Leslie Campbell

2023 Victoria Book Prize Finalists Announced The Victoria Book Prize Society is pleased to announce the shortlists for the 2023 City of Victoria Book Prize and City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize, featuring an assortment of books for readers of all ages and interests. On your mark, get set, read! The $5,000 City of Victoria Butler Book Prize, now in its 20th year, is awarded to a Greater Victoria author for the best book published in the categories of fiction, non-fiction or poetry. The five finalists are: Maleea Acker for Hesitating Once to Feel Glory (Nightwood Editions) Robert Amos for E.J. Hughes: Canadian War Artist (Touchwood Editions) Mary Bomford for Red Dust and Cicada Songs (Caitlin Press) Pauline Holdstock for Confessions with Keith (Biblioasis) Katłįà (Catherine) Lafferty for This House Is Not a Home (Roseway Publishing) The $5,000 City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize, in its 16th year, is awarded to a Greater Victoria author or illustrator for the best children’s book. The three finalists are: Sara Cassidy for Union (Orca Book Publishers) Monique Gray Smith for I Hope / nipakosêyimon (Orca Book Publishers) Julie McLaughlin (illustration) for Little Pine Cone: Wild Fires and the Natural World (Orca Book Publishers) The finalists were selected by an independent jury, comprised of representatives from the local literary arts community, from among books published between April 2022 and March 2023. The winners will be announced at the gala event, hosted by CBC Radio’s Kathryn Marlow, at the Union Club of British Columbia on Wednesday October 11 at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.) Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at victoriabookprizes.ca. Founded in 2004, the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize is a partnership between the City of Victoria and Brian Butler of Butler Brothers Supplies. The City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize recognizes and celebrates exceptional children’s and youth literature in our community. The late Mel Bolen of Bolen Books established the Children’s Book Prize in 2008. Additional sponsors include Munro’s Books, Friesens Corporation, Greater Victoria Public Library, Russell Books, CBC Radio, Island Blue Print, Magnolia Hotel & Spa, Chateau Victoria Hotel & Suites and the Union Club of British Columbia. The Victoria Book Prize Society establishes policy and criteria for the prizes, administers the competition and appoints the juries. For more information: victoriabookprizes.caor victoria.ca/bookprizes.

Monday, September 11, 2023 | For Immediate Release Songhees Nation Invites the Greater Victoria Community to the South Island Powwow Unceded lək̓ʷəŋən territory, VICTORIA, BC – The Songhees Nation is hosting the second annual South Island Powwow with support from the City of Victoria on September 30, 2023. The Powwow will take place on the homelands of the lək̓ʷəŋən people at Royal Athletic Park. September 30 is a federal statutory holiday to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. The South Island Powwow honours and recognizes survivors of Indian Residential and Day Schools and their families, the Sixties Scoop and the children who never made it home from these institutions. The Powwow also celebrates Indigenous cultures and resiliency and brings people together in celebration to build bridges amongst all Nations. Local First Nations, along with Nations from the Mainland, have been welcomed to participate in the time-honoured Powwow. Last year’s inaugural South Island Powwow attracted 10,000 people during the grand entry, with more people expected to attend this year. “The South Island Powwow has rekindled a piece of Songhees history, while providing a safe space for healing, education, and understanding.” Said Chief Ron Sam of the Songhees Nation. “We invite the public to be present, with an open mind and open heart to witness the resiliency of Indigenous Peoples on this important day of National Truth and Reconciliation.” The second annual South Island Powwow will feature the traditional grand entry of Nations, with Indigenous song and dance with two host drums, Sage Hills and Blackfish, along with guest speakers, and over 80 vendors including multiple food trucks. Admission to the event is free and everyone is welcome. Gates will open at 10 a.m., with two grand entries; noon and 6 p.m. Colours will retire at midnight. “The City of Victoria is honoured to once again be working in partnership with the Songhees Nation to mark this day and celebrate the strength and resilience of Indigenous Peoples,” said Mayor Marianne Alto. “We welcome Songhees Nation's invitation to the whole community to join the City in supporting the South Island Powwow as a meaningful step in our journeys of reconciliation.” For more information, and to sign up for media accreditation for the second annual South Island Powwow visit: songheesnation.ca/south-island-powwow.

