You may have passed the giant “W” in New Westminster’s Pier Park every day, twice a day, looking down from the SkyTrain, or you may be like me and have only seen it in Instagram photos until now. This week I met up with some friends in the Royal City, who showed me the park and WOW Westminster up close.

Installed in 2015, this 140-foot-long sculpture, comprising four forty-foot shipping containers precariously cantilevered to form a “W,” was designed by the Brazilian artist José Resende.

Title: WOW Westminster
Artist: José Resende (b.1945, Brazil)
Medium: Four corten steel shipping containers
Dimensions (H x W x D): 10.7 x 42.7 x 2.4 m (35’1″ x 140’1″ x 7’10″)
Weight: 15,422 kg (34,000 lbs.)
Location: Westminster Pier Park in New Westminster, British Columbia

A post shared by Vancouver Biennale (@van_biennale) on Nov 22, 2016 at 8:38pm PST

Marcello Dantas, the Vancouver Biennale’s senior curator credited with having chosen both the site and the artist, says, “Resende’s WOW Westminster is not only an interpretation of the economic activity of the Fraser River and the flow of goods through trains, ships and trucks: it’s also about capturing the energy and history of this transportation hub, the transformation of the City of New Westminster and its waterfront into a recreational arts and cultural playground. WOW Westminster will become a respite for citizens and an icon of the City and region for decades as viewers explore the riverside walk along Westminster Pier Park.”

A post shared by dawnmoore_ (@dawnmoore_) on Jan 17, 2016 at 11:33am PST

A post shared by @amk_images_ on Mar 8, 2017 at 5:23pm PST

A post shared by Isaac Zipursky (@isaac.m.z) on Mar 25, 2017 at 4:36pm PDT

Follow Vancouver Biennale on Twitter and Facebook for more information about our region’s open air museum of public art.

Other Vancouver Icons posts: Playground of the Gods, Photo Session Statues, City Hall History, BC Sugar, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Museum of Anthropology, Fort Langley Community Hall, Christ Church Cathedral, Waterfront Station, Pacific Central Station, Randall Building Mural, East Van Cross, Robert Burns Statue in Stanley Park, Vancouver Maritime Museum, Flack Block, The Drop, Prospect Point Lighthouse, Engagement, Ovaltine Cafe, The English Bay Slide, Freezing Water #7, Cleveland Dam, Heritage Hall, School of Theology Building at UBC, Gate to the Northwest Passage, St Paul’s Hospital, Capilano Lake, Stawamus Chief, Nine O’Clock Gun, Malkin Bowl, Search, Vancouver Rowing Club, Echoes, Point Atkinson Lighthouse, English Bay Inukshuk, Hollow Tree, Hotel Europe, Lions Gate Bridge Lions, LightShed, Granville Bridge, 217.5 Arc x 13′, Canoe Bridge, Vancouver Block, Bloedel Conservatory, Centennial Rocket, Canada Place, Old Courthouse/Vancouver Art Gallery, Dominion Building, Science World, Gastown Steam Clock, SFU Burnaby, Commodore Lanes, Siwash Rock, Kitsilano Pool, White Rock Pier, Main Post Office, Planetarium Building, Lord Stanley Statue, Vancouver Library Central Branch, Victory Square, Digital Orca, The Crab Sculpture, Girl in Wetsuit, The Sun Tower, The Hotel Vancouver, The Gassy Jack Statue, The Marine Building, and The Angel of Victory. Should you have a suggestion for the Vancouver Icons series please feel free to leave a note in the comments. It should be a thing, statue, or place that is very visible and recognizable to the public.

The Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra (“VAMSO”) ends its season with a tour de force finale of riveting film scores in A John Williams Tribute at the Orpheum Theatre. This homage to the maestro of the movies will feature Williams’ epic and gripping works from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Indiana Jones, Catch Me If You Can, and more performed by VAMSO under the baton of conductor Kathleen Allan.

VAMSO Presents A John Williams Tribute

Where: The Orpheum (601 Smithe St, Vancouver)
When: Sunday, May 7, 2017 at 2:00pm
Tickets: Available now online or at the door for $10 to $15.

“John Williams’ music is just as iconic as the characters and stories of the films he scored,” says Kathleen Allan, Associate Conductor of the Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra. “While he is most famous for his majestic and rousing themes, Williams also has an uncanny ability to spark emotion with soaring melodies and heart-rending harmonic shifts. This concert, in celebration of the recent 85th birthday of Hollywood’s most beloved composer, will showcase all sides of his diverse musical output.”

