s Youth Access Fund. For more information or to register com.revelstokemountainresort.visit
WOODSTOKE 2022 @ BC interior Forestry Museum Riverside Forest Walk · 2 p.m. – 9 p.m. The BC Interior Forestry Museum is excited to announce the return of Woodstoke. The familyfriendly event includes an all-local line-up of bands, an “Eat Street” with local food vendors and an Artist Walk with assistance from the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre. Tickets $35 adults, $12 youth 12-18, free for children under 12. morebcforestrymuseum.caVisitforinformation.
REVELSTOKE FARMER & CRAFT
SATURDAY, SEPT 10 RIDE WITH @SIMMONSGODFATHERTHEWADEToBeAnnounced·10 a.m. A group ride organized by Rocky Mountain & Raceface open to the public, Wade will take you for a ride at a to be determined location. RSVP for this event by revy50@gmail.com.emailing
LIVE MUSIC @ Rockford Bar and Grill 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Live music in the plaza at Revelstoke Mountain Resort every Tuesday. COMMUNITY GARDEN @NIGHTRevelstoke Visual Arts Centre Community Garden 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Come out and learn about gardening while getting your hands in the dirt. All are welcome. For more information revelstokelocalfood.com.visit
EVENTSSEPTEMBER
SATURDAY, SEPT 3 LABOUR DAY OPEN @ Revelstoke Golf Club · 8 a.m. The 92nd annual Labour Day Open takes place September 3, 4 & 5. Visit golfrevelstoke. com/events for more details.
SATURDAY
8@MARKETREVELSTOKEMARKET/LFIFARMERSDowntownRevelstokea.m.–1p.m. Head downtown to Mackenzie Avenue and First Street where you’ll find not one, but two farmers’ markets full of locally grown produce, arts & crafts and much more.
EVENTSWEEKLY
WEDNESDAY FREE MEDITATION @ Balu Yoga · 7:30 a.m. - 8 a.m. Free meditation every Wednesday at Balu Yoga. No experience needed. Visit baluyoga.com for more information. REVELSTOKE CRICKET CLUB OPEN SESSION @ Old School Park (3rd Street) 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Cricket players in Revelstoke are hosting two weekly open sessions to recruit new players, form a club and play competitive matches. The sessions are open to anyone wanting to learn and get involved, all ages, sexes, and levels of ability. For more information contact Matt at 250-683-8439 co.uk.mattbramall2006@hotmail.or
REVELSTOKE BIKE FEST @ Downtown Revelstoke · 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. A family event celebrating the excitement of biking. The weekend kicks off with a Bikefest expo featuring demos, samples, a mini bike showdown for the kids, mega bike showdown, live music and more. For full event details visit revy50.com.
TUESDAY LADIES SKATE NIGHT @ Kovach Park · 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.. Come skate with the gals every Tuesday night at Revelstoke’s skate park. Bring good vibes and bug spray.
10 FALL 2022 CALENDAR
Canada’s longest hill climb race, this year’s Steamer hill climb road race is a 25 km, +14000m course that follows the majestic Meadows in the Sky Parkway in Mount Revelstoke National Park. Entry fee is $40. For more information call 250-814-4217 or visit @ RevelstokeSteamer on Facebook.
An even for anyone who loves riding their mountain bikes — whether it’s crosscountry, trail or enduro that gets you going, this race has it all. Mass start in Revelstoke,downtownheading to Mt. Macpherson trail network for 50km of single-track. Categories are mixed U19, solo women & men w/ age categories and mixed teams of two. Visit revy50. com for more details.
continue downtown. 3. The
LUNA STUDIO @ Downtown Revelstoke 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Visit LUNA artists as they give talks about their works and host visitors in their studios. Visit lunafest.ca for more details. Free to attend. popular markets Bank Time Trial presented by ARC’TERX takes place at Revelstoke Mountain Resort Saturday September 3. Photo: Tom Pool, 4. The Woodchuck Disc Golf Tournament Vol. 2 takes place at Revelstoke Mountain Resort Saturday, Sept. 10. Photo: Tom Poole
THE MT
SATURDAY, SEPT 10 REVELSTOKE WOMEN’S ENDURO@ToBeAnnounced
SUNDAY, SEPT 11 REVY 50 @ Downtown Revelstoke · To Be Announced
SATURDAY, SEPT 24
LUNA ARTS FESTIVAL @ Downtown Revelstoke 6 p.m. – 12 a.m. LUNA Festival of Nocturnal Art and Wonder returns after a two-year hiatus. Come to Revelstoke’s downtown core for an incredible and wondrous mashup of installation art, interactive performances, and Art Discoveries.AlleryThis is a free event. Visit lunafest.ca for more information.
DARK @RevelstokeHORSEMountain Resort 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Jigsaw Event Services and Casey Brown have joined forces to bring you the return of Dark Horse Invitational. Dark Horse is a mountain bike slopestyle event designed to foster progression and push limits. Set amidst the stunning Selkirk and Monashee Mountains, it will feature some of the world’s best female athletes. The Dark Horse Sesh starts at 1 p.m., with an awards ceremony to follow in Rockford Plaza at 5 p.m. This is a free event to attend. For more information com.revelstokemountainresort.visit
THURSDAY, SEPT 15
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The Revelstoke Women’s Enduro brings women together to ride, race, and have a great time. This year’s event is already sold out, but you can still join the wait list or just plan to cheer the women on. carevelstokewomensenduro.Visitformoreinformation.
TUESDAY, SEPT 13 EMERGENCY SERVICES FOOD DRIVE @ Revelstoke – all over town · 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. After a two-year hiatus, Community Connections is partnering with the Emergency Services of Revelstoke to host the annual door-to-door Fall Food Drive. Volunteer crews will visit every neighbourhood to collect non-perishable food donations. Organizers are also seeking volunteers for the event. For more information call 250-8372920, email connections.cacacommunity-connections.belizabeth@orvisitcommunity-
REVELSTOKEMOUNTAINEER.COM/EVENTS
VISIT
FRIDAY, SEPT 23 LUNA SOUND @ Downtown Revelstoke 7 p.m. – 12 a.m. The incredibly popular LUNA Sound returns to kick off LUNA Festival weekend. Featuring hip hop, blues, punk rock, EDM and more with 10 bands across four uniquely LUNA Stages. Get ready to dance the night away. Tickets are $45. For more information visit lunafest.ca.
Park@STEAMERREVELSTOKE2022MountRevelstokeNational7a.m.to12p.m.
EXHIBITION OPENING @ Revelstoke Visual Arts 5Centrep.m.– 8 p.m. Featuring works morerevelstokeartgallery.caOctoberExhibitionandDarianworksGallery.MallonAustralianRevelstoke-basedbyartistBrettintheMainAlsofeaturingbyKeelyHalward,GoldinStahl,DelreeDumont.runsto9.Visitforinformation.
SUNDAY, SEPT 25
COMMUNITY DAY @ Revelstoke Golf Club · 11 a.m. Locals play free after 11 a.m. with food bank or cash donation ($20 minimum). moregolfrevelstoke.comVisitforinformation.
1. Firefighters will go door to door collecting donations for the food bank on September 13th. 2. Revelstoke's
Saturday morning
Heist
TO SUBMIT YOUR EVENT FOR FREE. WE INCLUDE A SELECTION OF THOSE EVENTS HERE IN OUR MONTHLY PRINT CALENDAR.
By Nora Hughes
The first borrowing bylaw is for $7 million to pay for a portion of upgrades to the city’s sewage treatment plant. The borrowed funds would be combined with federal grants to complete upgrades at the plant.
The second borrowing bylaw is for $2 million, to be paid back over 15 years. The estimated cost to the average residential property is $22 per year. The borrowing would be used to perform road safety projects around Columbia Park Elementary and Arrow Heights Elementary, including new signs, sidewalks and other traffic safety features.
Electors included resident and non-resident electors, including property owners who do not reside in Revelstoke. The city has set the number of electors required to oppose each borrowing bylaw at 753. The deadline for electors to register their opposition is Sept. 20, 2022 and elector response forms will be available at city hall and can be sent, dropped off or faxed to city hall.
The schools project was originally slated for construction this summer, but has since been delayed.
REVELSTOKE CITY PUTS $9 MILLION IN DEBT BORROWING TO PROCESSELECTOR
“I hope that everybody who’s staying here supports the local businesses, goes to the local restaurants, and actually inspires new entrepreneurs to come and open more restaurants and open more businesses, and have that snowball effect of economic growth,” explains Sky McLean, one of the owners and CEO of Basecamp Resorts. McLean says that growth and development are essential for the new business the visitors staying at the new hotel will bring to the city’s centre. The hotel is located next to Revelstoke’s City Hall and will be three stories high with additional roof-top amenities. As for parking, the hotel will have a total of 31 parking stalls, some situated under the building but not below ground.TheCity of Revelstoke is asking residents for approval to borrow a total of $9 million for two projects. The new debt would be paid off over the long term.InAugust, Revelstoke city council voted to go ahead with two separate “alternative approval processes” to get the elector approval required to take on the new debt.
A rumble of excavation machinery displaces the ambience of Dose Coffee’s Monday morning hustle as Basecamp Resorts Ltd breaks ground on their new downtown hotel location. The hotel chain officially started development on their Second Street East hotel, celebrating with a groundbreaking event on Monday, August 15, 2022. The location will be the hospitality brand’s second hotel in Revelstoke. Basecamp Resorts’ location at 405 Highway 23 North has been operational for just under two years. The company has eight operational businesses in Canmore, Banff, lake Louise, Golden, and Revelstoke, with eight more under development and in various stages of acquisition, the company said. The lot is the former site of the King Edward Hotel, otherwise known as the King Eddy hotel, built in 1897 and destroyed by fire in 1995. The empty lot, leased for a number of community events since its purchase, is expected to open for operation in December 2023. Basecamp’s downtown location will have 28 rooms. The rooms will accommodate multiple party sizes with studio rooms, one, two, and three-bedroom suites, some rooms interconnecting to accommodate larger groups.
12 NEWS BRIEFS
By Aaron Orlando
BASECAMP RESORTS BREAKS GROUND FOR NEW LOCATION IN DOWNTOWNREVELSTOKE
An information sheet attached to the report estimated the cost of the borrowing is $152 per year for an average residential property over a 25-year period.Inan oral report, the city’s engineering director, Steve Black, said the project may not require the entire $7 million, but that the city has added contingency to the borrowing.
The alternative approval process (AAP) is a system whereby 10% of electors can petition against the proposal to block it.
BASECAMP RESORTS LTD BREAKS GROUND ON THEIR NEW DOWNTOWN HOTEL LOCATION THAT WILL BE 28 UNITS AND THREE STORIES, EXPECTED TO BE OPERATIONAL BY DECEMBER 2023.
In the spring, Coun. Tim Palmer was concerned the project was being rushed for summer construction and that could lead to a diminished project. “Hopefully with this funding delay the city will have a more robust plan that fully considers the master transportation plan,” Palmer said when reached for comment.
UPPER ARROW HEIGHTS DEVELOPMENT UPDATES
Additionally, Revelstoke city council has approved a development variance permit for Mackenzie Village in upper Arrow Heights. The approval allows for a decrease in sideyard setback requirements for one building, increased maximum setback requirements for six buildings, increased overall height maximums for six buildings, and reduced parking requirements.Someletters received voiced support for the permit, but the majority of the public comments opposed the approval. The comments cited concerns regarding noise, obstruction of mountain views, strain on parking and existing infrastructure, and impact on the quality of life for residents in the area.The developer was approved for an additional fifth story to be added to four of the buildings (4B, 4C, 5A, and 5B) with rooftop amenities added on top of that resulting in a maximum height increase from 13.5 metres to 22 metres. City staff members make note that the density requirements for the development are not being exceeded with the height additions.
A report prepared by city staff states that the amendment is desirable because the inclusion of this area would grow the Online Accommodation Platform (OAP) fund for affordable housing. The area consists of shortterm vacation rentals and heli-ski lodging that Ingrid Bron, Director of Community Economic Development, said are already benefiting from tourism efforts and marketing done in Revelstoke.
The Revelstoke Accommodation Association is the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the City of Revelstoke, currently consisting of 20 hotels, motels, resorts, lodges, inns and hostels. The RAA also works with the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce, the City of Revelstoke Community Economic Development, various clubs, societies and organizations, and private business stakeholders.
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The application package containing the new bylaw was submitted to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture on August 1. Bron was advised it would be advantageous to include the proposed expansion of the collection area at the same time as increasing the tax rate from 2% to 3%, city staff say in the report.
Revelstoke city council has approved a rezoning application that will allow for an extension of a development up the mountain in upper Arrow Heights.During a public hearing on July 26, 2022, council heard submissions on Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 2335 at Uplands Road and Mountain Gate Road. Revelstoke city council approved the rezoning request, allowing the development to proceed.
Additionally, residents raised concerns about policing short-term vacation rentals during the hearing. Vacation rentals are not permitted in this development, but residents of Camozzi Road who spoke at the hearing are worried enforcement will not be sufficient.
As a result, the deadline for the application was extended by the ministry until the end of August, allowing tourism staff to seek approval from additional accommodators in Area B to meet the ministry criteria.
A tax that guests at Revelstoke hotels pay when they stay is being expanded to include Columbia-Shuswap Regional District Area B accommodators, including hotels and heli-ski lodges.
By Nora Hughes.
INCLUSION OF CSRD AREA B AND INCREASE IN MRDT ‘HOTEL’ TAX
TWO UPPER ARROW HEIGHTS DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS HAVE BEEN APPROVED TO MOVE AHEAD DESPITE CONCERNS RAISED BY RESIDENTS DURING THE JULY 26 COUNCIL MEETING.
By Nora Hughes
Concerned residents in the upper Arrow Heights neighbourhood sent public comments via email or letter. Many concerns regard the increase in traffic the development could impose on the area. The areas that will be affected by the action include Mountain Gate Road — currently a dead-end road that will see an impact due to the development.
As a resort municipality, accommodators in Revelstoke collect a Municipal and Regional District tax (MRDT) that gets returned into a fund dedicated to tourism projects. The tax is imposed whenever accommodation is purchased in municipalities or regional districts. City council members voted to read Municipal & Regional District Tax Levy Amendment Bylaw No. 2343 during the council meeting on August 9, 2022, which would expand the collection area the tax is imposed in. The province returns the revenue collected by the tax into a fund dedicated to tourism and community development. That fund is managed by the Revelstoke Accommodation Association (RAA).
CITY REPORT RECOMMENDS
The amendment seeks to include Columbia-Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) Area B in the bylaw, so the tax is applicable in the area spanning from Mica Dam down to Trout lake.
This amendment comes after the Revelstoke Accommodation Association (RAA) Annual General Meeting in June 2022, where over 50% of members voted to approve the MRDT tax increase from 2% to 3%. As a result, city staff were directed to create a Bylaw to impose an additional Accommodation Tax within the limits of the City of Revelstoke under the provisions of the Provincial Sales Tax Act.
IN CONVERSATION WITH ZACHARY ROGERS, BALLET DANCER, ON GROWING UP REVELSTOKE AND HEADING OUT INTO THE WORLD STAGE OF BALLET CULTURE. AN EXPLORATION OF PLACE AND ATHLETICISM, THE MOUNTAIN EFFECT, AND OUR RELATIONSHIP TO CLASSICAL ART FORMS.
I never really paid much attention to it. As a kid, I went skiing with my family, although it was never something I wanted to pursue further. I found it to be normal, to be something people did, so I did it too, naturally. Once I discovered ballet, however, my mind fixed on it and I knew I didn’t want to dedicate my time to anything else.
There are a few other dancers in my current company that are from smaller communities but many are from major cities. The main similarity I see between us is that our dedication to pursuing our art pushed us to leave our hometowns and often our families at a young age to train professionally elsewhere. It requires a certain kind of mental strength, as well as a passion for what you do.
My family background is very artistic and I was lucky to grow up in an open-minded and loving environment. My father is a musician, an accomplished trombonist, and both his parents were incredible
JM: Is there any tension between growing up in an outdoororiented place and being dedicated to an indoor-oriented passion?
Photo:RogersZacharyinrehersal.YounSikKim
JM: Does anyone in your family have a dancing or artistic background?
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I miss the mountains of Revelstoke constantly. The mountains represent the unknown, which is exciting to me. I have always been intrigued by the mystery of them, although they have been explored thousands of times over and that has influenced my desire to travel abroad, to discover new places, and to follow the path less travelled.
Who knows what possibilities await you elsewhere?
JM: It is my personal belief that we are influenced by geography, that it shapes us internally – can you see that in yourself and how would you describe that influence?
By Jill Macdonald
In terms of inspiration or how that setting informs my artistic discipline, the mountain air and remote location, as well as the area’s incredible natural beauty, create the perfect well to draw from. On long walks by the Green Belt, often with our family dogs, lost in thought, listening to music from my favourite ballets, these times away from the ballet studio and the gruelling regime of everyday classes and rehearsals, renewed my motivation and creativity.
JM: Tell us about being you in a ballet company – are there many rural dancers? Can you see similarities?
MOUNTAIN CULTURE INCLUDES BALLET
JM: Fine arts in Europe have such a long, intense, broadly understood cultural relevance – what can we learn through you about how we view and treat artists here in BC?