Once again, from Dec 1st to Jan 1st, one of our Committee Members, Laura Thomson will be dipping in the ocean to raise funds to support the food program at Soweto Junior School. If you would like to support our advent fundraiser , we are suggesting a donation of a “dollar and dip” so by Christmas your donation would be $25 – enough to feed 2 children for the month. Please feel free to join Laura any morning , on weekdays she will be dipping between 7:45 and 8:00am at Little Ross Bay (at the bottom of St. Charles) , or better still start your own “Christmas dipping” challenge! Click on our DONATE page and make sure to put “Dipping for Dollars” in your email or cheque, if you would like to support the challenge www.supportsowetojuniorschool.org 2nd dipping for dinners.pdf

ONE WAVE October 15 - 30, 2021 @Fortune Gallery As a tribute to persistence during troubled times, Miles Lowry’s ONE WAVE reminds us how a wave, full of energy, eventually lets go, dissipates and disappears as if it were never there. Created during lockdowns and waves of pandemic alarm, each painting is named for a presence, a yearning, or discovery. *Artist will be in attendance 12pm to 4pm on October 16 & 17. 537 Fisgard Street Victoria, BC Open 12-5 Closed Monday Gallery: 250 383 1552 See the show starting Oct 15 online @ www.loveandliberty.ca - COVID PROTOCOLS will be in place with masks required for indoor spaces. - http://www.mileslowry.ca http://www.loveandliberty.ca Be sure to 'like' Love and Liberty's Facebook Page Follow on Instagram

View this email in your browser Antimatter [media art] October 14 to 24, 2021 | Victoria BC & Online | antimatter.ca The 24th annual Antimatter festival continues this weekend with screenings, installations and online programs of international media art and experimental cinema. In-person screenings 6pm and 8pm nightly at Deluge Contemporary Art (636 Yates Street) have limited capacity and require advance ticket purchase at antimatter.ca. Saturday | October 16 | 6pm | Screening @ Deluge The Length of Day Collage, found footage and photochemical fictions by Cecilia Araneda, Kristin Reeves, A. Moon, Siegfried Fruhauf, Kathleen Rush, Charlie Egleston and Laura Conway. Saturday | October 16 | 8pm | Screening @ Deluge The Mirror Neuron Performative prosody and gestural empathy from Sarah Trad, Bea de Visser, John G. Boehme, Paul Tarragó, Adán De La Garza, Michael Heindl and Tommy Beacker. Sunday | October 17 | 6pm | Screening @ Deluge Stranger than Paradise The body is obsolescent: it is still needed but the preparations for its abolition are in progress. Film-choreography from Tamar Zehava Tabori, Bailey Plumley and Chris Haring/Liquid Loft. Sunday | October 17 | 8pm | Screening @ Deluge If I Could Name You Myself Movement and music drive meditative explorations of identity, race, gender and transcendence: Ann Oren, Michael V. Smith, Helanius J. Wilkins, Roma Flowers, Hope Strickland and Aram Karsi. Online Programs Screening programs are available online for 24 hours (midnight to midnight) the day after in-person screenings at Deluge Contemporary Art. Streaming is free (donations appreciated). Watch at antimatter.ca Online @ antimatter.ca Automat Some of the most rewarding and memorable experiences at Antimatter are artist talks, Q&As and informal social events with local and visiting filmmakers. As the situation this year again precludes most participants attending the festival to engage with peers and audiences, Automat presents a self-serve option. We coerced participating artists into making short videos that somehow “talk” about themselves and their work, whether by actually talking or otherwise. The results are as amazing as we’d hoped—spontaneous, revealing, witty and poetic insights into their lives and practices. Watch the results online at antimatter.ca. Deluge Contemporary Art 636 Yates Street Victoria, BC V8W 1L3 Canada

