With an update coming this afternoon regarding BC’s current COVID restrictions, it’s understandable that the event list is very light this week. It’s usually a calmer time of year anyway, right after the holidays and before we ramp up for Family Day or Valentine’s Day. There are still a few things to do in Vancouver this weekend, especially if you still have your Christmas tree hanging around:
Join YWCA Metro Vancouver for five hours of music, dance, and fun at the virtual Y Dance-A-Thon to raise funds and spread the word about YWCA programs and services.
Photo by Jeff Vinnick/YWCA
Y Dance-A-Thon
When: Wednesday February 3, 2021
Where: Virtual – Access link provided
Registration:Free. All ages and abilities welcome to participate.
The online event will be hosted by Johanna Ward and led by DJs, including Virgin Radio’s DJ Flipout and YWCA Health + Fitness instructors.
It is requested that participants pledge or fundraise a minimum of $100, but you can also register the as a non-fundraiser. Registrants may also fundraise without taking part in the dance-a-thon or pop in and out of the dance party as they like.
Schedule
3:00pm – Opening Freestyle FUN! with DJ Barron S
3:35pm – DanceFit! with Marissa Lee
4:05pm – Bollywood Bonanza with Rohan D’silva
4:35pm – Family Dance Party with DJ Agile
5:10pm – Learn to Zumba with Jennica Fulton
5:40pm – The Remix Dance Party with DJ Flipout
6:15pm – Hip Hop Hoorah with Natasha Gorrie
6:45pm – Bumpin’ Buti Yoga with Sydney Mayer
7:15pm – DanceFit! Diva Hits with Johanna Ward
7:45pm – Cool Down Calm with Jill Metheral
Funds raised from Y Dance-A-Thon will go towards YWCA essential services and resources to women and their children like housing, violence prevention programs, mentorship, single mothers’ support services etc.
Every year, YWCA supports over 48,000 clients and program participants. Your gift ensures that families across Metro Vancouver can connect with the essential supports they need to be safe, healthy and experience the quality of life they desire.
The ParkerArtSalon presents The Poetry Project, an exhibition that comes from pairing students with artists, adding words to artwork, on display January 7-31, 2021.
ParkerArtSalon: The Poetry Project
Where: 990 George Street, Vancouver When: January 7-31, 2021 Thursdays to Sundays, 12:00pm to 5:00pm or by appointment online.
Beedie Luminaries students were invited to participate in the project by submitting a work of poetry, inspired by a selection of art provided by the ParkerArtSalon Artists. The poems are exhibited with the corresponding artwork, making for a stimulating juxtaposition of two completely different creative ventures.
This exhibition of art and poetry is a collaborative project between Beedie Luminaries and ParkerArtSalon, benefiting the BC Women’s Health Foundation.
When you visit, you may notice pink dots throughout the exhibition. These indicate that proceeds of art sales will be shared with BC Women’s Health Foundation. Books with the art and poetry are available as well for $25.
About ParkerArtSalon
152,000 square feet, 110 studios for 227 artists, designers, photographers and woodworkers. The iconic 1000 Parker Street warehouse is a Vancouver landmark, hosting 4 floors of artists diverse in style and discipline. In such an environment, the buzz of creativity is ongoing night and day.
After being cancelled in 2020, the Vancouver Sun Run is back as a virtual run for 2021. Canada’s largest 10K road race can be joined from anywhere, anytime. From April 18th to 30th, registered participants can share their race results and photos with the community.
You can register as an Individual, as part of the Shaw Team Division, the Youth Team Challenge, or the Shaw Mini Sun Run 2.5K. All participants who complete their own run, and log their results, will receive a t-shirt and for the first time, a commemorative virtual run medal.
Registered participants can also select a charity of choice, hosting a fundraiser alongside their run efforts. Setup a virtual pledge page to benefit: Ronald McDonald House BC and Yukon, Vancouver Food Bank, BC Cancer Foundation, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Family Services of Greater Vancouver, or the BC SPCA.
Early bird pricing for registration ($35) is available until January 31, 2021. Follow the Vancouver Sun Run on Facebook for more info.