"My time away from the ballet studio, from the gruelling regime of everyday classes and rehearsals, was when I would find my motivation and inspiration renewed." pianists. My mother has a very artistic eye and studied photography among other things. I am very fortunate that growing up, they let me choose my path and follow my dreams.
JM: All this aside – is there something else you would like to talk about or add?
Europe’s artistically rich cultural history is what drew me there initially. Even as a child, I dreamed of travelling there and visiting theatres and watching as much ballet as I could. I think theatre brings people together in a beautiful way - a mutual love for what they are there to see. Ballet, for example, is a physical art form, which can be interpreted differently by each viewer as there isn’t a script to be followed. Sure, we may all know the basic plot lines of the fairy tale ballets such as Swan Lake or The Sleeping Beauty, but everyone interprets them differently, and I think that’s amazing. I love discussing performances I’ve seen with friends afterwards, it’s always very enlightening!
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My time there was unfortunately interrupted by the war in Ukraine because my artistic director decided to leave his position and return home to France. I enjoyed working with him and was very sad to see him go. Nobody knew who would take over or when, and that was unsettling to me. I was also unsure of how stable a place it would be for me there as a foreigner in the future. Although I do love Moscow and I deeply appreciate the opportunities I received while working there, I had always known in the back of my mind I wouldn’t live there forever. It’s an amazing place, but not an easy one to live in. So, I decided to come home to Canada, after nearly nine years of working and living abroad.
Ballet is for everyone. Whether you prefer to practice it or watch it, everyone can relate to some aspect of it. That’s what makes it so universal.
JM: How did you arrive in Moscow? Has that been interrupted by war and do you have thoughts about that?
Photo: Alexei Borisov change in the future, and I’d love to be a part of its development. With such open minds, I’m sure the people of Revelstoke would wholeheartedly support any new artistic venture. I’d love to cultivate a deep appreciation for the art of ballet there and in other rural communities in BC. I’m sure there’s so much talent to be discovered and nurtured there.
I had dreamt of working in Russia since I was 13. I auditioned for a ballet company in Moscow while I was working at the National Theatre in Prague in October of 2018. The director offered me a contract immediately, and I left my position in Prague the following January. I began working in Moscow in February, and it was one of the most incredible and fulfilling periods of my life, despite the global pandemic. I danced more than I’d ever danced anywhere else, and I loved the ballets I was doing.
I also would love to demystify the world of ballet, as it is often viewed as an ‘elitist’ art form, especially within smaller communities, as I’ve experienced.
I think Revelstoke specifically is a town that greatly appreciates its local artists. Unfortunately, there isn’t a big dance scene but I hope that will Zachary dancing with Laura Fernandez.
FIBER THE YARNMIMOCO.– AN INTERVIEW WITH FIBRE MOLLYARTISTPLUMMER
THE ELEMENTS OF ART
Molly Plummer, the founder of The Mimo Yarn Co., works with fibres. You may have seen her booth on Saturday mornings, a regular at the farmer's market in downtown Revelstoke. She hand-dyes colourful yarn for knitting and crocheting. The booth is decorated with Plummer's infectious smile and a rainbow of vibrant coloured yarn skeins with quirky names. The Mimo Yarn Co. is a product of Plummer's passion. The yarn for Mimo Yarn Co. comes from Peru, and the dyes from a United States company. Plummer got her start working for a Vancouver company, Sweet Georgia Yarns, while on a working holiday visa from the U.K., where she learned to dye yarn as a studio assistant. She'd been a knitter for many years but was new to the process behind fibre art and dyeing yarn. Little did she know that working with this element — an extension of a craft she already loved — would be an outlet for creativity and connection. "I enjoyed the process of watching a blank canvas come to life with colours and science," she told me in an email. "I've always wanted to be my own boss, and I enjoy being creative. My tagline is bright, bold, and colourful, and that goes for the yarn and myself." Plummer is studying business management and intends to make her business full-time. She says fibre crafts go beyond an artistic medium, it connects and has created a community for her. "I love how it connects me with other crafters and seeing what they create when they purchase yarn from me," Plummer Whensays. asked what inspires her, Plummer says anything from pictures, music, or foods. The bottom line is bright colours bring her joy, and she isn't interested in delivering products that wouldn't evoke the same sensation in her patrons. "I could do more muted colours, but that really isn't my brand or what I wish to be selling," she says. You can find The Mimo Yarn Co. at the Revelstoke Local Food Initiative Market running from May to October. You can also find the fun yarn through @themimoyarnco on social media and themimoyarnco.com.
By Nora Hughes
It's no secret that Revelstoke attracts creativity. Many artists devote their inspiration to the natural world, and this little mountain town is teeming with artistic outlets. So we set out to find artists and crafters working with earth, fire, fibre, jewel, metal, and wood as a medium to explore how the natural elements manifest in Revelstoke.
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Nora Hughes interviewed some of Revelstoke's craftsmen and women for a window into artistic elements that aren't the traditional pen and paper. The elements of art highlight artists and crafters working with raw, natural materials (some sourced from around town) and sharing their creations with the community. Hughes discusses the artists' relationship to their element and their story of where passion meets paycheck.
A store was on her mind for a while, so she jumped at the opportunity when Revelstoke Florist offered to split their retail Thespace.gemstones used at her Revelstoke location are ethically sourced from a select group of trusted suppliers, Cadegan says. In addition, the metals used are recycled. "100% of our gold is recycled," she says. "We recycle our silver endlessly in the studio, but we've not yet got a 100% recycled source for new silver — I'm always on the hunt."
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JEWEL KAT CADEGANJEWELLERINTERVIEWJEWELLERYCADEGAN—ANWITHKAT WOOD FLOODCORIN CORINWOODTURNERINTERVIEWMAKINGBOWL–ANWITHFLOOD
Revelstoke's nature is still a massive source of inspiration for Cadegan's work. She finds colour, texture, and kindness in the nature surrounding her. "I think it's really important for me, and for my creative process to be able, you take my daughter and hop right onto the greenbelt and be out in the woods — amongst the trees," Cadegan says.
After a career in studio and commercial furniture making, Corin Flood started making high-quality bowls. He wanted a transition from retail development work, so Flood decided to take his production turning skills and use them to make quality items that add value to his customers' meals. Flood says his parents are to blame for the lifelong relationship he shares with woodworking. They gifted him woodworking tools, and he has led a life as a craftsman ever since. He's had bouts with other mediums, such as pottery, but always returned to woodworking. He finds inspiration in the historical uses of the element.
Flood says he'd wanted to source materials regionally to produce something useful to the community. So he uses trees felled for home clearing or hazard tree removal in his craft. He explains that most of the trees are birch — a wood he feels fortunate to work with because it doesn't have "bad habits." "Trees are nice. I try not to look at trees as bowls," he says comically. "I think by using them thoughtfully, you sort of honour the trees." Flood says he's been part of many weddings by proxy through the bowls. "I produce something that people enjoy, and it enhances their enjoyment of gathering around meals," he says. "That's the reward." You can find Flood's handmade bowls at the Revelstoke Local Food Initiative farmer's market, on his website, corinflood.ca, and social media page @corinflood.
Kat Cadegan is a mom, wife, entrepreneur and jeweller. Cadegan has a never-ending love affair with gems and owns Kat Cadegan Jewellery Inc in downtown Revelstoke. "Gemstones are the base of much of our work; they're the foundation and inspiration behind what we do," she says in an email. She says the decision to make this passion a career "wasn't 100% black and white." Cadegan says the love affair began with six months of collecting gems and attending a jewellery school in India. It was perpetuated by two years studying silversmithing in Mexico, a diploma in Nelson, and two artist residencies. Cadegan says she moved to Revelstoke for a studio space opportunity but was also a hardcore ski bum, eager to dip her toe into the town's worldrenowned skiing. "I called it a disease for a long time where [skiing] was the number one and everything else was number two, but now it's different," she tells me in a phone conversation. Cadegan decided to make the leap into a retail space once COVID hit. "There were no shows, and I couldn't travel," she says. "That's how I made my living, and all the shows completely and abruptly stopped."
All photo credit: Corin Flood. (Left) Photo: Katee Pederson (Right) Photo: Kerri Knapp
"Wood is the thing that humans have eaten off the longest," he explains.
"It's a renewable, naturally occurring material, which you can say the same for some other materials, but when you look at what we eat off, what we serve food off, they're all more energy Havingintensive."worked in the trade for so long, Flood says he's inspired by making an income off his creations but admits that the work can be fun. "It's one of the few crafts which very much requires muscle memory," he says. "You're making a complex movement with the gouge and the lathe; there's a certain pleasure in the physicality of it."
EARTH BARBARA MAYE ART — AN INTERVIEW MAYECARVERSOAPSTONEWITHBARBARA
When Maye goes to carve the stone, she says she approaches the stone with no intent. The sculptures take on beautiful earthy hues that are smooth and polished. Maye says she encourages people to touch, move and connect with her sculptures when they're in a gallery. "Soapstone is like gemstones because it's been through a big process of change," she says. "It has healing properties relating to change, which we can connect to, and so I encourage people to touch the work." You can find Maye's sculpture and multimedia work at travelling galleries in Kimberly, Art First! Gallery in Revelstoke, Studio Connexion Art Gallery in Nakusp, and the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre. Maye's work is also available for purchase on her Barbaramayefineart.ca.websiteYou can also see her work on her social media page @barbaramaye_fineart.
Barbara Maye discovered her passion for art in her 30s and, before that, describes herself as very "leftbrained." Maye is a multimedia artist. She carves soapstone, creating her iconic flipstone sculptures, but also paints, draws, woodworks, and makes other types of sculpture. "Once I found that side of myself and learned the language of speaking in art — which is so universal — it became this really powerful expression for me," she said in an interview. Flipstones are Maye's innovative, multi-position sculptures that invite contact. The stone is the size of a volleyball with curves, edges, and holes shaped by Maye that encourage the handler to move and balance the stone on its many facets. Maye says she has a powerful connection with the stone she works with and that relationship begins with harvesting the stone ethically. She looks for soapstone around Revelstoke almost exclusively to make her sculptures. Her mentor taught her to harvest soapstone where tectonic plates come together and about the earth processes that form the stone. "When I'm carving, I feel like [the stones] want to express themselves in a different form," Maye says. "It's like Mother Nature wants us to connect, and that's what I'm trying to facilitate — to remind us that all parts of the earth are alive."
Kyle Thornley is a metal artist/ fabricator focusing on forge work. Walking around Revelstoke, his work is prominent, from "A Simple Joy," the downtown public art installation, to the repurposed railway spikes used as coat hangers in Revelstoke businesses. He works with reclaimed metal from resale yards and fresh material from Kamloops. Inspired by the fine metal work on shows like Monster Garage and American Choppers as a kid, Thornley knew he was destined to work with metal in a unique way. He was presented with an opportunity to work with metal creatively and fell down a rabbit hole of endless possibilities of what he could do with his metal work.
METAL MIND THORNLEYBLACKSMITHINTERVIEWFORAGEMETAL–ANWITHKYLE
All photo credit: Contributed by Barbara Maye.
All photo credit: Katie Langmuir 18
"I enjoy taking details in nature and just really blowing them up," he tells me, gesturing to a massive metal flower sitting near the entry to his studio. The basket-shaped structure with petals reaching outward looks delicate and symmetrical as if it could've grown in nature. The flower is Thornley's unique take on a fire pit and, upon further inspection, is a strong and heavy piece of artwork lacking the fragility of nature. As an artist, Thornley says he feeds off Revelstoke's creative energy. He relishes in the opportunities this town presents for artists and is connected to the wilderness around it. Many of Thornley's customers commission artwork, and he says that sparks an immediate connection with Thornley'speople. metal work can be found at the Revelstoke Art First! Gallery, online at MindMetalForge.com and on social media @mindmetalforge.
FINE
One of the shop's motos is "everything tastes better out of a handmade cup, and everything looks better under handmade lights." "There's six of us that work here," Allison tells the Mountaineer in an interview. In addition to owner Leah Allison, the forces behind the shop's colourful glasswork are Jared Last, Ariel Hill, Tyler Kathol, Ella Carmichael, and Hunter Haig, manager and apprentice glassblower. Most of the team started at Big Eddy Glass Works, including Haig.
Photos: Big Eddy Glass Works
When you walk into Big Eddy Glass Works, the palpable heat tells a story behind the glimmering glasswork lining every inch of the shop. The colourful swirl in every glass cup is in sync with the intensity of the fire pulsing in the background. "It's only a certain type of people that really dig it," says Leah Allison, owner, glassblower, and flame worker at Big Eddy Glass Works, regarding working with fire. A lot of work goes into this artwork by a team of fire-wielding Allisonbadasses.says that the close-knit staff work with fire as part of what they do at the shop. She explains that it's hard to interview just one person because all the artists work with glass in their own way — an integral part of what makes the shop unique.
"I feel like my whole life, people told me I had a fiery personality," Haig continues. "It just kind of felt fitting once I tried it." Allison says she made one bead, and it changed her whole life. She Allison's favourite part about working with fire is the necessity of being around it and how she has learned not to think about it despite its extreme environment. Haig sums it up, "It just makes you feel like a badass."
can find glass products made by the Big Eddy Glass Works team online at bigeddyglassworks.ca, on social media @bigeddyglassworks, at their twice-annual market, or their location in the Big Eddy neighbourhood.
"I'm a crafter by nature. I saw that they posted on their Instagram that there was an open spot in a flameworking workshop," she says. "So I just signed up on a whim, and I never stopped coming."
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"I, as a crafter, had never experienced making something that you can't actually touch," she continues. "While you're making it, you can't get that close to it. It's very extreme, but it also makes it worth it." Despite the intensity of the craft, she says that they're always using the products of their labour and encourage customers to think of the glass not as fragile art pieces but as tangible tools. "We try to encourage people to really celebrate that we've made it by hand, and that's by using Youit."
Ryan Krebs, owner and tattoo artist at Daruma Tattoo, is an extension of his art: timeless and honest. Much like the classic style of tattoos he loves, Ryan has stood the test of time in Revelstoke and is taking a leap by bringing a new experience to the town. Ryan is re-locating Daruma Tattoo and introducing flash tattooing to Revelstoke. Flash tattoos are pre-drawn designs, a staple in classic-style tattoo shops like Ryan’s and touristy areas. Tattoos are becoming increasingly popular, and nowadays, getting a tattoo on a whim is more common. With the shop’s new location at 2B 300, First Street West, Ryan hopes to harness that business.ForRyan, the shop signifies a more significant shift in his life. Ryan wants to focus his career on flash and classic style tattooing. “I love the classic stuff. It's timeless,” Ryan says. His space is wallpapered with frames of traditional flash tattoo designs. “Classic” or “traditional” is the old-school American style of tattooing popularised around the 1930s that depicts iconic imagery. It incorporates bold lines and solid colours.
TIMELESS TATTOOING
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RYAN KREBS, TATTOO ARTIST AND OWNER OF DARUMA TATTOO, IS INTRODUCING HIS NEW STREET SHOP WHERE CUSTOMERS CAN WALK IN OFF OF ONE OF REVELSTOKE’S BUSIEST ROADS FOR FLASH TATTOOING.
Words by Nora Hughes.
Photos by Alexi Mostert
Ryan’s shop offers collector flash initially drawn by iconic tattoo artists such as Sailor Jerry, Doc King, and Doc Forbes. They’re the kind of oldtimey tattoos you’d recognize like branding on Coke bottles. We’ve all seen them; the classic pin-up girl, anchor, or panther tattoo with distinct fierce, bold lines. He also draws original flash and interpretations of traditional designs. Tattoo cultures worldwide vary, and the permanent body decorations can even look different from province to province. The mountain silhouette, fern, or botanical bouquet are trends here in Revelstoke. Ryan’s classic flash shop seems a sharp contrast to the whimsical mountain town trend tattoos. He’s not out to bash anyone’s style, and he understands that his style isn’t for everyone either. He’s opening up a space for something different.
Ryan Krebs. Photos by Alexi Mostert
The way Ryan sees it, it’s like asking a landscape artist to paint an abstract portrait; they could pull it off, but that’s not the work they want to put their name on. “When you look at these classic designs, you see how there's not much to them,” he says, gesturing to a flash design of a black panther. “They've drawn those so that over time when they age, it's still gonna look like a panther.” Regarding longevity, Ryan doesn’t believe in tattooing something that won’t stand the test of time. The way traditional designs age is something that makes him proud of the art he creates.Social media portrays trends of small and detailed tattoos, but he says it’s unlikely that those tattoos will age the way clients want.
Timeless tattoos
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“I’m really adamant about designs lasting
Tattooing true When the original Daruma Tattoo opened in Revelstoke, Ryan says some of his colleagues thought it was career suicide. “People normally build their careers and stay there,” he says. But he saw an opening and niche that needed filling in Revelstoke. “Established tattooers go to places where there’s no tattooing,” he says. For a while, Ryan was the only person in town tattooing. He created a name and business for himself as a versatile tattoo artist. But, Ryan felt burnt out trying to please everyone. While he is a diverse tattoo artist, he didn’t always feel the work represented his authentic self. “As I get more mature and as I learn what I want to do with my time and energy, I realize that I can’t do every tattoo,” he says.” I used to portray myself as a really versatile tattooer. In Revelstoke, because it has so many different types of people, I would end up doing so many types of tattoos, and it kind of burned me out.” Ryan has seen trends come and go but feels it’s time to carve a space for tattoo culture in Revelstoke and align his business with his beliefs by tattooing true to his style. “It’s a business; you’re working for your client, you’re trying to please them and give them what they want,” Ryan explains. “And then there’s the other side, where you can’t be disingenuous to yourself and your skill set.”