2021 Pacific Baroque Festival Makes Triumphant Return September 8-13 Live Music Returns to Victoria with a Festival of Chaconnes and Passacaglias Victoria, BC - After a lengthy delay, the 17th annual Pacific Baroque Festival, presented in partnership with EMV: Pacific Baroque Series and the Victoria Conservatory of Music, will be held once again in Victoria this September. ‘From the Ground Up: Chaconnes and Passacaglias,’ features a dazzling series of concerts that highlight this uniquely virtuosic Baroque music, including stunning works by Claudio Monteverdi, François Couperin, Dietrich Buxtehude, and Georg Philipp Telemann. “We are so grateful to finally be able to present this wonderful series of concerts,” says Brian Groos, Managing Director of The Pacific Baroque Festival. “This music is beautiful and profound; an experience that will be enhanced when hearing these musicians play it in a live performance.” To interpret this captivating line-up, Festival Artistic Director Marc Destrubé will lead an ensemble of the west coast’s leading early music artists including violinist Kathryn Wiebe, cellist Natalie Mackie, harpsichordist Christina Hutten, and member of the Order of Canada, soprano Suzie Leblanc. The Festival opens with a recital by celebrated organist Mark McDonald. “This year’s theme is based on Chaconnes and Passacaglias. These are both types of pieces that use an approach called a ‘ground bass,’ or a repeating bass line,” explains Destrubé. “It’s like a modern-day chord progression in a pop song. This year’s Pacific Baroque Festival gives us the opportunity to explore the many ways in which composers such as J.S. Bach and Arcangelo Corelli used the universal appeal of the chaconne and passacaglia. These forms suggest that the wheels of life just keep on turning, which is the perfect sonic balm for these unsettled times.” The Festival will feature performances at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall and Christ Church Cathedral, with limited seating and Covid safety protocols in place. EVENT LISTINGS: ‘The Master’s Masters: Teachers of the Young Bach’ Wednesday, September 8 at 8:00 PM Christ Church Cathedral (Quadra Street at Rockland Avenue) Mark McDonald (Organ) The pieces in the Andreas Bach Book and the so-called Möller manuscript, two significant collections compiled by J. S. Bach’s eldest brother and keyboard teacher Johann Ernst Bach, are a treasure trove of the greatest composers of the day and shed light on the early musical education of the young J. S. Among the many great names in the collections – Pachelbel, Froberger, Lully, Albinoni – are two of Bach’s greatest influences, the celebrated organists Dieterich Buxtehude and Georg Böhm whom Bach would seek out in his early years as a budding musician. Take a musical journey through the sound world of the young Bach, whose own early works in the collection, like the great Passacaglia in C minor, show his ascension from studious pupil to master in his own right. ‘Italian Passion’ Thursday, September 9 at 8:00 PM Alix Goolden Performance Hall, 907 Pandora Ave Marc Destrubé (Violin); Kathryn Wiebe (Violin); Natalie Mackie (Viola da gamba); Christina Hutton (Harpsichord and Organ); Suzie LeBlanc (Soprano) Explore the brilliant music of the violin virtuosos of 17th and 18th century Italy. Early Italian composers were masters in defining genres, from Monteverdi’s operas to Frescobaldi’s toccatas to Corelli’s sonatas. This concert highlights the versatility of Italian expression over an ever-steady ground bass. ‘German Depth’ Friday, September 10 at 11:00 AM Alix Goolden Performance Hall, 907 Pandora Ave Marc Destrubé (Violin); Kathryn Wiebe (Violin); Natalie Mackie (Viola da gamba); Christina Hutton (Harpsichord and Organ); Suzie LeBlanc (Soprano) The music of 17th century Germany was highly influenced by the Protestant Reformation. With a new approach to writing for the church, composers explored the depths of their own beliefs through music. Drawing from new musical ideas and forms that emerged in other regions, such as the chaconne and passacaglia, the brilliant composers of our German Depth concert skillfully adapted them to their more profound local tastes. ‘French Elegance’ Saturday, September 11 at 8:00 PM Alix Goolden Performance Hall, 907 Pandora Ave Marc Destrubé (Violin); Kathryn Wiebe (Violin); Natalie Mackie (Viola da gamba); Christina Hutton (Harpsichord and Organ); Suzie LeBlanc (Soprano) In the Palace of Versailles, the Sun King, Louis XIV, presided over a court widely known for its extravagance. He celebrated the arts and employed many musicians to perform ballets, operas, and at official ceremonies for the entertainment of foreign guests. French Elegance is a programme of music from this period, exuding the glory of France as exemplified by the mighty chaconne. ‘Choral Evensong’ Monday, September 13 at 5:00 PM Christ Church Cathedral (Quadra Street at Rockland Avenue) (Voluntary Offerings) The Pacific Baroque Festival concludes with the annual tradition of Choral Evensong at Christ Church Cathedral. This year’s Service of reflection and prayer will feature the music of England’s Henry Purcell and Lübeck’s Dieterich Buxtehude.” LISTING INFORMATION 2021 Pacific Baroque Festival – From the Ground Up: Chaconnes & Passacaglias Dates: September 8 – 13, 2021 Tickets: $25 + fees for all ages Box Office: www.pacbaroque.com/2021-pacific-baroque-festival