Audiences at A John Williams Tribute will be transported to mystic kingdoms and faraway galaxies while taking in memorable themes from silver screen classics by directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. While the program offers some of the most recognized motion picture music of all time, the concert will also include Williams’ lesser-known masterpieces. Such works include Suo Gan, the stirring Welsh folksong featured prominently in Empire of the Sun, and the ceremonious Hymn to the Fallen from Saving Private Ryan, which will feature the choirs of VAM’s Mary Buckerfield White Choral Program.

Win Tickets

I have a pair of tickets to give away to this performance. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:

[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to @VAMSchool’s #AJohnWilliamsTribute http://owl.li/nIDs30b27N8″ quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

Follow VAMSO on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, April 26, 2017.

Update The winner is @darrenjohnson9!

This weekend stop by BC’s largest Earth Day celebration, Surrey’s Party for the Planet, on Saturday. It will have free, family-friendly fun all day with an eco, enviro, and sustainability twist. Info about this festival and many more events are listed below:

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green.

Friday, April 21, 2017
Make It! Vancouver
Earth Day at TELUS Garden
Science World After Dark: Earth Day Edition
African Night with Jacky Essombe
Vancouver Photo Book Fair
Edmonds Film Festival
Verses Festival
Dance Centre: Lesley Telford, Inverso
Stone’s Throw Productions Presents: The Wolves
Tulips of the Valley, Chilliwack
Abbotsford Tulip Festival Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

Free, outdoor activities are all the rage in Vancouver during the summer months and nothing gets locals and visitors moving like dance. After two years in development, Dance in Transit is set to liven up Downtown Vancouver with free, public dance events for all skill levels, May 20 – September 1.

Dance in Transit

Free Outdoor Dancing Events in Vancouver This Summer

The idea is to engage Vancouver in healthy, safe, fun activity that will include all cultures and occupations, dancers and people who have never danced before. This project is all about building community, expanding social networks, and easing people away from their digital devices and back to face-to- face connection.

Sam’s Dance, Rose Royce Group, and CiTR Radio are partnering to host Dance in Transit. Each event will focus on specific dance styles with mini-lessons, demonstrations, performances, social dancing, snacks and drinks.

Venues

• Robson Square: Below street level on Robson between Howe & Hornby
• Jim Deva Plaza: Davie Street at Bute by the rainbow crosswalk
• Queen Elizabeth Plaza: Hamilton at Georgia, in front of the theatre
• Plaza of Nations: Pacific Blvd by the Edgewater Casino

Schedule

Dance in Transit is looking for partners, sponsors, and volunteers. Full details can be found on the website.

Preeminent percussionist Sal Ferreras presents the 31st annual Drum Heat, a concert uniting BC’s top jazz and world music talent to benefit Arts Umbrella students. Performing in styles and fusions from the Carribean, Latin America, and Asia, this year’s stellar lineup will ignite the stage with sizzling hot rhythms and harmonies.

Drum Heat

Where: Vogue Theatre (918 Granville St, Vancouver)
When: Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 8:00pm (doors at 7:00pm)
Tickets: Available online now

Leading this heart-pumping evening, Sal Ferreras will perform percussion, vibes, and vocals. An elite musician, Ferreras has been called to play on a series of JUNO and GRAMMY-Award winning recordings. With a PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of British Columbia, Ferreras is a highly sought-after expert in drumming, and world music. His love for connecting musical minds has brought him as far as Australia, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, Taiwan, and all over North America. With his many staggering achievements, Ferreras was inducted in the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2002, and was honoured in 2010 with the City of Vancouver Mayor’s Award for Music.

As part of his work to benefit the community through the arts, Ferreras contributes net proceeds of Drum Heat to directly support Arts Umbrella programs. Three out of five Arts Umbrella students need financial assistance to access arts education. Through the generous support of audiences who attend Drum Heat, the funding from the concert reaches more than 12,000 young people each year.

Win a Drum Heat Date Night

I have a pair of tickets for Drum Heat to give away along with a $100 gift card for dinner at Nuba in Kitsilano.

Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:

[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a Drum Heat date night w $100 for @nubatown & supporting @ArtsUmbrella http://owl.li/tLKJ30aZRU1″ quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

Art can change the lives of children in incredible ways, which is why Arts Umbrella helps young artists cultivate creativity and grow self-confidence through dance, theatre and visual arts. Since 1979, the not-for-profit has opened the doors for all kids ages 2 to 19 to find and explore their artistic voices. More than 20,000 students discover the magic each year – with more than half participating at little to no cost to their families.

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Sunday, April 23, 2017.

Update The winner is Barb!