The Vancouver Sun Run has been Canada’s largest 10k road race since its inception in 1985, and is currently the third largest timed 10k in North America. Founded by former Canadian Olympians Dr. Doug and Diane Clement along with Dr. Jack Taunton. The run’s purpose was to promote the benefits of running, to improve health and fitness, as well as support elite amateur athletics.
If you’re looking to stay local but also stimulate your mind with some art and culture in a safe environment, here are five gallery exhibitions you can visit this winter, while staying in your own community:
5 Gallery Exhibitions to Visit This Winter
Jaswant Guzder, Prayer spaces and portrait 1, 2016, ink, cloth on natural linen. On at the Surrey Art Gallery.
Surrey Art Gallery Where: 13750 88 Ave, Surrey Admission: Free What’s On:Searching for Surrey (until January 22, 2021) The Colour Collective presents their vision of many sites throughout Surrey and its surrounding region; Varvara and Mar We Are the Clouds (until January 31, 2021) See yourself in the clouds in this interactive outdoor artwork; Carol Sawyer: Proscenium (until February 14, 2021) Explore this playful foray into narrative, perspective, performance, appearance and truth; Facing Time (until March 27, 2021) Get up close to faces this winter in paintings, photographs, textiles, and more. This exhibit invites you to consider the importance of faces in a time of virtual gatherings, selfies, and mask-wearing.
Place des Arts in Coquitlam Where: 1120 Brunette Ave, Coquitlam Admission: Individuals/core bubbles can call ahead to book visits (604) 664-1636 ext. 0. What’s On: Three new exhibitions, from local artist, in a variety of mediums, January 22 to March 18, 2021. These include Capturing Moments: Chronicling Our Lives, various mediums curated by the Coquitlam Heritage Society; Into the Woods: BC Nature in Woodcut, woodcut printmaking by Rick Herdman; Remnants, photography and sculpture by Laura Clark.
Vancouver Art Gallery Where: 750 Hornby St, Vancouver Admission: Regular admission applies, time entry must be booked What’s On:Victor Vasarely (until April 5, 2021) Celebrated as the father of Op Art (Optical Art), the Hungarian-French artist Vasarely is internationally renowned for his colourful abstract patterns and playful Pop aesthetic; Where do we go from here?(until May 30, 2021) proposes that we think critically about the role of both art and exhibition making in the production of narratives about our past, present and future; Drawn primarily from the Vancouver Art Gallery’s collection, Rapture, Rhythm and the Tree of Life: Emily Carr and Her Female Contemporaries(until January 22, 2021) focuses on artwork from the first half of the twentieth century by women artists based in British Columbia, and presents an expanded account of the context in which modernism developed on the Canadian West Coast during the early to mid-1900s.
PoMo Arts: A New Resilience – Sonay Iwasiuk
PoMo Arts Centre Where: 2425 St. Johns Street, Port Moody Admission: Free What’s On:A New Resilience – Sonay Iwasiuk (January 12 to February 15, 2021) A body of work that corresponds with one of the most pressing current world issues – people fleeing their turbulent homelands searching for peace and prosperity. Iwasiuk’s multi-media installation is based on the First Wave of Ukrainian immigrants to Canada. Timeless Pastimes – Mat Holmstrom (January 14 to February 15, 2021) Imagery and objects that reflect the interests and traditions that inspire the artist and many Canadians across the land; Are We Still Together? Ghislain Brown-Kossi (January 14 to February 15, 2021) A French artist based in Vancouver, Ghislain Brown-Kossi’s work aims to understand how individuals interact with each other and how social relationships are transformed.
The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art Where: 639 Hornby St, Vancouver Admission: Regular admission applies, pre-booking encouraged What’s On:Resurgence: Indigequeer Identities (until January 24, 2021) curated by Jordana Luggi, celebrating the deeply personal and profound work of four 2Spirit artists and their unique identities and stories as queer Indigenous people; Lifeways : Reimagining Community, Spirit and Place (until January 24, 2021) The Bill Reid Gallery is pleased to partner on Lifeways, a film exhibition featuring the work of UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture Master students; To Speak With a Golden Voice (until April 11, 2021) celebrates the milestone centennial birthday of Bill Reid (1920–1998) with an exhibition about his extraordinary life and legacy.
All of these galleries also offer online programming, to enjoy from the comfort of your home. If you are visiting in person, read each gallery’s COVID protocols online, which includes mandatory face coverings.