Why This Word Hou I-Ting | Valentina Jager | Wang Yahui Curated by Jo Ying Peng July 17 to August 21, 2021 Deluge Contemporary Art 636 Yates Street, Victoria BC | deluge.ca Exhibition Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, noon to 4pm Why This Word is an exhibition that draws an axis between interpretation and vocalization to deconstruct the act of writing as a way to shape identity. The title is inspired by a quote—“the word is my fourth dimension”—in Clarice Lispector’s novel Agua Viva, and partly borrowed from a biography of the author (Why This World, Benjamin Moser, Oxford University Press, 2009). Referencing the looming myths of Lispector’s own life as a means to speak to universal female experiences, Why This Word considers how fractures in the socio-political world may otherwise remain invisible. Detailing women’s labor within the global workforce, Hou I-Ting examines the politics of the body through her practice. Valentina Jager’s work is infused with a deep sensibility that explores the precariousness of truth, subjectivity of interpretation and fragile nature of memory. Wang Yahui employs poetic imagery in dynamic scenarios to present alternative ways of translating time through quotidian materials. The exhibition combines these different narrative approaches—writing in time, labour and poetic rhetoric—to amplify definitions of feminist micro-narratives. Hou I-Ting (Taiwan) is especially interested in female labor conditions in socioeconomic systems of the past and present. Her practice pivots around the changing relationships between the body and the visual image over time. Hou has exhibited internationally, including We Now Stand – In Order to Map the Future, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan (2019); Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific: A Selection of Works from QAGOMA’s Asia Pacific Triennial, Centro Cultural La Moneda, Santiago, Chile (2019); Tejiendo Identidades (Weaving Identities), PhotoEspaña, Centro de Historias, Zaragoza, Spain (2019); and Cold Chain,Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan (2019). Valentina Jager (Mexico/USA) unfolds her practice in the borders between writing, sculpture and performance, focusing on ephemerality and materialism. Jager has participated in residency programs such as Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, Fieldworks Marfa and the Syros Institute. Her work has been featured in exhibitions at galleries and museums internationally such as the Orange County Museum of Art, Paul Kasmin Gallery New York, Alumnos47 Mexico and the Kunstverein Göttingen. She is currently a PhD student of Creative Writing in Spanish at the University of Houston and recipient of the 2021 Artadia Houston Awards. Wang Yahui (Taiwan) turns imageries of contemporary life into microcosms with the artist herself as an astronomer observing the hidden relationship between nature and all living things: Huizi and Zhuangzi debating the happiness of fish. Solo exhibitions include Still Life Sonata, Taitung Art Museum (2021, Taiwan), The Diamond that is Raindrops, Absolute Space for the Arts (2020, Taiwan), A Brief History of Time, Eslite Gallery (2019, Taiwan), Questions to Shadow, Neuer Kunstverein Giessen (2018, Germany), A Slant of Light, TKG+ (2016, Taiwan), Pick up a leaf when it falls, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Kyoto (2012, Japan) and Handmade Fairytales, Cable Gallery, Helsinki (2010 Finland). Jo Ying Peng (Taiwan/Mexico) runs Vernacular Institute and co-ran Taipei Contemporary Art Center as open platforms to present, exchange, create and share artistic ideas outside of institutional discourse. Working across curatorial, editorial and cinematic boundaries, Peng strives to expand possibilities beyond linear narrative and is dedicated to projects with performative approaches and in experimental settings. Selected recent projects include Buenos días mujeres (ARIEL, 2020), Who Writes? (Gallery OMR, 2019), Narratives of Exchange / Exchange of Narratives (Instituto Alumnos, 2018), Vernácular: Art Book Fair (Proyectos Monclova, 2018), There after Here: Performing a Verb (Vernacular Institute, 2017), Portrait Portrait (TCAC, 2016), Marginal Matters (Arkipel, 2016) and A Gaze on the Contemporary (Urban Nomad Film Fest, 2016). Why This Word is supported by the Province of British Columbia and the National Culture and Arts Foundation, Taiwan.