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Ryan has hung more traditionalstyle tattoos in the shop and switched his social media channels to display traditional tattoo content to ease his business in that direction. “I just feel like what I sell and what I'm confident doing — and it's not for everyone — but you get to a point where you love what you do, and you say, you know what, I've tried so many styles of tattooing, I really have the most fun doing these ones,” he says.
Ryan will invite guest artists to his shop. He describes the town as having a closed tattoo scene because it can be challenging to move to Revelstoke.
Daruma is co-locating with Brick House Hair and Vintage, owned by his partner, Lindy Delorean. The shop features a vintage clothing shop, hair salon and Tattoo parlour. The unique concept is a new step for Daruma Tattoo and Brickhouse Hair and Vintage. The creative, collaborative space reflects Ryan and Lindy's passion for vintage. Despite working in different industries, Lindy says they both work with people. She thinks the two businesses working symbiotically make the space more approachable. Tattooing is Ryan’s life, and he’s built that in the Revelstoke community. The new shop will be an inviting, welcoming showcase for his art. “I love all the aspects {of the job}, being able to do my art, being able to be respected and viewed as a part of this small community, and just having people give me their honest earned money,” Ryan says. “I take it really seriously. So I do my very best.”
“The main objective for me would be good, honest tattooing,” Ryan explains. “I want people to like my art, and I want them to like me as a person too.”
“When people message me on social media, I tell them to go check out my flash up for grabs area.” He says that if nothing catches their eye, he’s down to draw something original, but he’d like to meet in the middle and infuse his style into the work. “Custom tattooing is our interpretation of your idea,” he says.He’s adamant that every artist has their style. Traditional is his niche. “If I'm not the right guy for you, I'm not going to get hurt; I’m going to help you find the right tattooer or let's tweak the design. What I'm not willing to do is tweak it, and it turns it into a shitty tattoo,” he says.
because I personally think, what's the point of spending all this money, trying to get something timeless, and then it's not timeless?” he says. “Tattoos are forever. They just don’t last forever.”
Good, tattooinghonest
While Ryan hopes to introduce flash tattooing to Revelstoke through his new street shop, he’s not opposed to doing custom tattoos. He values clients that come to him with original ideas.
Photo Feature
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“The entrepreneurs in Revelstoke are really what create the vibe and create the culture that our guests get to experience beyond skiing and beyond our own operations,” Nielsen says.
New slopeside hotel update
Additionally, the update says the new slopeside hotel’s construction is in full swing after delays that RMR attributes to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Further update
The update details that the urgently needed resort employee housing project is awaiting approval of a building permit before the first phase of construction can begin, which includes a building with 90 apartment suites and parking for both employees and day use. Nielsen says the resort is awaiting building permits from the city. “It’s pretty normal,” Nielsen says in response to a question regarding the delayed permits. “Development application process and planning, it really gets to a higher level of detail,” he says. “We’re super excited to get going on [the staff housing] because we really need it.” Nielsen says to deal with the housing and worker issues in Revelstoke, the resort is leasing properties and acquiring assets such as the Backpacker’s hostel, which was bought in the fall of 2021 and turned from short-term accommodation to longterm rental for seasonal staff members.
According to the update, a crew of 30 construction personnel arrived earlier this month and are wrapping up foundation work with plans to begin vertical construction this fall. Nielsen says the resort intentionally slowed progress on the hotel during the uncertain times presented by the pandemic but struggled to resume operation mainly due to worker shortages. “We just struggled to get the project ramped up to where we wanted it to be as far as the ability to attract and retain talented labourers to work on the site,” he says.
Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s busy summer season of operation is underway and a new update released on July 26, 2022, details development progression and events on and around the mountain. The update report states that many projects are delayed due to an unseasonably cold spring, late snow melt in the alpine, and effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The update gives locals and visitors a look into resort happenings and where some of the highly anticipated projects stand in terms of completion.
Nielsen says residents and visitors can expect updates like this one regularly, as RMR strives to improve communication with the community.
With the town seeing a lot of change and development, Nielsen says, “Revelstokians care about their community on a level that you don’t always see, which is awesome. It’s not something to discourage, that’s for sure.”
“We have some plans for more projects that will attract more people and deliver experiences that are not totally centred on really difficult mountain sports, but that are more approachable for broader, different graphics,” he says. “That’s a big focus for us. We do believe that summer represents a really big opportunity for growth at the resort and de facto for the whole town.”
For starters, RMR’s most popular attraction is getting an expansion. A second track for the Pipe Mountain Coaster, 1.4 kilometres in length, is in the works, anticipated to be completed by September 2022. The track expansion will help wait times for visitors and provide a new experience for resort visitors.Revelstoke Mountain Resort Vice President Peter Nielsen says one of the resort’s focuses includes creating inclusive experiences for visitors.
The development update also reports progress on projects such as the Camozzi Road realignment, on mountain development to prepare for winter, and the Cabot Pacific golf course, which plans to open in Also2024.mentioned in the report was a landslide that occurred on June 11, 2022, due to slope instability on Mountain Road. “These abnormal weather patterns also caused a change in ground and surface water patterns. A notable change occurred downslope of the Stellar Chair, which impacted Mountain Road north of Monashee Estates,” the update includes. “The change in groundwater patterns resulted in a localized slope instability, and on June 11, a natural and slow-moving slip occurred on Mountain Road.” RMR says they immediately engaged with geotechnical engineers, water quality experts, and erosion and sediment control professionals to complete an assessment of the site to ensure the safety of residents, visitors, and staff. The update writes that liaise with professionals to monitor this issue.Nielsen says approval timing is one of the resort’s biggest challenges, aside from the symbiotic worker shortage and housing crisis. He says that agencies across the country are struggling with capacity, and as a result, things are delayed. Beyond the resort’s own struggles with housing and retaining employees, other firms and agencies outside of Revelstoke are struggling with the same issues, and Nielsen says it has been a challenge for them.
The new luxury hotel will be situated across from the existing Sutton Place Hotel and will be home for Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing once the project comes to fruition. The update says the new hotel is expected to be open for the 2024/25 winter season.
Staff housing update
(Left) Rendering of the East-facing side of the new Slopeside Hotel. Photo: Revelstoke Mountain Resort. (Right) Layout for the new Pipe Mountain Coaster track. Photo: Revelstoke Mountain Resort.
When asked how the resort plans to remain successful in these trying times, Nielsen says that the resort plans to continue to deliver the highquality experience that everyone has grown to expect out of the resort. Nielsen says the resort staff is proud of their world-class designation, “In order to do that, we need to be able to recruit and retain great people,” he says. “That’s priority number one — figuring out that so we can continue to deliver thoseNielsenexperiences.”saysanother key to success for RMR is the ability to continue to grow. He says development needs to happen to increase visitation, which will directly benefit the community with more opportunities for other entrepreneurs in Revelstoke.
Nestled next to the Columbia River, below cascading glaciers and alpine peaks, it’s easy to find natural inspiration in Revelstoke. The natural allure of the town has drawn people who crave the outdoors, adventure sports, culture, and community, among other things. Revelstoke fosters a robust artistic community, and the art scene blooms and blossoms as the town grows. It’s easy to romanticize the confluence of place and passion. Living in Revelstoke can seem picturesque, as if an artist inspired by the mountains spends every day holed up in a beautiful alpine meadow, painting their surroundings. Finding inspiration can be easy, but how easy is it to make it as an artist in this mountain town?
MAKING IT IN THE MOUNTAINS
Susan points out the unexpected side of art. “You could put everything into it, and then art changes,” she says.
“My dad used to say, falling off a greased log is easy,” says Shea Slager, metal artist and member of the Art First Gallery. “It is what you put into it. Just like everything else in life. If you want to be an artist, then you’re putting all your ponies in that race.”Shea, Charise Folnovic, and Susan Lind are all part of the Art First Gallery located in downtown Revelstoke. The Gallery is run like a co-op, owned and operated by local artists. You need to be a member or commissioned artist to display your art in the gallery. Members pay a monthly membership fee and work 12 hours a month in the gallery. As a member, artists have a larger space for their artwork that they arrange. Commissioned artists have smaller displays. When a member’s art sells, the artist gets 80% of the profits, and 20% goes to the gallery. Commissioned artists split the profits 60/40 with the gallery. “As far as money goes, then together we’re much stronger as a group to sell our art and reach out and open up new markets,” Shea“Thissays.is living the dream, I think,” Shea says. “People say I’m living the dream all the time.” Since retiring, Shea moved to Revelstoke, bought a fixer-upper house, creates art and hangs out with the folks at the gallery. It seems idyllic. “It’s also hard work, though,” says Charise. “There’s maybe 30% actually making the art and then 70% admin, marketing, networking — all the stuff that you don’t even realize until you start doing it more full-time.” Charise’s travels inspire her artwork. A long career in hospitality paid for those travels before she transitioned into full-time art during the Pandemic. “It’s leaving that security safety blanket and then just going for it,” she says. Shea said when he transitioned focus towards his art, he was worried about how other people would perceive it. “You’re gonna have an audience,” he says. “You’re giving up your security blanket to jump into a pool of alligators and have to manage all that. That’s the tough part for me.”
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IT’S EASY TO ROMANTICIZE THE IDEA OF LIVING AND WORKING IN AN INSPIRING LOCATION, BUT HOW DO ARTISTS MAKE IT A REALITY? SOME OF REVELSTOKE’S ART COMMUNITY MEMBERS EXPLAIN WHAT IT’S LIKE MAKING IT IN THE MOUNTAINS.
By: Nora Hughes (Left: Susan Lind, Charise Folnovic and Shea Slager at Art First. Photo: Nora Hughes) (Right: Works by Susan Lind at Art First Gallery. Photo: Nora Hughes) (Top: Metal creations by Shea Slager. Photo: Nora Hughes)
All three artists agree that the ease or difficulty of making a living at art is about personal definitions of success. Many artists in Revelstoke have to hustle to make their art available to the community. Graphic designer and illustrator Benji Andringa collaborates with small businesses, creates his art, and then distributes it through those relationships. You may recognize some of Benji’s art from around town; The colourful illustrations on the Big Bear Limo or the art on the labels of Stoke the Fire’s hot sauce bottles. He has work displayed in Revy Outdoors, Mt. Begbie Brewing Co., Begbie Kids, and more. Benji has been successful in his career. His success didn’t come without hard work. “Simply put, get creative, create your own opportunities. Break out of your comfort zone and interact with the community. Harness the
Let’s plan for 50 years from now. Let’s plan for 2073.
TOURISM TALKS
• Contact Tourism Revelstoke directly.
• Read our Tourism Talks column in the Revelstoke Mountaineer.
To read previous Tourism Talks columns, head to destinationrevelstoke.com.
• Participate in our school project with your family in fall 2022.
LET’S PLAN FOR REVELSTOKE 2073. stoke,” Benji says, describing the hustle that has gone into his success. Benji offers graphic design and illustration services to make money but also does logos, branding, apparel and merchandise as his “bread and butter.” Benji has been working for himself for the last four years as a freelancer. “The business end of freelancing has been a challenge. Everything from writing a business plan, pricing, pitching projects, bookkeeping and accounting,” he says. However, the hard work allows him to live his dream in Revelstoke. He can choose projects he’s passionate about and work with people who inspire him. When Benji first came to town, he printed T-shirts by day for Integrated Apparel and Somewon Collective and cooked pizza by night at Nico’s Pizzeria. “Just like the town, it’s always growing and evolving,” Benji says, describing the art scene in Revelstoke. “You might be low on income here in Revelstoke, but you won’t be short on inspiration. If you have the right outlook and work hard, you can make it work.” While all artists in town have some version of a hustle, definitions of success vary. For some artists in Revelstoke, the end goal isn’t to make a living off their art. “Some people are making a living, selling their art trade, and for me, it’s different,” Shea says. “I do it for pleasure, and I’m happy that it sells every once in a while.” Cherise says making art is something that she has to do. “It’s something that just has to come out in some shape or form; otherwise, it can start to feel scattered or crazy,” she says. Sometimes success can be a small part of a larger, endless cycle. Once achieved, the definition of success can change, and the process to get there starts all over again.
Tourism has brought money, jobs, and vitality to Revelstoke. It’s our largest industry, and it’s growing fast. But such rapid growth is risky. If left unchecked, tourism could easily cost us our ways of life, the environment, and all that makes Revelstoke special.
Revelstoke residents, we need your input. Your voice matters. Whether you’ve been here for 50 years or five, whether your haunt is Monashee Spirits or the Grizzly, whether you live for the outdoors or the indoors – have your say in shaping a vision for what Revelstoke will become for the next generations.
As residents, we have a choice. Will we let Revelstoke turn into another recreational Disneyland, or will we come together to make sure tourism actually leads to a vibrant, sustainable future?
Revelstoke 2073 by Laurie Apeceche.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
• Look for our surveyors in fall 2022 and tell them about your vision for Revelstoke.
• Visit DestinationRevelstoke.com and read about what we’re up to.
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• Attend a film showing presented by Tourism Revelstoke.
Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre Executive Director Meghan Porath. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine
“That was all part of the original vision. Yes, a home for the art, but then also a big incubation centre where artists can come and work their craft. We’ve had a lot of artists over the years who have developed their skills and then moved to commercial spaces of their own,” said Talbot The centre is also establishing itself as a community gathering place with a community garden built in partnership with the Revelstoke Local Food Initiative, xeriscape gardens, outdoor tables to sit at, and more recently, the introduction of an educational beehive. While the added activities and attractions help to draw-in more tourists and locals alike, Porath maintains that the core purpose remains in supporting artists.
So of course, we’re going to email the artist, we’re able to be that pivot point between organizations that don’t know how to reach out to artists. I think that’s what this role and this whole centre is all about, said Porath. “This whole centre was built and created by so many people […] I’ve been allowed to come in and make my own mark on it, which has been incredible. I would like to see more artists coming into the galleries. I think we should be having a pretty good mix of artists local to Revelstoke, local to the Kootenays. I want to bring in more B.C. artists, because I want the gallery to be not only for visitors to come see what we can [create], but I also want to show our locals all the different art that’s out there
EXPLORING THE PAST AND FUTURE OF THE REVELSTOKE VISUAL ARTS CENTRE
The Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre has been housed in its Wilson Street home since 2004, but the evolution of art in Revelstoke began more simply: with painting English-bornlessons.artistSophie
By Melissa Jameson
The Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre is located at 320 Wilson Street and is open Wednesday through Friday from 12 p.m.–6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. For more information about the centre visit revelstokeartgallery.ca.
The other day somebody emailed saying they really liked an artist’s work and they wanted to contact them about potentially doing some T-shirt designs.
When the Revelstoke RCMP moved to its current downtown location on Campbell Avenue, members of the arts group put together a proposal to take over the vacant building on Wilson Street. The Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre opened in 2004. “The Revelstoke Art Group was instrumental in getting things together and putting up the proposal to the city to acquire the building. There’s a lot of just plain work overhead to maintaining the whole facility, and even at that time the average age of the original art group was moving on. They spent a huge amount of energy just getting things going,” said Talbot.
“That’s what it all comes back to, it’s an art centre.
REVELSTOKE'S VISUAL ARTS GALLERY
Revelstoke may be world renowned for its mecca of all-season outdoor adventures, but Meghan Porath wants to shine more light on the community’s artistic side.“I’m excited to bring it up to that level, to say, ‘I know we’ve got adventure, but have you seen the artistic side of this community?’” Porath took over as executive director of the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre in September 2020. At that time the centre had been closed for several months due to restrictions on public gatherings brought on by COVID-19.
[…] I think not only the Revelstoke Visual arts centre is doing that, but the arts council, Luna Fest, all these players are coming to really elevate the art that exists within this town.”
“My entire first year working here has been quite influenced by the pandemic. In little silver linings it meant that the programming wasn’t as full as it would be, or as much scheduled, so I could really focus and learn the nitty gritty details without having to expand all this energy into all the different places, because this job and this building is very comprehensive. So, it was a bit easier, not that I would say the pandemic was great in any sense at all, but it was nice that I was able to kind of learn and get my bearings.”Coming from a background in tourism marketing and operational management, Porath admits she struggles with imposter syndrome working for a very large arts operation. It’s a bit surprising to hear, given how Porath has been able to use her experience, working along with the arts society, its board members, staff, and many volunteers, to help the centre navigate its way through the pandemic in creative ways. This has included changing the flow at exhibition openings by having people enter through the side entrance rather than the main doors, creating behind the scenes videos with exhibiting artists and using 360-degree photography to recreate the gallery experience for those who are unable to visit in person. “It’s something we’re carrying forward because we’re able to now catalogue our gallery exhibitions. You can go and see Zuzana Riha’s show from 2020 on our website. You don’t have to be here,” said Porath. The centre, which is housed in a former RCMP building, also began paying homage to the building’s police roots, displaying exhibition works in the remaining cells, aptly named the “jail house gallery” — something long-time Revelstoke Arts Society Member Ken Talbot says was part of the original vision for the centre. “Right at the onset, when we first got going here and [the back of the building] was all still solid cell blocks, that was part of our vision at the time, turning that into extra gallery space. We had plans of doing live performances in the back. It was all part of the vision, it just took a little while to come to be,” said Talbot.SUB: How one woman’s painting lessons led to the creation of Revelstoke’s thriving arts scene
2828 NEWS THE EVOLUTION OF
Atkinson spent much of her life exploring the world, travelling to numerous places including India, Denmark, the United States, and Canada. She would make her way to British Columbia, where she fell in love with the landscape, and in 1949 decided to make her home in Revelstoke. An accomplished painter of still lifes and landscapes, Atkinson began teaching art classes to the local children.“Sheoriginally started teaching kids classes and realized she just didn’t like kids, so stuck with the adults. She would meet with a lot of the people in town who were artists as well and they would just paint and create together. Eventually it turned into the Revelstoke Art Group. It just started very organically,” Porath said. In the late 1960s, Atkinson would return to the United Kingdom, settling in Edinburgh. Her artistic legacy in Revelstoke continued however, and in the 1970s members of the arts group began looking for a place to showcase their works, finding space on the top floor of the Revelstoke Museum & Archives’ building. Porath shared that the art group maintained that gallery space quite some time, until the museum expanded and required use of the upper floor. Left without a home, the group would find temporary refuge in a now torn-down building located where the Chevron gas station now sits. Talbot recalled: “Where the previous gas station was, there was a building beside it. At one point it had been a steak house. The gallery was set up in there, very briefly, before the building was going to be demolished to expand the gas station and reconfigure the traffic. That was always the struggle, not having a home for the art, a place to store the collection and to mount exhibitions and that kind of stuff.”
Deciding they could no longer sustain the sheer amount of work required to maintain the newly opened arts centre, members of the art group decided to incorporate a new society to try and bring in fresh faces, in particular younger people with more energy to really get things to pick up and go. The Revelstoke Visual Arts Society incorporated shortly after the opening of the visual arts centre. Creating a community gathering space while maintaining a focus on supporting artists Walk into the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre today and you’ll find homage paid to its organic roots. There’s a side gallery named in honour of Atkinson, who was teacher and mentor to many artists who were part of the original art group. Some of those artists are still creating works today, and it’s not uncommon to see their creations on display, both as part of member and solo exhibitions. The centre is also home to a pottery guild, a wood shop, and eight private artist spaces. The centre also hosts after school programming, kids’ art camps, adult art classes and the city’s banner program.
29 FOOD DRIVE SAVE THE DATE! September 13th, 2022 After a long 2 year hiatus, Community Connections is partnering with the Emergency Services of Revelstoke to host the Annual Fall Food Drive! VOLUNTEER WITH US! We are looking for volunteers to help out from 4 - 8:30PM. Sign up as an individual or team and bring your family, friends, co-workers, or teammates with you! For more information or to volunteer, please call 250-837-2920 or email belizabeth@community-connections.ca EMERGENCY SERVICES Thank you to Revelstoke Osteopathy & Wellness for sponsoring this ad Grief & Bereavement Support Group Providing individuals with emotinal, practical and spiritual support in a caring envirnmentto share their grief story Next scheduledgroupformidOctober Adult T-shirts � Sex Toys � Games � Herb Grinders NEW E-liquids and Disposables Heavy Glass Bongs � Everything but weed! Adult T-shirts � Sex Toys � Games � Herb Grinders NEW E-liquids and Disposables Heavy Bongs Everything Age Restricted! Must be 19 years of age Open Tuesday - Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Open Tuesday - Saturday 11:30 6 p.m. Local. Independent. Get in the magazine: info@revelstokemountaineer.com
In her role at the BC Touring Council, Manley says she's excited to work provincially with people, venues, and theatres across the province.
Bhattacharya says that Arts Revelstoke's commitment to the community attracted him to the position. "Speaking to members of the board has shown me that there is a real commitment to the Arts and the community," he explains. "This is so important [because] if we are not listening to the local community, then arts will not thrive."
ARTS
It's evident that Manley is leaving behind years of pure passion when asked about her favourite moments working with Arts Revelstoke.
By Nora Hughes Guerilla Gigs, and Movies in the Mountain. The Art Alleries installations are testaments to the town's culture and creativity — transforming ordinary allies into galleries and giving visitors a window into Revelstoke's history and spirit.
Arts Revelstoke's new artistic and executive director
Bhattacharya says his goals for the organization include encouraging different sectors of society to attend events they haven't experienced and program events that appeal to a wide range of tastes. "The arts really should be for everyone, but it can only be so with strategic planning and communication," he said in an email to Mountaineer staff.
In Miriam Manley's ten years with Arts Revelstoke as Artistic and Executive Director (AED), she has seen the organization more than double. This fall, Manley will move on from her position at the organization and assume the role of Executive Director for the British Columbia Touring Council. She leaves behind a legacy.
Arts Revelstoke is the pulse of artistic diversity and inclusion for the city, and Manley has been a big part of the organization's success. She is credited with the rebranding of the organization and its programming. In addition, Manley is the co-founder and curator of Luna Festival and Luna sound and is known for commissioning new artists and work.
"You see the value in what we do," Manley says in an interview with Revelstoke Mountaineer staff. Arts Revelstoke has an established program. Residents have come to anticipate the year-round queue of events such as REVY.Live, Luna Festival,
REVELSTOKE WELCOMES NEW ARTISTIC AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Daniel Bhattacharya will take over for Manley as Arts Revelstoke's new AED. Bhattacharya is involved in the Arts as a musician, educator, administrator and Filmmaker. As a musician, Bhattacharya has performed on famous stages worldwide and worked on hundreds of soundtracks, including films such as Lord of the Rings, Black Panther, Dunkirk and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Hosting artists such as Spirit of the West and Corb Lund are some of Manley's most memorable experiences. "They really stand out as being amazing shows that had sold-out audiences and that electric kind of atmosphere in the air where everyone's just having an amazing time," she says. "Then the other thing would obviously be Luna and Art Alleries, just being a part of that, I'm proud of what we've achieved."
Manley recalls her favourite moments at Arts Revelstoke being some of the highlight performances at the performing arts centre.
Additionally, Bhattacharya says he's intrigued by Revelstoke's uniqueness and wants to use that to develop Arts Revelstoke. "I am interested to see what makes the people of Revelstoke proud to be from this community and what they would like to see reflected in this organization," he says. "I would also like to attract artists who are not just coming for a single event but who would forge a lasting relationship with the town and its people."
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The organization has evolved since Manley took over to include a professional, full-time staff member team. Arts Revelstoke has built strong relationships with the City of Revelstoke and Tourism Revelstoke that have helped to ingrain Arts Revelstoke into the foundation of the community. As one of her first assignments with the organization, Manley implemented professional standards in the operation of the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre. As a result of the changes she made, Arts Revelstoke received federal funding to support the centre's activities.
Top left: Daniel Bhattacharya and family will start in Revelstoke in September. Top right: Executive Director Miriam Manley pictured backstage at the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre in 2015. SAYS FAREWELL TO ARTISTIC AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ARTS REVESLTOKE
MIRIAM MANLEY AFTER 10 YEARS AND WELCOMES DANIEL BHATTACHARYA TO THE ORGANIZATION.
LUNA Arts is free of charge but donations for future LUNA events are appreciated and can be made on the night or at www.artsrevelstoke.com .
The weekend Festival offering will be rounded out by StudioLUNA on Sunday filled with workshops and artist talks. Art Alleries and Artists talks: 10am - Zuzana Riha, Flight of Light (Regent alleyway) 10:30am - Leah Allison (Revelstoke Credit Union 11amAlleyway)-Tania Willard (TBC) 11:30am - Charise Folnovic (Roxy Theater Entrance) 12 noon – Johnny Bandura – (TBC) 12:30 - Andrew Kermack (Roxy Theater alleyway) MoreWorkshopsinfoand sign up at lunafest.ca Crochet techniques for 3D projects Led by: Cathy English Location: Revelstoke Museum and Archives 11am - 1 pm BLUSCRN - Dance and mixed media Led by : Ralph Escamillan, Milton Lim and Kayleigh
LedArt10amLocation:SandormiskyTraverse–11:00am&FungiWalkbyWilloughby Arevalo How to fold your Dragon with Ben Morrow - confirmed 10am –Location:12pmLibrary Learning Lab Registration on the day at the Library Learning Lab.
LUNA Sound tickets will give you access to all 4 venues and are on sale at lunafest.ca.
Friday, September 23rd 2022
Dance the night away at four uniquely LUNA venues, and prepare to be blown away by the spectacular and diverse Canadian musical talent.
LUNA Festival of Nocturnal Art and Wonder is back in all its glory on September 23rd to 25th 2022.Come to LUNA and prepare to experience Revelstokeas you have never seen it before.
8pm - Late A wild night of music that kicks off LUNA Festival weekend. LUNA SOUND features hip hop, bues, punk rock, RnB, EDM and everything in between, with ten bands across four stages. For 2022 we are thrilled to have drag artists PM and Continental Breakfast joining us from Vancouver to MC.
Luna Arts Sound
LUNA Arts transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary with 42 unique indoor and outdoor interactive visual art installations and professional performances selectively placed in Revelstoke’s downtown core. After a two-year hiatus where LUNA Reimagined kept the flame of outdoor arts, performance and culture alive in Revelstoke, 2022 is set to be the biggest most impressive LUNA ever, with the theme FLIGHT.Founded in 2017, LUNA is a curated multidisciplinary 3-day annual Festival held annually in September that brings art and energy to downtown Revelstoke.
Luna Arts
6pm - 11pm Get ready for a mind-blowing extravaganza of immersive installations, neo-clowning with 3D metal art, shadow puppetry with flying dragons, traditional Indigenous dance and throat singing with electronic beats and looping technology. This incredible and wondrous mash up of unique experiences, original commissions and interactive artworks is for young and old, from experienced art connoisseurs to complete novices. Come out and experience Revelstoke’s downtown core in ways you have never imagined.
Saturday, September 24th 2022
Luna Studio
When Johnny Bandura was first inspired to paint a mural comprised of portraits of the 215 children whose remains were found on the grounds of the Kamloops Residential School last May—a tragic revelation that prompted a national reckoning with Canada’s colonial legacy—he never imagined the journey his work would spark. Johnny decided to paint portraits to honor and give perspective of each child found. The striking, Comix-inspired images of the children imagined as they might have looked had they survived to adulthood, have touched viewers around British Columbia at a variety of exhibitions, serving both as a memorial and as an educational tool.This upcoming year the project will be featured at several festivals and events and will end the year with a 3 month stay at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops BC.
Working with five Calgary-based Drag Queens, Revelstoke-born artist, Andrew Kermack will capture a series based around each Queen as they build a unique look based on their personal definition of flight, taking into account their Drag Persona and the path that led them to where they are in their Drag Journey. In addition to each Queen's unique look, they will have a set of wings to accompany the look - as a not so subtle nod to LUNA’s flight theme.
BubbleWorks will transform the most fundamental shape in glass blowing, the bubble, into a whimsical wonderland of color and flight. The centerpiece of the installation is an antique cast iron bathtub that has been a welcome sign at the Big Eddy Glass Works studio since it was founded. Bubbleworks is a collaborative work by Big Eddy Glass Works’ team of six makers, led by Leah Allison who are based in the Big Eddy Neighborhood of
ByBubbleworksTheBigEddy Babes
The 215 By Johnny Bandura
contemporary advertising in relation to the body. By using both live and post-production chroma keying softwares to filter and replace environments, objects, and clothing, the project asserts a simultaneous operation of the body as subject and object. The performance is live captured and composited onto monitors, from which other worlds, environments and desires emerge. This piece is brought to LUNA by Fakeknot, the umbrella entity for collaborative performance works that play with the complexities of identity and culture through costume, sound, technology, and movement. FakeKnot is grounded in street, commercial, and contemporary dance techniques that honours the queer, POC identity of artistic director, Ralph Escamillan. Collaboration as a practice of knowledge co-creation is essential for FakeKnot in the ways it can bring differences together.
LUNA SPOTLIGHT
By challenging the size restriction of a traditional print press we will create large scale wood block prints, printing them with the assistance of a steamroller. A process that will transform the mostly solitary medium of print into a collaborative and interactive experience for both the performer and the audience. Post LUNA we will trim down the large scale artwork and bind it in a book that will remain on display at Fable Book Parlor. The Printmakers are a collaborative print collective founded by six local Revelstoke artists including Meghan Porath, Rob Buchanan, Brett Mallon, Cornelius Suchy, Ella Hardy and Dylan Hardy.
ByBLUSCRNRevelstoke.FakeknotBLUSCRNexplores
Matriarchal Healer By Delreé Dumont
Freedom of the Press By The Printmakers
ByFlourishAndrew Kermack
This beautiful addition to Relevelstoke’s Art Alleries by Delreé Dumont will portray a jingle dancer, lifting her eagle feather fan towards the sky. When dancers lift their fan into the direction of the sky, to the drum beat (Mother Earth's heartbeat), they are connecting to the Creator to receive healing. (The eagle is the only bird that can fly closest to the Creator to deliver messages). The jingle dance is a healing dance and the jingle cones make the sound of the rain when they dance. Nowadays, all Nations across North America dance the jingle dance at competition or traditional pow wows. This piece will be painted using orange (Every Child Matters) and Red (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls) with blue, yellow and white as highlights and embellished with real jingle cones (365 cones for every day of the year) studs, feathers, beads and pointillism.
A music festival began in the late ‘90s by Layne Seabrook became the Mountain Beats & Blues Festival – a late June event held in Centennial Park to entice the shoulder season visitors also ran on volunteer labour until 2009.
Most recently, the entrepreneurial artists, like Big Eddy Glass Works are creating a “mini” Granville Island experience with their Art Market events.
The Revelstoke Theatre Company (formed in 1978), who had presented an annual selection of plays in various venues since their inception, began producing a community musical every year in the late ‘90s. The venue was the “old” Revelstoke Secondary School gym and between 1,800 and 2,000 people came out over the run of the show. The last musical
35 ESSAY
2012 saw the completion of the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre at the new Revelstoke Secondary school, a facility funded by the BC Ministry of Education’s “Neighborhoods of Learning.” Many municipalities hold referendums to enable them to build this type of facility and we are very lucky indeed to have such an amazing cultural asset and professional venue in town. It is currently programmed by Arts Revelstoke.
All of these public art installations have been created by highly skilled local artists with the exception of “Coming Home” created by the Sinixt artist Ric Gendron, this is first piece of indigenous public art commissioned in Revelstoke.
Funding the arts has not been well understood as the investment it truly is. Any funding from the city coffers to any of the local arts non-profits is levered into at least matching funding from outside sources (both provincial and federal). The resulting return on investment for the community means stable and sustainable organizations that provide wonderful cultural programming for residents and visitors.
I began volunteering in the arts sector in 1995, helping to produce the Mountain Arts Festival, a late-September weekend filled with fringe theatre in a variety of venues in city centre, international street performers in Grizzly Plaza and a few music performances as well. The festival was a response to the economic need expressed for shoulder season events and was produced by the Revelstoke Theatre group until the Revelstoke Arts Council was incorporated in 1997 and then the festival became a collaboration of the two organizations. It ran for 11 years on volunteer labour.
My new Revelstoke tag line is: come for the adventure, stay for the culture! Let’s welcome the creatives and makers who bring their fresh perspectives to the community dialogue and perhaps creative solutions to community problems.
I’ve been a volunteer in the arts sector locally, regionally and provincially for over 25 years. The reason I have made this commitment is because I want to live in a community that supports and welcomes creativity in all it’s forms. I want to see live music, dance and theatre, paintings and pottery and wonderful photos, right here by excellent local artists. I want to understand Revelstoke through these mediums, because after all, that is what art is, a medium through which we tell our stories.
Flying Arrow Productions has brought the community musical back to life with the wonderful production SHREK in early 2020 and this year’s fantastic run of Mamma Mia at Queen Elizabeth Park.The newest festival on the block, of course, is LUNA, Nocturnal Art and Wonder. This contemporary festival is the brainchild of Miriam Manley, Victoria Strange, Rob Buchanan and Jana Thompson. Produced by Arts Revelstoke, this unique experience/event began in 2017 and has expanded to a three-day happening that includes music and artists talks/studio tours. LUNA has also created a legacy project – Art Alleries, transforming alleys to galleries.
Culture = the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other socialArtsgroup:=thevarious branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance
EVOLUTIONCULTURALREVY
In the following decade, what we now know as Revy.Live Outside (originally “Music in the Plaza” and “Summer Streetfest”) was founded by Vern Enyedy in the summer of 1992 and is a fundamental part of our Revelstoke summer enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. This summer-long event is currently produced by Arts Revelstoke.
Several new organizations were started in the early 2000s. Revelstoke Visual Arts Society turned the old RCMP facility into the thriving public gallery space it is today. A thriving membership, wonderful exhibitions, a woodworking studio, home to the pottery guild and a community garden makes it a major player.
The new millennium saw a positive shift in capacity across the local cultural sector as the Columbia Basin Trust’s Community Initiatives program and the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance (The CBT’s specific cultural funding) funds became available to all the non-profits providing cultural services to the city. This process resulted in good grant writing skills that expanded the opportunities for the eligible cultural non-profits in our community to submit successful grant applications to the various government agencies that fund arts, culture and heritage.
The difference between then and now? Funding and professional development. All our cultural nonprofits now have paid staff who bring knowledge and expertise to their organizations. They’ve helped to create a welcoming environment to the new creatives, the new makers.