E.J. Hughes: Works on Paper July 10 - 24, 2021 Madrona Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of works on paper by E.J. Hughes. As one of British Columbia’s most celebrated artists, E.J. Hughes continues to be remembered for his strong depictions of the West Coast landscape. This collection of works on paper gives a glimpse into Hughes’ process and how he observed the world that is captured through his paintings. Creating his works on location, Hughes would later add written notes regarding tone and colour. This dedication and focus shown in his preliminary sketches and drawings would provide the foundation for larger, fully realized paintings in oil, acrylic, and watercolour for years to come. Hughes studied at the Vancouver School of Applied Art and Design from 1929-1935 under Charles H. Scott, Jock Macdonald, and Frederick Varley. He would later go on to serve as an official war artist from 1943-1946. Hughes was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy in 1968 and was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Order of Canada in 2001 and the Order of British Columbia in 2005. This will be the first focused solo exhibition of works by E.J. Hughes in over a decade. Image: E.J. Hughes, "Houses, Qualicum Beach", 18 x 24, Watercolour, 2000 Image at top: E.J. Hughes, "South Thompson Valley at Pritchard, BC", 20 x 24, Watercolour, c. 1962 M A D R O N A G A L L E R Y | 606 View Street | Victoria, B.C. V8W 1J4 T: 250.380.4660 E:info@madronagallery.com

An Acoustic Evening with Chad Brownlee August 12-15 - 7:30 PM 4 Shows • 50 People A ruggedly charming musician, his love of the outdoors is very much reflected within singer/songwriter Chad Brownlee’s chart topping tunes and infectious melodies. A multi talented artist, his passions for music, acting, sport and philanthropy run deep. Once a Vancouver Canucks draft pick, and now a critically acclaimed country music star with over a decade on the road, Brownlee is no stranger to the music scene. His raw musical talent, and compassionate storytelling exploring the adventures of life, inspire his signature pop, country and rock sound. CHARLIE WHITE THEATRE COVID-19 EVENT PLAN Your safety is our top priority. We are taking all measures to provide a safe, sanitized and comfortable concert setting, following the current updated regulations provided by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and Work Safe BC. For each performance, we will be selling a maximum of 50 tickets. You and your cohort will be seated with appropriate social distancing between you and the next cohort. To this end, the Mary Winspear Staff will continue to assign seats to ensure the comfort and safety of all our patrons. If you have any mobility issues or special seating requirements, it is imperative that staff is notified at the time of concert “pre-screening”. It is essential that all patrons are guaranteed their required seating and respectfully accommodated. If we do not receive these requirements at the time of “pre-screening,” we risk not having the required seating available for these patrons. Please note: all exchanges, gifting, or reselling of tickets must be done through the Mary Winspear Centre box office in order for us to conduct pre-screening, seat assignment, and contact tracing protocols. If you are feeling unwell, have any COVID-19 symptoms, have been asked to isolate, or have been around someone who has been asked to isolate, tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days, or been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days, please do not attend the concert and contact the box office. For your well-being, the Mary Winspear Centre will provide hand sanitizers and facemasks. -Mary Winspear Centre staff will assign seats (socially distanced by cohort and/or special needs/mobility issues) in order to maintain BC Provincial Health Orders. -Staff wearing PPE. -MASKS ARE MANDATORY AND MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES, unless briefly removing to sip your beverage. -The Charlie White Theatre has recently been examined by our trusted HVAC Technician. Fresh air-flow is ensured at all times. -Designated entrance: Theatre Lobby doors (Enter from outside). -Designated exits: Theatre Lobby doors and Theatre Alcove door (Both exit to outside). -Designated washrooms: Small washrooms by the box office. -No intermission: Pre-ordered drinks will be served to you before the performance. Maximum of 2 alcoholic drinks per patron both will be given before the performance. -No paper tickets. -Cleaning/disinfecting of entire space before and after each performance. -Before any performance, all patrons will receive a phone call from Mary Winspear Centre staff for personalized service and pre-screening. -You will be assigned a designated check-in time during the pre-screening call. You must arrive within that requested time frame to complete the health check-in and review the current protocols before being permitted to enter the Charlie White Theatre. -No singing or dancing is allowed at this time for the safety of your fellow concert goers, artist(s), and staff. -No outside food and beverage permitted. You may bring a water bottle. -Come with your own cohort and maintain social distancing from others. -Mary Winspear Centre representative(s) present in-house to monitor/ensure this current COVID-19 Event plan is followed. Maximum group size is 6. Order Tickets Now Mary Winspear Centre 2243 Beacon Avenue, Sidney BC 250-656-0275 | marywinspear.ca