The value of the arts as necessary to a healthy community, was most recently highlighted during the pandemic lockdown, when many Canadians utilized online arts programing (courses and live streaming) as a way to connect and find some comfort in the forced isolation created by COVID.
Our new OCP (Official Community Plan) mentions a cultural strategy. Completing this work will allow us to understand the impact of arts and culture and the important role it plays in the quality of life in our mountain town, how it reflects our story.
I would hazard a guess that the cultural sector’s contribution to the local economy is significant.
REVELSTOKE RESIDENT CAROL PALLADINO HAS BEEN A KEY VOLUNTEER ORGANIZER OF THE ARTS SCENE IN REVELSTOKE FOR DECADES, SERVING IN BEHIND-THESCENES ROLES DRIVING FOCUSING ON BUILDING ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND MANAGING FINANCES. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW REVELSTOKE’S ARTS SCENE GOT HERE AND ITS FUTURE POTENTIAL, WE REACHED OUT TO CAROL FOR AN ESSAY EXPLORING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE SCENE IN REVELSTOKE. By Carol Palladino presented at the “old” school was “Chicago” in 2009. In the heritage sector, the Revelstoke Museum, under the curatorial expertise of Cathy English was becoming the top-notch institution it is today. The Railway Museum, created through federal funding in the late ‘80s was gaining traction with visitors and the B.C. Interior Forestry Museum was just beginning operations in 1999.
When Aaron asked me to write this piece on how the Revelstoke cultural scene has evolved to its current iteration, I wondered where should I start? I think the grizzly sculptures by local artists Fran Jenkins and Bill Cameron that were incorporated into the design for Grizzly Plaza in 1986 is where I see a beginning. Revelstoke started a new chapter in our story by using art and design as a way to move out of the debilitating recession of the mid ‘80s.
Delworth: “75% of our clients are women, and they are the ones who instigate booking the flights. The men are terrified.” On the day of this interview, a family of four stands at the booth.
A visit to Revelstoke Mountain Resort, where Revelstoke Paragliding operates, offers a window into the demographic of people who say, Yes!
Peacefully cruising the sky, thousands of feet above the ground, tandem paragliding wings look like butterflies in flight, soaring above Mt. Mackenzie, Mt. Cartier and sometimes beyond.
By Jill Macdonald
Ressy is fired up. Compelled to experience life from a different perspective, she says, “I want to see where I am, not from a helicopter or in a plane. I can’t afford to go to space, so this is great! You don’t have to be young to do these things.” As she sees it, Ressy is being practical. She has arrived at a time in her life when her kids are old enough to take care of themselves and she is determined to live a life of no regrets. The rest of the family is along for the ride. Literally.
If someone offered you the opportunity to fly, would you take it? It’s an interesting question.
For a tandem flight, Revelstoke offers a spectacular view of the river and townsite, as well as one of the longest flight times for guests. Tandem flights started here in 2009. Let’s just say that things have come a long way since then, with credit going to the business owner, Chris Delworth, and Revelstoke Mountain Resort for being able to work together through a myriad of logistical and legal arrangements. Bookings have accelerated and a roster of qualified pilots is on Butterflies.
South America, India, and Colombia all have huge flying communities.” In many of those places, the infrastructure for launches and landings is underwritten by various levels of government. “We are less tolerant of accepting new sports that are inherently risky.”
Photo: Mukunda Lorenzo
How that translates into tandem guests is in the high percentage of family groups and people of South East Asian descent booking flights. Sahill Arora arrives with four of his friends in tow, all students he met in Lethbridge. Sahill convinced
Culturally, in North America, paragliding is still considered a fringe adventure sport. Delworth: “The US has a litigious outlook and in Canada, we are fairly risk-averse, as opposed to Europe, for example, where the sport is widely accepted and embraced as a part of mountain culture.
A LOOK INTO REVELSTOKE’S GROWING PARAGLIDING SCENE REVEALS IT NATURALLY ATTRACTS A DIVERSE DEMOGRAPHIC COVETED BY THE B.C. RURAL RESORT TOURISM INDUSTRY. JILL MACDONALD EXPLORES WHY.
Ressy Gonzales, her husband Jamie Deacon and their two sons, Mykel Gonzales – Deacon and Dawson Deacon. All of them sign up for flights, some more willingly than others. When asked whose idea it was and who was scared, Jamie Deacon answers, “We are not going off script.”
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hand daily during the summer season to handle the demand. So, who are the guests?
Photo: Jill Macdonald
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To quote a local pilot, “Paragliding is the least extreme of extreme sports.” Another pilot said, “It’s the most approachable.” For tandem passengers, this is absolutely true. All that is required is the ability to take a few assertive steps forward on uneven ground to launch and then surrender control during the flight. To borrow from the language of risk assessment professionals, the probability of having an amazing experience is high and the likelihood of having a negative experience is low. Win-win. A few years ago, a group of local gals booked a flight for a birthday celebration. Paragliding was on their bucket list of things yet to do in life. These robust ladies showed up ready to rumble. All of them were in their 80s and Located90s.in northern India, Bir is an international pilot destination, mainly for cross-country flying. Twenty years ago, there was no paragliding scene. Then a few pilots came and from being a novelty, something odd but appealing, the Indian culture embraced the sport and took it further. Tandem flights are a big business. At the local landing field, colourfully dressed women (yes, it’s the same high percentage of female guests there, too), float to the ground and are greeted by their cheering families. Along the side of the field, Buddhist monks sit in chairs taking in the spectacle. The art of life could be a snapshot of that scene: thick, golden light, people and children going about their lives, peaceful and engaged.Arttakes our experience and twists it into something we can approach at our own speed, to interpret and integrate it into our lives as we are willing and able. Not all of it will stick. That’s part of its beauty. The art of living is the ability to embrace the fullness of what life has to offer and inhabit the highlights purposely and fullon, however that looks for each individual. We benefit from curiosity, from trusting the skills of others and from being willing to stretch — like Ressy Gonzales. Her drive to see the world from a new perspective is a portrait of the art of living.
them to come after his trip last year. “I was scared at first, but after the launch, I loved it. I told them all they have to try!” The ride up the mountain on a steep switch-backed road is an adventure, camping is wild, river rafting took their breath away; they are here to experience as many new things as possible.
Riding up Gursajan, Karan, Madhav, Erin and Sahil.
THE REVELSTOKE VISUAL ARTS CENTRE FOSTERS MONTHLY EXHIBITIONS SHOWCASING THE ARTISTIC PASSION OF ARTISTS NATIONWIDE. THE RVAC HOSTS A SLEW OF EVENTS, INCLUDING EXHIBITION OPENING EVENTS TO CELEBRATE ONGOING DISPLAYS, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS. YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS WHAT THE RVAC HAS IN STORE FOR THE FALL. THIS GUIDE WILL HELP YOU THROUGH THE VISUAL ART EVENTS HAPPENING THIS SEASON.
Artists: Brett Mallon (Main Gallery), Delree Dumont, Darian Goldin Stahl, Keely Halward. The exhibition runs from September 15 – October 9.
MALLONBRETT mallon.comwww.bret CELEBRATIONEXHIBITIONOPENING September15th,2022 DUMONTDELREE dumont.comwww.delree GOLDINDARIANSTAHL goldinstahl.comwww.darian
Darian Goldin Stahl is an American printmaker, bookmaker, and health researcher currently based in Kelowna, Canada. Darian holds Canada’s most distinguished postdoctoral appointment, a SSHRC Banting Fellowship, at the University of Northern British Columbia’s Northern Medical Program. Her postdoctoral project, Embodied Books: Binding Together Illness, Art, and Learning, equips intrepid bookmakers with the materials and know-how to communicate their lived experiences of illness and disability to medical learners through their handmade books. Darian graduated with distinction from Concordia University’s Humanities PhD Program in 2021, where she held Canada’s most prestigious graduate award, a SSHRC Vanier Scholarship. Her dissertation, “Book as Body: The MeaningMaking of Artists’ Books in the Health Humanities,” investigates how artists' books can become multi-sensory objects of lived experience on the topics of illness, disability, health, and wellbeing.
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Delree Dumont is a proud member of Onion Lake Cree Nation and has been a full-time artist since 2014. She’s passionate about creating meaningful art, teaching and providing experiences that awaken and inspire our spirit!
VISUAL ARTS FALL GUIDE
Brett Mallon’s work contemplates the psychological processes that bond and alienate us from nature. With this in mind, he often engages with questions surrounding colonialism. More specifically, he looks at the colonial role in abstracting our perceptions in relation to the natural environment.
Lacey Jane is a contemporary artist most notable for her work as a muralist and oil painter. Specializing in narrative portraiture, Wilburn’s work pulses with raw authenticity — intimate glimpses into moments of sincerity and vulnerability dictated by a refined hand and an impulsive one. Wilburn studied Fine Art at the University of Grant MacEwan in Edmonton from 2007-2009 and graduated Concordia University with Great Distinction in 2016 after completing studies abroad at L’Ecole d'Enseignement Supérieur d'art de Bordeaux in France in 2015. In 2010, she formed the urban art duo LALA (Lacey And Layla Art) who have created over 100 murals across Canada, as well as in Honduras, France, Uganda and Iceland. She has participated in over 40 exhibitions since 2009 and was the recipient of the Yves Gaucher Prize in Studio Arts in 2016, the D. L. Stevenson Colour Scholarship for Academic Excellence in 2014, the Francis Henderson Klingle Scholarship for Fine Art, The Barbara and John Poole Family Endowed Fund for the Arts, and the Jason Lang Scholarship for Excellence in 2009.
CELEBRATIONEXHIBITIONOPENING 20th,October2022
LACEYWILDURNJANE
The Revelstoke Visual Arts Society Board of Directors and the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre Executive Director will be meeting and greeting all members in the main gallery, with the AGM starting at 7 p.m. The Society is accepting member nominations for board positions and, if required, will hold a vote at the AGM. If you or someone you think would compliment our current board of directors, then please send in a nomination to: director@revelstokeartgallery.ca
Handstitched Embroidery using Upcycled Fabric. Each of Sayge Fisher’s hoops is hand drawn and stitched from original designs; inspired by the gorgeous unceded traditional territories of the K’òmoks , Nuu-chah-nulth, Tla-O-Qui-Aht, Secwepemc, Ktunaxa, Syilx and Sinixt First Nations in which she was raised. Pieces can be ordered as entirely unique commissions based on personal significant scenery or memorabilia.
The exhibition runs from October 20 – November 20.
Artists: Lacey Jane Wilburn (Main Gallery). Sayge Fisher, Marie Moose, Radhika Bhoite
www.laceyjane.art
FISHERSAYGE @saygefisher HALWARDKEELY halward.comwww.keely GENERALANNUALMEETING September19th,2022@7p.m.
Keely Halward is a Canadian abstract painter living in rural BC, Canada, in the “unincorporated” community of xwesam/ stelkaya, Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast. Her most recent solo exhibition, This Is No Time For A Muted Palette, was painted during the pandemic and was held at The Kube in Gibsons in 2021.
The gallery’s 2022 AGM is coming up, and all members are invited to attend. This will be our first in-person meeting without capacity restrictions since 2019, and we are excited to invite everyone to get to know their fellow members and have their say as a member on how to make our non-profit organization thrive. Not a member? Become one today!
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Influenced heavily by her life spent along coastal shorelines and mountain ranges, Keely’s Mountain Moon series uses layers of washes with vibrant colours to depict round ‘portals’ to alternate landscapes and realities.
40 Guide VISUAL ARTS FALL GUIDE CONTINUED MOOSEMARIE @marie_moose RADHIKABHOITE www.bhoite.art PENNYLANEWEEKENDARTISTSEMINARWITHSHEN 21st-3th,October2022 WORKSHOPS Various Dates WINTERMARKETARTOPENS fromMarketDecember1st,2022runsDecember1st-23rd,2022
More details will be announced closer to the date, so make sure you follow the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre on social media or join the mailing list to find out more! Every December, the RVAC gallery is transformed into Revelstoke’s only month-long market. This market is the perfect opportunity to find local, handmade gifts for your loved ones this holiday season.
Make sure you follow the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre on social media or join the mailing list to stay up to date with upcoming workshops and classes. We offer a range of workshops for all ages, with classes regularly selling out. Don’t miss out!
“I've been very lucky to meet incredible artists who are supporting me and inspiring me to create. I recently joined the Art First Gallery downtown Revy as a full-time partner, and I'm currently working on my first solo show at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre.” Radhika Bhoite is an artist born and raised in India and currently working in the USA. She moved to the USA in 2014 to pursue her lifelong passion for fine art and has been honing her skills since then. Bhoite first trained at art centers in Raleigh, NC, and then with the Studio Art faculty at the College of William & Mary from 2017–2019. In the summer of 2018, she completed the Arbor Vitae Painting Marathon at the New York Studio School (NYSS). Bhoite’s work derives inspiration from memories and experiences of her home country and her new home.
Volunteer Ken Talbot's infamous wood worked reindeer will be making another appearance this year. Whether you collect one a year or gather them all at once, these little reindeer are the locals’ way of decorating the home and supporting the local food bank.
With a huge selection of pottery, prints, jewellery, homewares, toys, and more, there’s a good chance you can find something for everyone at this year's Winter Art Market.
After working as a graphic designer for nearly a decade, Marie Moose stepped away from the computer and started to seek a different way to express creativity and work with her hands. She found a new passion in acrylic painting and farming in beautiful Revelstoke, B.C.
The Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre is proud to announce a weekend Artist Seminar with Vancouver-based art consultant, curator and educator Pennylane Shen. Since 2006, Pennylane’s company Dazed and Confucius has offered one-on-one consultations to over 1000 artists each year in addition to business development seminars to audiences worldwide.
Initiated in early 2021 by the Economic Development Commission of the City of Revelstoke and CSRD Area B sub-committee, the pilot Data Dashboard launched in June 2022. By organizing data from various sources into a single format, the project empowers local organizations and businesses across sectors with access to accurate, timely data; informing economic and social policy decisions at the municipal level.
INCREASING TRANSPARENCY TO EMPOWER INFORMED DECISIONS
REVELSTOKE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION'S DATA DASHBOARD PROVIDES AN EMPIRICAL BIRDS-EYE-VIEW OF THE COMMUNITY IN AN ACCESSIBLE FORMAT
PAINTING A CLEARER PICTURE OF REVELSTOKE
Community Economic Development Data Dashboard co-creators pour over the city’s press release. From left to right: Hayley Johnson, Dylan Hardy and Taha Attiah. To view the Data Dashboard pilot, scan thiscode.QR
The project was inspired by the Squamish Open Data Catalogue.
“Like Squamish, Revelstoke is managing significant change, and accessing accurate data to inform decisions is an ongoing challenge for our municipal leaders, employers, community organizations, residents and prospective investors,” explains Dylan Hardy, Revelstoke Economic Development Commission sub-committee member.
“You can see where the gaps are and fill those gaps,” says Hayley Johnson, the City of Revelstoke’s Tech Strategy Coordinator and one of the contributors to the dashboard. Johnson elaborates that empirical evidence is vital when applying for grant funding from provincial and federal governments.
“This is a new dashboard for the community,” Attiah elaborates. “It’s new for the city to be sharing data openly.” He points to the number of building permits issued by the city from 2019 to 2021, which are clearly explained within the dashboard.
Taha Attiah, Community Development Coordinator for the City of Revelstoke, explains that creating open data-sharing agreements is a vital part of the project.
Having consolidated community data is particularly helpful for social and non-profit organizations, who typically have to apply for grants themselves. Increasing municipal transparency can also build trust among residents.
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An in-depth population analysis provided by Telus data insights is included in the Data Dashboard.
Currently, the dashboard contains business development, transportation, tourism, population, housing and food security data metrics.
Additionally, the Data Dashboard closes information gaps left by federal bodies due to Revelstoke’s “small” population size. According to the Statistics Canada 2021 Census, Revelstoke has a population of 8,275. However, data gathered from Telus puts the city population at approximately 15,000 residents. The Data Dashboard contains Telus’ findings to reflect this discrepancy, also demonstrating how Revelstoke’s population changesPopulationseasonally.datacan have an important effect on city infrastructure and services, as Hardy explains. “When I think of the difference between 10,000 people and 15,000 people… the sewage treatment system or water treatment system that you would want are different,” he adds. Beyond population metrics, the Data Dashboard tackles another contentious issue in Revelstoke: affordability and housing prices. The Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation does not track any data for cities with a population under 10,000. This leaves Revelstoke out of their market analysis.However, the Data Dashboard could help close that gap in the future by displaying average rental housing costs alongside average sale and listing prices data that is currently displayed. “That's really valuable data for understanding the affordability of the community,” Attiah says. While the Data Dashboard is in its pilot stage, it does not have a permanent home on the city website. To find the dashboard, visit the “‘Communications” Tab on the City of Revelstoke home page, then click on “Media Releases,” and find the link through “Community Economic Development launches new pilot DataOr,Dashboard.”scantheQR Code included on this page.
The City of Revelstoke’s Economic Development Commission is consolidating vital statistics for local businesses, organizations and residents into a convenient online format through their newly launched Data Dashboard.
Johnson adds that the dashboard’s accessible format “stops the guessing work and amplification of negative information on social media.”
By providing vital statistics to businesses, organizations and individuals, the Data Dashboard project is helping community members make educated decisions moving forward.
PERFORMING ARTS FALL GUIDE
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LUNA STUDIO is an opportunity for an intimate insight into LUNA artists' inspiration and creative process. LUNA STUDIO has something for every art enthusiast with scheduled talks, workshops and forest walks!
LUNA Festival is three days and nights of art and music. LUNA is the town's leading arts festival, a weekend-long celebration of art and energy in the streets of Revelstoke. The festival will feature live performances, art installations, and combinations of the two that are sure to inform and amaze.
A wild night of music that kicks off LUNA Festival weekend.
ARTS REVELSTOKE IS THE PULSE OF ARTISTIC EVENTS IN TOWN AND HAS AN ENGAGING LINE-UP OF FALL EVENTS THAT APPEAL TO ART ENTHUSIASTS ACROSS ALL GENRES. YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THESE ARTISTS AS THEY PERFORM AND DISPLAY ART VISUALLY, MUSICALLY, AND THEATRICALLY. THIS GUIDE WILL HELP YOU THROUGH THE FALL'S ACTION-PACKED SELECTION OF EVENTS.
FESTIVALLUNA September23-25,2022 LUNA SOUND SeptemberFriday,23,2022 LUNA ARTS SeptemberSaturday,24,2022 LUNA STUDIO SeptemberSunday,25,2022
LUNA SOUND features hip hop, blues, punk rock, RnB, EDM and everything in between, with 10 bands across four stages. Watch as the streets of Revelstoke become living art galleries during LUNA ARTS. A mind-blowing extravaganza of installation art, interactive performances and Art Allery discoveries spread across Revelstoke's downtown core.
43 ANDPHARISJASONROMERO Thursday,October13,2022 THE CAVE BY JOHN MILLARD AND TH'OWXIYAHIGHWAYTOMSONSaturday,October22,2022BYAXISTHEATRESaturday,November5,2022RIDGEBYBRENDANMCLEODSunday,November13,2022
Often called the "battle that made Canada," Vimy Ridge resulted in over 10,000 Canadian casualties. Through direct storytelling, verbatim theatre, and live music, Brendan McLeod examines misconceptions and varying perspectives around the battle while drawing parallels to other formative events in our nation's past.
NovemberBEGONIAThursday,17,2022 Begonia's Alexa Dirks has never been able to fit into the box of being a "conventional woman." "I'm loud, awkward, and I've always taken up space. I've done things my whole life that some people would tell me weren't appropriate 'for a girl.’" That narrative that once tore Dirks down is now what empowers her to take charge of her own story in her way. The Winnipeg-based Dirks is a Juno Award winner with her former group Chic Gamine. As Begonia, Dirks is bold and brazen with her florid, surprising pop tempered with sensitivity and wisdom. Dirks' first solo output with her 2017 debut EP, Lady in Mind, was well-received, being listed on NPR's 10 Artists You Need To Know in 2017 and "Juniper" reached #1 on the CBC Music Charts in 2017.
The Cave is a new cabaret event and music theatre piece by renowned Canadian artists John Millard (composer), Tomson Highway (lyricist), and Martha Ross (book). It is their distinctive and imaginative response to our planet's precarious survival. As the forest fire rapidly encroaches, Moose, Beaver, Skunk, Snake, Wolf, Crow and Fox seek safety in Bear's cave, a theatrical world that is a part cave, part nightclub. The animals take solace in unlikely companions as they face their growing anxiety together by sharing stories and pondering the reckless human activity that has destroyed their homes. The Cave is the company's way of telling the story of the earth's precarious survival.
Pharis and Jason Romero started together playing mostly traditional music — banjo, guitar, and sometimes fiddle. The folk artists hail from Horsefly B.C., where they write music, sing, build beautiful banjos, and raise two adventurous children. They've moved their original songwriting and nuanced singing to the forefront of their performances, and audiences love their songs, sound, and illusionlike ability to be two people while singing like one. Their newest record, Tell 'Em You Were Gold, is a banjo-focused release on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. It's a sonic journey through the tones of seven of Jason's hand-built banjos, original songs and traditional tunes, half stripped-down duo songs and half soundscapes made with fiddle, mandolin, bass and pedal steel.
Ridge probes difficult yet necessary questions about how and why we grieve, featuring inventive musical interpretations of WWI soldier songs. Ridge is a visceral work that passionately argues against the exploitation of young lives, a vivid, kinetic ride through history and an intimate, personal examination of our connection to the past. Ridge premiered at the Chan Centre in Vancouver in March 2020.
Immerse yourself in the legend of the basket ogress, Th'owxiya, an old hungry spirit inhabiting a feast dish full of delicious foods. This Kwantlen First Nations tale follows a sly Mouse (Kw'at'el) who is caught stealing cheese from this feast dish. To appease an angry Th'owxiya, Kw'at'el embarks on a journey to find two children for the ogress to eat, or else! Enjoy the traditional Coast Salish and Sto:lo music, masks, and imagery while learning how Raven (Sqeweqs), Bear (Spa:th), and Sasquatch (Sasq'ets) trick a hungry spirit and save Kw'at'el and their family from becoming the feast!
Lake Circus is a CircusWest reimagining Tchaikovsky's timeless love story blending circus, dance, and romance. Under a magician's spell, a lovely princess must spend her days as a swan swimming in a lake of tears and her nights in her beautiful human form. Her suitor, a Prince, immediately falls in love but struggles to deal with her plight. Swan Lake Circus is realized through compelling ground circus acts, including contortion, acrobatics, and magical object manipulations. The show takes flight with aerial silks, dance trapeze and ariel bungee as the Swan Princess edges towards her freedom from the spell and a new life with her Prince. Swan Lake Circus is 75 minutes, family-friendly and a great way to kick off the holiday season!
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SWAN DAMELAHAMIDCIRCUSCIRCUSLAKEBYWEST,Saturday,December10th,2022MINÎWIN,DANCERSOFSaturday,November26th,2022 PERFORMING ARTS FALL GUIDE CONTINUED UPSALEBLOWOUTSUMMERTO50%OFF 30% OFF ARCT'TERYX 40% OFF PICTURE & MARMOT *WHILE QUANTITIES LAST
Mînowin is a new multimedia dance work that integrates narrative, movement, song, performance, and multimedia design, connecting to landscapes from contemporary perspectives of customary Indigenous dance forms. Mînowin describes how we clarify direction as we recover and reinterpret the teachings that define and redefine who we are and are accessed through story, dance, and Swansong.
ISABEL COURSIER: A PROJECTLEGACY THE LUNA LEGACY PROJECT'S LIFE-SIZE BRONZE STATUE OF ISABEL COURSIER WILL BE IN THE HEART OF REVELSTOKE THIS FALL, COMMEMORATING 100 YEARS SINCE HER RECORD JUMP IN 1922.
Photo: Revelstoke Museum and Archives
Revelstoke boasted a world-class ski jump that attracted competitors from around the world for international competitions. Coursier set the women’s world record at age 16 in 1922, jumping 84 feet. She retired from ski jumping in 1929 with her world record uncontested.
Revelstoke’s big jump, now the historic Nels Nelsen Ski Jump attraction in Mount Revelstoke National Park, was notorious for several world record jumps. Manley says the statue project has unearthed a narrative beyond commemorating Coursier’s legacy. “It really tells a story around women's history, a fight for equality, and women in sport,” she says. “There's a whole story there. So, it's really a sculpture about Revelstoke’s history, but also about gender equality and women in sport.”Thestory Manley speaks of began with Zoya Lynch, a former Canadian National Team ski jumper who took the International Olympic Committee to court for the right for women to jump in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Lynch lives in Revelstoke. Her exhausting battle for equality in the sport of ski jumping drove her to explore the impact of Isabel Coursier’s legacy alongside her own experience — how little change has occurred over such a long period of time.
The installation of Coursier’s statue intends to empower strong female skiers in the community by combining an important part of Revelstoke's history, ski jumping, with a deeper conversation of equality in sports, says Miriam Manley, Executive Director of Arts Revelstoke.“Webegan thinking how cool it would be to have this female skier icon who also represents ski jumping, which is so important to Revelstoke, in the heart of Revelstoke, with a permanent monument,” Manley says.
By Nora Hughes
WORLD
The statue will be modelled after this photo of Coursier holding her skis in front of her.
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A life-size statue of the first female ski jump world champion, Isabel Coursier, will be unveiled this fall, 100 years after her historic jump. Arts Revelstoke is responsible for the project that began a year and a half ago and has since unearthed an epic story around a young girl paving the way for women’s ski jumping in Revelstoke.
The bronze statue's unveiling will take place at this year's 2022 Luna Festival in September as part of the Luna Legacy Project — the festival’s theme is aptly flight. The Legacy Project has received funding from Canadian Heritage and local support, including funds from the CoursierRevelstoke’sFamily.Isabel Coursier, the first female world champion ski jumper, was active in the 1920s, a time when ski jumping was one of the more popular forms of skiing.
“After leaving the gender discriminatory world of ski jumping, Revelstoke felt like a breath of fresh air. Wherever I went, I would meet powerful, talented, and highly skilled mountain women,” Lynch said in an Arts Revelstoke brief. “It seemed like Isabel unknowingly created a culture of respect and equal opportunity for women in Revelstoke. Maybe she didn’t just ‘blaze a trail’ for female ski jumpers, but she actually inspired a movement of gender equality throughout the whole town.”Manley says Cathy English, Curator at the Revelstoke Museum and Archives, found that world champion ski jumper Nels Nelsen refused to train Couriser because she was a woman. Manley tells the mountaineer that the idea for the statue was born out of Lynch’s narrative — that a community of strong female athletes deserve more recognition and progress than what has been achieved today. The statue will be the first of its kind in Revelstoke and B.C., commemorating a female skier.
Coursier is known as an icon and a trailblazer in the sport and receives far less attention representing the sport than her male counterparts such as Nels Nelsen, Arts Revelstoke says. They hope the statue will be a part of changing that.
Arts Revelstoke commissioned Canadian artist Ruth Abernathy to create the statue. Manley says the artist has never done a full-size bronze female sculpture, only male. However, Abernathy intends to portray Coursier’s true likeness and make the statue accessible to everyone.
Arts Revelstoke says the project celebrates Coursier’s achievement, but also shines a light on the inequality in the sport of ski jumping. “Astonishingly, it took 92 years from Isabel’s trail blazing jump, before women’s ski jumping was included in the Olympics,” Arts Revelstoke writes in a news brief. “Even today, in the 21st Century, female ski jumpers are not allowed to compete on the Olympic 80m ‘big jump’, despite generations of female athletes fighting for this right.”
UNVEILED
This is the second Dark Horse invitational to be hosted in Revelstoke.
LTHE DARK HORSE INVITATIONAL FEATURES SOME OF THE WORLD’S BEST FEMALE FREERIDE ATHLETES.
Colour the Trails, Tourism Revelstoke, and Revelstoke Mountain Resort are partnering to host a summit celebrating winter pursuits and gathering BIPOC adventurer seekers. The first annual Colour the Slopes Summit is a four-day event from December 8–11, 2022.
“My vision is to create a women’s freeride event that is welcoming, inclusive and focused on progression,” said Casey Brown. “I’ve had a dream to build a proper jump line for a while. I’m happy that this event has become an annual celebration for women on bikes and has put a spotlight on women’s freeriding.”
REVELSTOKE TO HOST COLOUR THE SLOPES SUMMIT FOR ADVENTURERSBIPOC
46 OUTDOORS BRIEFS THE DARK HORSE INVITATIONAL RETURNS TO REVELSTOKESEPTEMBERIN
Casey Brown founded the event and launched the inaugural competition in August of 2021, featuring 12 professional female mountain bike riders. This year, Casey Brown will host 20 invitation-only riders.
Colour the Trails is an organization that advocates for inclusive representation in outdoor spaces and works with businesses to break barriers to adventure activities, creating accessibility. Their message of inclusion and representation in outdoor spaces is something that Tourism Revelstoke says it wholeheartedly embraces.
Revelstoke Mountain Resort, professional mountain-biker Casey Brown, and Jigsaw Event Services have joined forces to bring the 2022 Dark Horse Invitational back to Revelstoke on September 21–24. The event is a women’s only freeride mountain bike competition. The Dark Horse Invitational features some of the world’s best female freeride athletes.
By Nora Hughes
Dark
The resort welcomes spectators to the Big Air Sesh on Saturday September 24 from 1–4 p.m. Spectators can also join Casey and the athletes by attending the award ceremony in the Rockford Plaza at 5 p.m.
The event sponsors aim to create and bolster community; participants will be able to come together to try a new sport, hone their skills, and get to know Revelstoke. Tourism Revelstoke and other event hosts hope to sponsor this event annually.
At this time, the event invites Black, Indigenous, and people(s) of colour to register, but it will be opened up to other people if spots are available. To register, head to: colourthetrails.com/product/colour-the-slopessummit-2022.
By Nora Hughes
The Dark Horse Invitational is sponsored by Trek BicycleCorporation, Five Ten, Redbull, Swatch, Bell Helmets, Mons Royale, Hydro Flask, The SuttonPlace Hotel, Rockford Grill, and The Regent Hotel and community partners; Keystone Health, Save-On-Foods, Stoke Roasted Coffee Co., and Wandering Wheels.
PARTICIPANTS IN COLOUR THE SLOPES WILL GATHER TO COLLECTIVELY PURSUE ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES IN REVELSTOKE, INCLUDING SKIING, SNOWBOARDING, SNOWSHOEING, SNOWMOBILING, NORDIC SKIING, AND SKI TOURING.
Drop in with the Horse Invitational Colour the Trails XC skiing. Photo: Colour the Trails
A media release from Revelstoke Mountain resort describes the invitational as designed to be inclusive, foster progression and push limits. Participants will arrive mid-week to ride the course, get comfortable with the lines, and push their riding to the next level. Over the course of the week, athletes will be judged amongst their fellow riders to determine who deserves the Dark Horse title.
Participants will gather to collectively pursue adventure activities in Revelstoke, including skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, Nordic skiing, and ski touring. The evenings will include a film night, apres with a special guest speaker, and a gala featuring dinner, music, and dancing.Thesummit is the brainchild of Colour the Trails founder Judith Kasiama, who wanted to create a safe space for BIPOC to come and spend time on the slopes as a community, Tourism Revelstoke said in an event media release.
REVELSTOKE BIKEFEST BRINGS THREE BIKE RACES TO TOWN
By Nora Hughes As warm weather wanes, the thought of fall biking becomes something to look forward to. The Revelstoke Bikefest is a family-friendly event celebrating the joy of riding bikes. Over the weekend of September 9–11, there are three different bike races, the Revelstoke Women’s Enduro, Mt. Revelstoke Steamer and the Revy 50. The action-packed weekend kicks off on Friday, September 9 with Bikefest expo presenting bike products, demos, samples, and ideas. Friday’s event will also include a the Mini Bike Showdown at 2 p.m., a fun-filled kid’s event involving bike skills. A BBQ served by Chubby Funsters to celebrate the festivities will happen at 3 p.m. And a Mega Bike Showdown where adults can show off their bike skills at 5 p.m. with prizes and awards to follow at 8 p.m.On Saturday, the Revelstoke Women’s Enduro goes down. This year, the event presented by Juliana Bicycles, has sold out, and the waitlist is full. The enduro race is a mountain biking event on Saturday, September 10. Riders will bike a minimum of 25 kilometres and a mix of intermediate and advanced trails. Each September, the mountain bike race brings together approximately 150 women to ride and race. Sunday, September 11 brings two action-filled bike events, the Revy 50 and Mt. Revelstoke Steamer. The Revy 50 will start in downtown Revelstoke and head to Mt. Macpherson trail network for 50 kilometres of single-track and timed descents. The Revy 50 website says the race is for anyone who likes riding their bike. The Mt. Revelstoke Steamer hill climb is a road race cycling event on Sunday with 1400 metres of climbing over a 25 kilometre course that follow the Meadows in the Sky Parkway in Mount Revelstoke National Park.
Szanto 250 837 8511 | www.velocityplumbing.ca | Furnaces.velocityplumber@gmail.comWaterHeaters.Boilers. The art and science of living WELL Interior Design & Architecture welldesigns.ca | @well_interiordesignandstudio Local. Independent. Get in the magazine: info@revelstokemountaineer.com
THE WEEKEND OF SEPTEMBER 9–11 CELEBRATES BIKING WITH THE REVELSTOKE BIKEFEST AND THREE ACTION-PACKED BIKE RACES THAT ARE SURE TO INCLUDE ALL CYCLE LOVERS.
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Photo: Laura
AKA:M.MarquieMurphyMoo
How do we define art? Our visions may differ throughout our own personal experiences. In Revelstoke I see arts expressed through physical activities, shared stories of travel, visual arts in the streets, but most of all the dynamic music scene which brings all flavors of life into one moment. Tasty! I am grateful for my experience through volunteerism with Stoke FM 92.5. I've had a unique insight into the art in communication and caring for our community. We are so lucky to be in Revelstoke, which is a town that offers a connection between multifaceted individuals, all of which leave an imprint on locals and transients alike. The future of Art in Revelstoke has so much potential! We have all had a moment to sit with ourselves and family during the Covid-19 pandemic, and I'm thrilled to see what we came up with. We missed routines, programs, emotional outlets, and freedoms from both spectrums of our viewpoints. This shared experience has allowed us to dive deep through introspection, and I've heard some extraordinary ideas! My biggest vision for arts in Revelstoke is to swing back into togetherness with our family, neighbors, friends and the city. I envision an expansion in all forms of art through workshops and broadcasting video & radio, so we can share our collective expressions with neighboring communities. Art in the word means so much to me, but art through self-exploration and leadership development is where I envision Revelstoke headed. There are so many resources in place, it's astonishing the opportunities that are here…. already…like, right now! All you have to do is to be curious and reach out. But hey, this is just my vision. What's yours?