Festival Dates: July 22 to 25, 2021 Location: Please visit www.victoriaflamencofestival.com for information regarding virtual show times and links. Cost: Free, donations accepted at www.victoriaflamencofestival.com The Flamenco de la Isla Society has come to the difficult decision, given the current COVID-19 situation, to suspend all physical in-person events at the 2021 Victoria Flamenco Festival. We feel it is important to do our part to keep artists, audience, and our community safe. We are currently working to bring you a virtual festival. Our commitment to Flamenco on Vancouver Island remains strong and we encourage you to reach out if you have any questions: info@victoriaflamencofestival.com Thank you for your ongoing support! 2021 VIRTUAL VICTORIA FLAMENCO FESTIVAL For the ninth year in a row, the Flamenco de la Isla Society brings you the passion and rhythm of flamenco music and dance! The 9th annual Flamenco Festival of Victoria will run July 22 – 25, showcasing local and international dancers, singers and guitarists collaborating to bring their love of this fiery art form to you! For more information please contact: Zoey Wells Festival Coordinator flamencoisla@gmail.com

Michael Kaeshammer July 15-19, 2021 Saturday Special Show "Christmas in July" 5 Shows • 50 People New Show Added Monday, July 19 - 7:30 PM Michael Kaeshammer has invested a lot – countless hours at the keyboard, hundreds of recordings, thousands of live performances, millions of miles in the air and on the road – all in pursuit of a mastery of 12 notes across 88 keys. But for the acclaimed Canadian pianist and singer, there is no set destination, no achievable end point on his path; it’s all about the journey itself, and that journey will always be ongoing. Over the course of decades as a professional performer, Kaeshammer has developed a style that weaves threads of classical, jazz, blues, boogie-woogie, stride, and even pop into a signature and sought-after sonic tapestry. CHARLIE WHITE THEATRE COVID-19 EVENT PLAN Your safety is our top priority. We are taking all measures to provide a safe, sanitized and comfortable concert setting, following the current updated regulations provided by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and Work Safe BC. For each performance, we will be selling a maximum of 50 tickets. You and your cohort will be seated with appropriate social distancing between you and the next cohort. To this end, the Mary Winspear Staff will continue to assign seats to ensure the comfort and safety of all our patrons. If you have any mobility issues or special seating requirements, it is imperative that staff is notified at the time of concert “pre-screening”. It is essential that all patrons are guaranteed their required seating and respectfully accommodated. If we do not receive these requirements at the time of “pre-screening,” we risk not having the required seating available for these patrons. Please note: all exchanges, gifting, or reselling of tickets must be done through the Mary Winspear Centre box office in order for us to conduct pre-screening, seat assignment, and contact tracing protocols. If you are feeling unwell, have any COVID-19 symptoms, have been asked to isolate, or have been around someone who has been asked to isolate, tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days, or been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days, please do not attend the concert and contact the box office. For your well-being, the Mary Winspear Centre will provide hand sanitizers and facemasks.  -Mary Winspear Centre staff will assign seats (socially distanced by cohort and/or special needs/mobility issues) in order to maintain BC Provincial Health Orders. -Staff wearing PPE. -MASKS ARE MANDATORY AND MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES, unless briefly removing to sip your beverage. -The Charlie White Theatre has recently been examined by our trusted HVAC Technician. Fresh air-flow is ensured at all times. -Designated entrance: Theatre Lobby doors (Enter from outside). -Designated exits: Theatre Lobby doors and Theatre Alcove door (Both exit to outside). -Designated washrooms: Small washrooms by the box office. -No intermission: Pre-ordered drinks will be served to you before the performance. Maximum of 2 alcoholic drinks per patron both will be given before the performance. -No paper tickets. -Cleaning/disinfecting of entire space before and after each performance. -Before any performance, all patrons will receive a phone call from Mary Winspear Centre staff for personalized service and pre-screening. -You will be assigned a designated check-in time during the pre-screening call. You must arrive within that requested time frame to complete the health check-in and review the current protocols before being permitted to enter the Charlie White Theatre. -No singing or dancing is allowed at this time for the safety of your fellow concert goers, artist(s), and staff. -No outside food and beverage permitted. You may bring a water bottle. -Come with your own cohort and maintain social distancing from others. -Mary Winspear Centre representative(s) present in-house to monitor/ensure this current COVID-19 Event plan is followed. Maximum group size is 6. Order Tickets Now Mary Winspear Centre 2243 Beacon Avenue, Sidney BC 250-656-0275 | marywinspear.ca