PorathMeghan
48 ARTS &
This incredible mountain town is world renowned for its big mountain adventure but my envision for its future is for us to be known just as well for our thriving artistic community. In the coming years I foresee more permanent art infrastructure throughout our community. I would love to see (and help facilitate) more creative opportunities for kids, teens, adults and families to discover and play in new mediums of art. I see multiple collaborations in our future between artists, communities and organizations. I see an influx of out-of-town artists looking to move here for the opportunities we can provide. I see local artists being seen by a broader audience and an arts community that is picking up momentum, producing unique to Revelstoke art. Revelstoke has such a thriving arts community already that has been developed over time by the dedication of so many artists, community members, volunteers and organizations and I am beyond honoured to do my part in increasing the visibility and opportunities for our artists in the future.
By Aaron Orlando
Executive Director at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre, and Freelance Graphic Designer
WHETHER IT’S PERFORMING ARTS, VISUAL ARTS, MUSIC OR COMMERCIAL ARTS, REVELSTOKE’S DIVERSE ARTS SCENE IS GROWING IN MANY WAYS. TO GET A TASTE OF WHAT’S TO COME FOR THE REVELSTOKE ARTS, WE REACHED OUT TO SIX ARTS LEADERS IN THE COMMUNITY WITH ONE QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU ENVISION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE REVELSTOKE ARTS SCENE IN THE COMING YEARS? HERE ARE THEIR THOUGHTS.
President of Stoke FM, Luna Sound Coordinator 2022.
ARTSCULTUREREVELSTOKEHORIZON
Managing Artistic Director, Flying Arrow Productions
BuchananRob Professional Artist; LUNA/Art Alleries Director
SeabrookLayne Society president
We already have world-class, amazing artists who live here and who visit. This will continue to grow and become more diverse through Indigenous cultures being celebrated, difficult realities being addressed and artists from around the world telling their stories here. I hope all our children will see themselves and their cultures and identities represented in the art scene in Revelstoke and will also learn about wonderful new worlds to explore.
Revelstoke is poised to become a regional, provincial and - dare dream itinternational arts and culture destination. All the ingredients are here: talented, passionate, innovative creators, a welcoming and collaborative vibe among new and established artists, and an enthusiastic audience with a healthy purchasing power. As the arts and culture scene evolves, it has the potential to develop into an entirely new economic sector for Revelstoke which runs parallel with our outdoor recreation tourism offer. Every year, more creative individuals, working in mediums as diverse as glassblowing, blacksmithing, projection mapping, performance, animation, assemblage, installation and street art, find and make Revelstoke home. It is a wildly exciting time for the arts in Revy!
Indigenous Education SD 19, Indigenois Friendship Society of Revelstoke and Indigenous Liaison Arts Revelstoke
49
Anita Hallewas MA, PhD
My first memories of Revelstoke are the Portuguese men singing on the street corner. Other than that, music was almost non-existent in 2000, the year I founded the Revelstoke Mountain Beats and Blues Festival. The lack of attendees and volunteers made it a challenge. Working with a small budget of my own, I just went for it. I was lucky to have an amazing group of friends that jumped in to help. After that it took off and was well attended for its 12-year life span. Music is what made the Woolsey bistro successful back in the day. The very first week I was open a band came in and asked if they could play for food and gas money. It was the best night and from then on, I had live music flowing through. Since then live music has increased exponentially. Businesses see it as an essential part of their marketing and the City has embraced it. We the residents need it. It's our connection to this community. So to answer the question “ where do I envision for the future of the Revelstoke arts sene?”. I see a large scale music fest. Something that puts Revelstoke on the map for music and the arts. Showcasing the amazing talent that lives in our community.
I believe the future for the arts in Revelstoke is only limited by our imaginations. It is my hope the appetite for theatre in Revelstoke continues to grow with the offer of consistent year-round opportunities so community members of all ages can actively participate in and view high-quality and entertaining theatre. A vital aspect of this is that these productions are locally produced. In the past decade the bulk of the theatre our community has had access to has been brought in from other communities, with locally-accessed funding invested into those productions. Yet, there is an abundance of talent in our vibrant community and it is vital we place more value on locally-produced performing arts. I also see exciting opportunities for locally-produced professional theatre — perhaps in unique and interesting spaces to celebrate our beautiful town - which would attract more performing artists to Revelstoke either seasonally or as year-round residents. For these goals to be successful we need continued and increased funding, particularly from tourism and the City of Revelstoke which would acknowledge the value of locally-produced, highquality theatre and the value it brings to the Revelstoke community.
MooreLisa
50 SCHOOL OF SKATESCHOOL OF SKATESCHOOL OF SKATESCHOOL OF SKATE REVELSTOKE IS HOME TO A UNIQUE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS DEDICATED TO SKATEBOARDING, THE FIRST IN B.C. By Aaron Orlando Photos: Top: The Skateboarding class at Kovach Park Skatepark. Left: RSS Skateboarding teacher Jeff Colvin. Photo: Aaron Orlando. Bottom: An RSS student at the park, photo by student Aedan Freeburg-Hickie. Opposite: A student ollies over Revelstoke School District Superintendent Mike Hooker. Photo: Aedan Freeburg-Hickie
51 It’s a late spring school-day and Revelstoke Secondary School students are at Kovach Park shredding up the new skatepark, part of the first-of-its-kind for B.C. post-secondary Skateboarding class launched last year. Revelstoke Secondary (RSS) teacher Jeff Colvin developed the course and is there at the park supervising over 20 students riding around the park, one of two different classes to skate down from the high school for a skatepark session that day. The students skateboard ability varies, from wobbly beginners to students with a few years of skatepark experience. Some are working on landing their first grind, while others are working towards a flip out of a slide. In the bowl, some are still working up the nerve to drop in, while others are adding to their bag of lip tricks. With a wide variety of levels of skateboard ability in a one-off elective, Colvin said figuring out grading was a consideration. “Doing a kickflip doesn’t get you an A,” Colvin jokes. “It’s mostly about their progression.” Just like PE class, being the best at the sport isn’t the sole determiner of your grade. The class has an off-board component that includes projects students work on in rainy days. Each student develops and creates an independent study project that comes under the theme umbrella of skateboarding, but are quite wide open in their scope. In the spring, students worked on a diverse independent study projects. One was developing a brand marketing proposal. Another was creating rings from recycled skateboard decks. A student was creating a skateboard magazine. Others were accessing the wood shop to build skateboards and to build quarter-pipes. The Skateboarding class went through the same development process any extra-curricular class does. It proposed and developed, and the outline was reviewed and approved by the school district’s board of education.
Colvin said he got great support from the community to make the class affordable for students. For example, local shop Society Snow & Skate sourced affordable complete skateboard setups and helmets — which are mandatory for the class — offering them both at cost. Colvin says it’s been an experience developing a brand-new curriculum for skateboarding in B.C. and a learning process for himself as well. He says he takes inspiration from skateboarding itself, a sport where learning something new often means failing on hundreds of attempts before you stick the landing. “I just don’t think there is a lot of people who fall over and over again and keep trying,” Colvin said. “I’m still trying to figure out how to do this thing.”
“An career”incredible
WHEN I FIRST SAT DOWN WITH SIMON, I THOUGHT I WOULD HEAR A STORY ABOUT A LOCAL DJ WITH A COOL AND CONTRASTING DAY JOB. I PICTURED THE MAGAZINE SPREAD FEATURING A BLOWN-UP IMAGE; TWO PORTRAITS MERGED, ONE HALF OF SIMON IN HIS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT FUSED WITH HIS OTHER HALF AS A DJ AND PRODUCER. THE STORY DIDN’T GO THE WAY I EXPECTED. IN FACT, SIMON’S STORY IS AN EXAMPLE OF EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED AND MAKING THE MOST OF THE SITUATION.
52 FEATURE 52 FEATURE DAY& NIGHT OF A DJ
When I first sat down with Simon, I thought I would hear a story about a local DJ with a cool and contrasting day job. I pictured the magazine spread featuring a blown-up image; two portraits merged, one half of Simon in his emergency management environment fused with his other half as a DJ and producer. The story didn’t go the way I expected. In fact, Simon’s story is an example of expecting the unexpected and making the most of the situation.Simon’s father was an emergency doctor. “I got first aid manuals in my stocking at Christmas,” he tells me, laughing. “He’s definitely had a huge influence on me, and he was really accomplished in his medical career. So, I realized early on that it really turns my crank to help people. And there are all different ways that you can help people.”Ina25-year emergency management career with the federal government, Simon deduced that his interests and values didn’t always align with his employers. “I had the most incredible career,” he says, telling me about the extensive training worth millions of dollars he received through his work. In 2010, Simon took a senior role in emergency coordination with the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. “[It] was the largest assemblage of emergency management in all of Canada’s history. It was like 20,000 people,” he says. “I worked in the Regional Emergency Operation Centre that oversaw all six municipalities that contain the Olympics. So we looked after everyone; we looked after two million people during the Olympics.”“Sojustlike an incredible career, but then all these new things came into my life, and I just saw that my beliefs and values didn’t align.” The unexpected Simon’s wife, Pauline Hunt, passed away in the summer of 2021, 10 years after being diagnosed with ALS, a terminal neurological illness. “See, that illness runs its full course in three to five years,” he tells me. “We ended up getting 10, which is incredible.”Simontells me about how they met, the house they bought, the two kids they raised, and the ways the community banded together to support his family after Pauline’s diagnosis. “We’re the kind of people who make the best out of the situation,” he says. Friends, family, and community members fundraised to send the family on a trip worldwide. As Pauline’s illness progressed, the community came back and fundraised to renovate the Hunts’ home, making it wheelchair accessible so the family could staySimontogether.says a big part of the why — the answer to my initial question — he attributes to his wife. In 2017 when a friend and event organizer at Shambhala invited them to the festival, they went. “The music just absolutely blew my mind,” he says. “And I was like, I want to do that.” That was where it all started for Simon. Shambhala showed him the music, and his career prepared him — a crossover that would change his career trajectory. Simon had been monitoring the weather
At the beginning of our conversation, emergency management professional Simon Hunt fielded my first question expertly. I asked him to tell me about his career; a vague question, I’ll admit. “What I’m going to get to is the why,” he says. The answer to how the hell he ended up saving a music festival and securing a job as Public Safety Coordinator for Shambhala Music Festival. A fire roughly 350 hectares in size, responsible for 39 evacuation orders to properties nearby, loomed dangerously close to Shambhala in 2017, threatening to end the iconic music festival early and result in financial disaster for the organizers. The festival was under evacuation alert and planned to cancel the last day of festivities due to safety concerns. The shock was illustrated through multiple news headlines, and Shambhala issued a public safety announcement to guests: “Due to the McCormick Creek wildfire and after consulting with the local government Shambhala Music Festival Ltd. has decided to issue an early closure this year.” According to a CBC article published, an estimated $500,000 in revenue would be lost by ending the festival early. Simon attended Shambhala in 2017. The fire was an opportunity for two parts of Simon’s previously separate worlds to collide. Shambhala provided a juxtaposition of Simon’s professional and recreational worlds. At the time, he was a Federal Government employee working for Parks Canada as a park warden. “I’m a forest fire expert,” he says, recounting the event. “And the festival was threatened by a wildfire.”
By Nora Hughes
endorphins.”Heexplains
5353 as a fire expert all summer for Parks Canada and knew there was rain in the forecast. “I told [the festival organizers and owner] to delay their decision to end the festival by 12 hours; I’m pretty sure it’s going to rain,” he says. The organizers retracted the decision to evacuate, and sure enough, it rained. “That saved the festival,” He says. The experience profoundly impacted him and opened doors. “I took the role as their first public safety coordinator. I am the first of my kind for the entire event industry,” he says proudly. Shambhala is forward-thinking when it comes to harm reduction. Simon oversees six programs and a team of over 1,000 staff and volunteers. Simon says he took the festival’s six existing programs, medical, harm reduction, security, fire rescue, traffic control, parking, and health and safety, bringing them together to work collaboratively. The beginning of SiFi As Simon’s wife’s illness progressed and she became less active, Simon stayed closer to home. “I was closer and closer to home, which gave me the space [to] realize early on that I want to use [music] to play a larger part of my life,” he says. His first event was shortly after Shambhala, at Revelstoke’s 2017 LUNA Arts Festival. Simon was a DJ at the after-party. “The response I got inspired me so much that I decided to go professional,” he says.And so SiFi Beats, Simon’s performing persona, was born. As a professional drummer for over 30 years, SiFi’s specialty is house music. “I like to see people absolutely lose their inhibitions on the dance floor,” he says. “I like to have a lot of bass, and it's just vibrating you from the inside out and just that DJs mix other people’s music, and one of his goals is to produce music. After Pauline passed away, Simon discovered a gift she had left for him. She sent Simon to a music production school, supporting his dreams even after she’d gone. “It’s called Cosmic Academy,” he says with emotion in his voice. “It’s an artist development program.”
Simon says he’s at a place in his life where anything could happen. He’s creating music to progress his DJ career and dreams of performing at Shambhala. He says he’ll apply to record labels after he has an arsenal of good music. Simon continues to work for the Shambhala music festival as their Public Safety Coordinator. In addition, Simon does emergency management consulting under Spark Solutions Ltd. He will serve as the Safety Coordinator for the 2022 LUNA Arts Festival in September. In November, Simon will start a master’s program in Disaster Emergency Management. “I’m gonna be a master of disaster,” he remarks comically. With this education under his belt, he hopes to fill a gap in the events industry. “I would like to be able to create a safety coordination role for the entire event industry for all events across Canada,” he tells me. He wants to use all his knowledge from his government career to create a role intertwined with a scene he loves so “Imuch.don't know what that's going to be quite yet,” he says. “But here I am, getting another crack at life, a whole new life.” For Simon, it’s not black and white. His work overlaps in unexpected ways. He refers to his work as parallel lives — both sides define his pioneering ambitions for the future.
Pioneering passion Simon fulfilled his dream of producing music with an unexpected deeper connection. Simon will perform original music at this year’s Woodstoke festival in Revelstoke on September 3, 2022. He’s performing with Amy Stenner, a professional singer and one of his wife’s caregivers. He describes the beautiful coincidence, “She’s like family, and there’s so much synergy between us.”
Simon says the gift was a beautiful gesture that not only taught him how to make music but also sign records, promote himself, and become part of a collective. It created a community for him to utilize. “At [Shambhala] this year, five of my colleagues are performing,” he says with a smile.
A: Bookkeeper, dance and yoga instructor, currently completing a master's degree in counselling psychology Q: Your sound in one word?
KITCHENSINK
A: Vibrant Q: What’s Revelstoke’s DJ scene like? A: The scene in Revy is unique and filled with talent across multiple genres. Revelstoke is there for a good time and good music; what else could you want? I love being a part of it.
BUNNY HOPS
DOLLA HILZ
Q: Day job? A: Sales Rep at CMH Heli-Skiing Q: Your sound in one word?
A: BASS!!! Group Research Project is changing the scene in Revelstoke. These guys create safe and non-judgmental environments that expose you to the best underground bass music. UP AND COMING, BABY!!
Q: Day job?
54 Feature THE DOWNBEAT REVELSTOKE’SONDJSCENE
KITCHENSINK, a Revy resident and founding member of Group Research Project, is passionate about developing Revelstoke’s DJ scene. That’s why he’s proud to have played a slot at Group Research Project’s Canada Day festival titled “Rave Eh!” He says he’s also proud of an opportunity he took to play at Renegade Stage during Shambhala 2022.
A: Vibez Q: What’s Revelstoke’s DJ scene like?
Name during the day: Hilary Links: Genres:djdollahilz@gamil.com,@dollahilz,soundcloud/dollahilReggae/Dancehall,HipHop,WestCoastBass
Dolla Hilz lives in Revelstoke and is an active member in the DJ community, frequently hosting her own show and appearing at events all over town. While she says she hasn’t played any big shows or festivals (yet), she’s most proud of a show she threw in April 2022 called Thiiic Stacks.
A: The scene in Revelstoke is grassroots, authentic, inclusive, supportive and expanding.
FEATURE
Q: Day job? A: Landscaper, arty planner, fun haver Q: Your sound in one word?
A: Bassface Q: What’s Revelstoke’s DJ scene like?
Bunny Hops lives in Banff but has been playing in Revelstoke on a semi-regular basis. In terms of the show she’s most proud of performing at, she says the answer changes all the time, but that she was hyped to be a part of Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s end-of-season party.
Name during the day: Nick Links: Dubstep,Genres:@kitchensinkdjBassHouse,ExperimentalBass
Name during the day: Alex Hopkins Links: Genres:a.hopkins@live.ca@alexhopssAllgenresofhouse,disco,andfunk
A: Salesperson Q: Your sound in one word?
By Nora Hughes
LEARN ABOUT ONE OF THE STAPLES IN REVELSTOKE’S DIVERSE MUSIC SCENE, UNDERGROUND DJS AND PRODUCERS.
From event venues to bars to parties in the woods, Revelstoke’s DJ scene is as iconic as its mountain culture. Under the influence of sick beats, good vibes, and flashing lights, it may be hard to tell who your dance doctor is during the day. Maybe they're your neighbour, boss, or the co-owner of your favourite bookstore. We connected with some of Revelstoke’s sound mixers to gain insight into the day and night of a DJ.
JUDGE JUICY
Q: Day job?
Links: Keep your ears to the ground. We tend to pop up Genres:unannounced.somewhatHouse,TechHouse&Disco
Revelstoke dads and DJs Wex and Dex say their performances can be described as live audio art shows, combining lighting, custom visuals, and four-deck DJing live from the booth. The pair came together as a DJ duo in December 2019 and says that since coming together, every show has been their favourite.
A: Technotronic-Bass-Funked-Disco Q: What’s Revelstoke’s DJ scene like?
BUNNY.PANCAKE
Name during the day: Justin Links: @its.judge.juicy Genres: Tech House & Bass House Member of Group Research Project and Revy resident Judge Juicy says the DJ scene in Revelstoke is for everyone. He’s proud to have played at Group Research Project’s “Rave Eh!” festival in July 2022.
A: Juicy Q: What’s Revelstoke’s DJ scene like?
Name during the day: Simon Dex and Declan Saville (Dexville)
Q: Your sound in one word:
A: It's building momentum. The DJ scene in Revelstoke has certainly grown over the last five years.
Bunny Pancake calls Revelstoke home and is excited by the variety of music and people mixing the music. You may recognize her from a show she was proud to play in March 2022 at Traverse.
Q: Day job? A: I am a Translator Q: Your sound in one word? A: Fierce Q: What’s Revelstoke’s DJ scene like?
WEX&DEX
A: There is a great variety of excellent DJs in town - and they are all wonderful humans!
A: The Revelstoke scene is fun, inclusive, and welcoming to anyone who plays or enjoys electronic music. Whether it's in the bar, the park, or an undisclosed location in the woods, you're going to find some talented people playing something you are going to love.
A: Full-time Dads is our mainstay.
Name during the day: Links:Facebook:mariepierruest@gmail.com,Marie-PierRuest,@marieruest.Genres:Techno,TechHouseandAfro
55Feature
Q: Day Job?
56 Feature
ONORAY Name during the day: Alex Rouleau Links: Genres:alexandre.r@illusionfestival.com@alx.rouleau,Techno,Minimal,Psytech
Q: Day job? A: Freelance graphic designer / Event producer Q: Your sound in one word? A: Restless Q: What’s Revelstoke’s DJ scene like? A: Still a very under developed scene but you can feel the excitement from the people, they want something to be done.
HuwsWho?! lives in Revelstoke and has a passion for DJing, adventuring, and snowboarding. The show he’s most proud of is a performance he gave at Burning Man in 2018 on the Dirty Beetles' Boogaloo art car. Q: Day job? A: Non-Destructive Testing Technician Q: Your sound in one word? A: Eclectic Q: W hat’s Revelstoke’s DJ scene like? A: Busy and blossoming! Photo credits: Robin Falletta Photography
SPANDA
Revelstoke’s Onoray is Co-Founder of Cymatic Grounds, a DJ collective focused on techno and house music and terrific audio-visual integration. The show he’s most proud of is a festival of his own creation called “Illusion.” Some of his other best shows include performing on the main stage at Astral Harvest and at a stereo bar in Montreal.
Name during the day: Allie Bruni Links: www.spanda.ca Genres: Tech House, Afro House You’ve probably seen Spānda around, her electric energy and passion are hard to miss; that goes for her day job and DJ performances. The show she’s most proud of playing is the Joshua Tree Music Festival in the USA in 2018.
A: Revelstoke is blessed to have so many talented local, creative, and inspiring DJ/ Producers. Not only do these DJs work tirelessly (behind the scenes) on their craft, but they are all trying to create and produce (music) opportunities for themselves, all while attempting to grow the DJ scene here in Revelstoke.
Q: Day job? A: Co-owner of Fable Book Parlour Q: Your sound in one word? A: Fun Q: What’s Revelstoke’s DJ scene like?
HUWSWHO?!
Name during the day: Huw Saunders Links: Genres:Facebook:huw.is.who@gmail.com,@huwswho,HuwSaunders,House,Drumn'Bass,Bassmusic
Name during the day: Noah Links: @nbyernss Genres: Disco, Downtempo, House Boomsquatch lives in Revelstoke seasonally as an outdoor enthusiast in addition to his passion for the booming bass. He’s proud to have performed at Group Research Project’s “Rave Eh!” with his fellow DJs KITCHENSINK and Judge Juicy. Q: Day job? A: Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Q: Your sound in one word? A: Booming Q: What’s Revelstoke’s DJ scene like? A: Very loose
SIFI BEATS
Name during the day: Simon Hunt Links: @sifibeats, simon@sifibeats.com Genres: House, House, and House!!! SiFi Beats is a drummer and DJ living in Revelstoke. His passion for music has led him to some incredible opportunities that have allowed him to merge his professional life and musical aspirations. SiFi is most proud of his performance at LUNA Festival 2017 after party, where the crowd lost their inhibitions in the music. Read more about SiFi in the full length feature Day and Night of a DJ Day job: Public Safety Coordinator for Shambhala Music Festival / Emergency Management Consultant - Spark Solutions YourLtd. sound in one word: Vibey What’s Revelstoke’s DJ scene like?: Growing/Blossoming!!! HuwsWho?! Photo: Robin Falletta Photography Simon Hunt (Sifi) at Shambala 2022. Photo: Allen McEachern Photography
57Feature
BOOMSQUATCH
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SCENE
59 ARTS AND CULTURE
Under a cover of pine trees and stars, the ground trembles from bassy growls. Far past the reaches of the nearest cell tower, they gather in a sea of sparkles, mismatched patterns, and strobe flashes
With an eye on the future and continued growth, St-Germain pays homage to the people who bring it all“Thesetogether.events wouldn't happen without anyone, all of our volunteers. So, we have an insane amount of people that are happy and want to volunteer at all of our events. I just want to give the biggest thank you to those volunteers because these events wouldn't happen without them.”
Photo: Bailey Gringras-Hamlton VENUES REVELSTOKE'S SECRETIVE BASS MUSIC IS LED BY LOCAL DJ COLLECTIVE GROUP RESEARCH PROJECT.
So, how does one properly rave? Recently, Group Research Project says it introduced a dedicated harm reduction tent where attendees can have a calm place to chill out, refuel on water, snacks and electrolytes, and get information about how different substances interact with each other.
REOPEN,
EVEN AS INDOOR MUSIC
GROWING,
Even as Footloose-esque laws relax and indoor music venues reopen, Revelstoke’s secretive backwoods rave scene is growing. At the centre of this bass-music renaissance is Group Research Project; a local DJ collective led by Nick St-Germain (a.k.a. DJ Kitchen Sink) and Justin Jackson (a.k.a. DJ
The group says it uses on-site medical and harm reduction staff, sober drivers, attendee camping areas and a dedicated “green team.” Keeping an underground profile also promotes a caring environment, St-Germain explains. “We have our followers come to [us] specifically.
It's not just random people that show up in town. It's people that follow us, that know the culture, that know how to properly rave.”
“Anything can happen, whether it's at a rave or not. That being said, we do everything that we can to anticipate those situations,” St-Germain adds. This is where their team of sober drivers come in. The group maintains an evacuation plan at all their events, with enough volunteers to safely get people home.While Group Research Project keeps their locations secretive until the day of the events, the group says Revelstoke paramedics are always notified of their exact destination, St-Germain says.
BACK TO THE BUSHES
As for environmental impacts, St-Germain is well aware of the damage that noise, garbage and human waste can cause to local ecosystems. “A big part of my mentality is also to leave nature and the environment better than it was,” he says. “We have a green team that kind of comes in after the event, and they will do all the nitpicking of little pieces of trash that we've missed.”
The group says it is supported by dedicated volunteers, attendee donations and electronic music aficionados, Group Research Project celebrated their first anniversary in August 2022. Their first event saw approximately 200 attendees. Since then, some events have seen nearly double that attendance. “I want to create an open space for people to be exposed to really cool underground music, while being in a safe environment. Where you can express yourself and be free with whatever you do,” reflects St-Germain on the groups inception and their first Through word-of-mouth advertising, the group has attracted hundreds of artists and attendees; extending beyond the general Revelstoke area. “We are now having out-of-town artists and well-known Shambhala [Music Festival] DJs play at Words and photo by Bailey Gingras-Hamilton our events, and we are also outreaching to artists outside of Revelstoke to come to town and play and show us their art,” St-Germain says. While the secretive nature inhibits name-dropping, DJs from the Nelson area are rumored to appear at their next event.Deck: Group says it prioritizes attendee safety and minimizing environmental impact Despite operating in a legal grey-area, Group Research Project says it has pulled off these events for one year without any serious incidents.
Naloxone kits are a common sight, fixed to fanny packs and utility belts on volunteers and attendees alike.
By Jill Macdonald
TAKING A HOMEEXPLORESPERSPECTIVE,HISTORICALJILLMACDONALDDEPICTIONSOFOURTOWN.
Hughes made two trips here and took meticulous notes and drawings. In rendering what he felt, he infused his art with the awe of a visitor. He came, he saw, he was transported.
60 ARTS & CULTURE
Art is an opportunity to encounter new perspectives and to reconsider the familiar. It presents new ideas and relationships, giving us an avenue to review our assumptions. Framing this exploration of iconic Revelstoke images required a long swim through turbulent water – such is the experience of self-evaluation.
MIRRORMIRROR
A quick internet query resulted in multiple threads leading toward the same painting. E.J. Hughes, born in 1913, grew up on the west coast of B.C. He was a reclusive person, never attended any of his art shows and struggled to make a living until his first break in 1951, when he was given $500 for a dozen paintings. With financial ease, he was free to explore. Revelstoke was one of his destinations.
Above Revelstoke (1963), pictured here, was the largest canvas in his portraits of our town. In it, we see his signature brilliant colours, lush greenery, and the magical quality of his depictions built on rhythm, patience and a sense of wonder. There is no tension, no battles with wilderness or change, and no history. Out of step with the trend of his time, Hughes’ style was not abstract; it was sharp and detailed. At times he suffered doubt when his works were compared to photographs, thoughts he was able to squelch. “I continue painting realistic things because a painter can add something a photographer hasn't got. It is a form of worship. I am showing my appreciation to these Creations.”
As I review my relationship with Revelstoke, I realize we are still just acquaintances; we are not close friends yet. I have a sense of the place and its history but there are only gleams shining through the shell. This scanty impression is not solely a function of time spent here, it is more about interaction and allowing perceptions to flow through, like a rip tide. Be carried, don’t resist, don’t presume to already know.
STYLIZED REALISM
E.J. Hughes, Above Revelstoke.
With that in mind, we begin with the celebrated Canadian artist E. J. Hughes as the outsider, looking in.
HYPERBOLE So far, we have reverence for our mountains and landscapes. It is tempting to rest within that category because it’s familiar and comfortable, but there has to be an underbelly, or we can’t be telling a true story. Along comes Maria Medina to turn things on their head. Medina spent her childhood in Revelstoke. After travelling the world, she has come full circle and once again lives here, where she maintains an active painting studio. She brings us a response to this landscape that is at once surprising and delightful. It is also unexpected.
61 Painting with alcohol ink. Greta Speerbrecker The bee eaters. Maria Medina
The underlying serenity of Speerbrecker’s works reveals a Revelstoke that simply is itself. Like her flower gardens that she calls “wild,” nothing is tamed or tortured, it is free to grow as it will, mixing with weeds and wandering through the trees, unfussed, steadfast.
Speerbrecker credits Atkinson for exposing her to colour flow, teaching her to include all the colours in a scene and the importance of blending the background. “Watercolours are the most difficult style of painting to master,” she says. As a student of Atkinson, she learned to see things differently, a talent that has not left her. There is a gentle intimacy to her work, a casual familiarity that is neither bold nor careless; her artistry is respectful, quiet and mainly pastoral. Still going strong at 85 years old, her new craze is for alcohol inks, which she paints in a style she calls “loose.” It entails putting down bright colours and manipulating them with a dry brush, or an airbrush and gradually revealing the forms within. Speerbrecker claims she can no longer achieve the detailed brushstrokes of her younger years, but she is modest.
THE SALON
“My work is a reaction against what I see,” she explains. “I am surrounded by green. Lots of artists choose to focus on their surroundings, but my work is an exaggeration of colour and detail.” Medina collects objects and stores them in curated cubbies in her studio. To compose her paintings, she arranges the objects into narratives, then adds elements to create vignettes that are not quite true.“My painting is a response to growing up in this environment. When I paint, I don’t paint a bee or a flower, I paint a series of lines and shadows and their relationship to one another, positive and negative spaces. The result is a face or a nose.” Or a bird eating a bee. Her uncanny ability to notice and capture the minutiae, her sense of humour and her willingness to express tension and potential conflict, pokes us in the ribs and asks the question: “How is this a response to Revelstoke?”Medina’sBird
Eaters seemed an unlikely fit to include; they are sharp and pesky. But they are unforgettable and tenacious. After seeing them, it is impossible not to notice those flowers in gardens around the city and to watch the interactions between insects and birds. This is another layer of Revelstoke, a peeling back of thinking about local sensibilities. When objects and places come at us differently, we have the opportunity to reimagine the everyday. That is the surprise of artistic interpretation. Look closer. Look inward. Look away and look back.
We shift from an outsider’s perspective to a person who has always called Revelstoke home. Greta Speerbrecker has been painting since she was a teenager and took classes with the masterful and personable Sophie Atkinson, founder of the Revelstoke Arts Group.
62 Arts & Culture WE BELIEVE IN EXCEEDING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS And so do our building partners. Innotech Windows + Doors is a BC-based manufacturer of high-performance European-style tilt and turn windows and exterior doors. Our products are specified by progressive building professionals for custom residences that are both architecturally striking and deeply sustainable. Learn more about our Passive House Institute certified windows and doors: www.innotech-windows.com/passive-house
#TheRealStoke www.seerevelstoke.com @revelstoke
- Miriam Manley, Executive Director of Arts Revelstoke
“The support Arts Revelstoke gets from Tourism Revelstoke through MRDT funding for our arts and cultural programming is invaluable. The funding Tourism Revelstoke provides to REVY.Live Outside allows us to bring the best and most talented bands to Revelstoke, entertaining tourists and locals for 60 nights all summer long.”
- Lisa Moore, Indigenous Friendship Society
FRIENDSHIPINDIGENOUS SOCIETY.
REVELSTOKE VISUAL ARTS CENTRE.
Photo: Rob Buchanan Photo: Alexis WelchPhoto: Christine Love-Hewitt
LUNA ARTS FESTIVAL. “The support Arts Revelstoke received for LUNA this year allowed us to plan the biggest and most exciting Festival to date. The funding contributed towards 10 bands over 4 stages at LUNA SOUND and over 40 performances and art installations on the night of LUNA. This year we are anticipating crowds of over 10,000 people all invited to discover arts and culture and experience Revelstoke as they never have before completely for -free.”Miriam Manley, Executive Director of Arts Revelstoke
“Tourism Revelstoke is an important support in our community. The Indigenous Friendship Society of Revelstoke has received grants from them for events and intiatives over the past couple of yearsthe REDdress installation at the Riverside Trails in 2021 and the Salmon Feast in 2022. They provided accessible funding for events that brought together members of the Revelstoke community. We so appreciate this support and their commitment to promoting inclusion, education and community.”
Tourism Revelstoke’s funding comes from the Municipal and Regional District Tax, more easily understood as the hotel tax. Every visitor who spends a night at a hotel in Revelstoke contributes to a pool of funds which is reivested in marketing and managing Revelstoke as a tourism destination. Tourism Revelstoke is committed to reinvesting our funding in the community to the greatest extent possible. We see arts and culture festivals and projects as a great avenue to spend our funding in a way that builds Revelstoke as a year-round destination, but also makes life better for our residents. In 2021, Tourism Revelstoke gave $190,000 of our $695,000 budget to non-profit organizations, a large portion of which went to arts and culture initiatives. In 2022, we increased our funding commitment towards arts initiatives in Revelstoke. Our aim is that every dollar we spend on marketing has a purpose over and above just promoting Revelstoke as a destination. We want to ensure that we promote Revelstoke in a sustainable way that enhances our community values.
- Meghan Porath, Executive Director of the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre REVY LIVE.
Tourism Revelstoke is eager to support the arts and culture scene in our community in order to provide unique experiences for both residents and visitors. If you are planning a community event and need financial assistance, please reach out to events@seerevelstoke.com.
63 Using visitor dollars to promote arts and culture in Revelstoke.
Photo: Kyra Sklar
“Everytime I have the chance to sit down and brainstorm with Tourism Revelstoke I know it’s going to lead to something incredible. The team at Tourism goes above and beyond when it comes to working with the local organizations, including our non profit arts organization, the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre. They provide us wide-reaching marketing support, a visitor centre that helps direct people to our gallery, and programs such as Thanksgiving Back and Revy Bucks that intend on increasing volunteerism and expenditure at our gallery.”
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