Last week of Salt-Water Moon! July 6-18 by David French Directed by Fran Gebhard Designed by Graham McMonagle, Giles Hogya and Emily Friesen with Pierre Schryer on fiddle Salt-Water Moon is now half-way through its run! We have wrapped up our livestream option and are now offering in-person only. If you haven't already, call our box office to secure your spot in the theatre! Reviews are in for Salt-Water Moon! "Pure giddiness..." "A perfect way to re-introduce live theatre into our lives." - Nexus Newspaper Read the whole review here Click here to buy tickets! We look forward to welcoming you back into the theatre. Box office hours - Tuesday to Saturday 12.30pm-4.30pm. 250-382-3370 2657 Quadra St, Victoria, BC Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre · 2657 Quadra St · Victoria, BC V5T 3E4 · Canada

LUCKY MAYBE Episode 1, 20 minutes ON NOW at Canada’s National Art Centre Online May 3 to August 31, 2021 Click here to watch Suddenly Dance Theatre presents A Suddenly Media Production An international collaboration: Canada / South Korea Created and Directed by David Ferguson Choreography: Hoyeon Kim and Jungha Lim Music by Miles Lowry Suddenly Dance Theatre’s Artistic co-Director David Ferguson has captured a new dance-film called LUCKY MAYBE. In December 2020, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and his cast and crew in South Korea, the director worked remotely via the internet from Victoria, BC, Canada to create the work. Suddenly Dance Theatre’s LUCKY MAYBE (Episode 1) was filmed entirely on location at Wauwoojungsa, a beautiful and sprawling temple in Yongin, South Korea. The two central characters named Horangi (Hoyeon Kim) and Gatchi (Jungha Lim) are inspired by Korean folklore and silent-film era comedy duos. Representing lost nature, old magic and luck, these out-of-time outsiders are out-of-sync in a pandemic world. Created and directed by David Ferguson, this dance film features a pulsing original soundtrack by Miles Lowry. CAPSULE is a community-responsive platform hosted by the National Arts Centre Dance Department in close collaboration with F-O-R-M and Dumb Instrument Dance. 60 short films created by Canadian dance artists are available to experience from May 3 to August 31, 2021. LUCKYY MAYBE has been supported by: The Canada Council, The BC Arts Council, CRD Arts Development, Arts Council Korea, Dab Dance Project, Seoul Dance Centre, and Dance Victoria’s Chrystal Prize and Residency Program. See LUCKY MAYBE: https://nac-cna.ca/en/video/capsule-david-ferguson

In Conversation with Makambe K Simamba: Solo Show Creation As part of our Spring Series we are offering free online programming. This artist talk will be hosted on our Facebook page at 5:30pm on Tuesday, April 20. Join Dora award winner, playwright, theatre creator and UNO Fest alum (A Chitenge Story and Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers) Makambe K Simamba for this free online artist talk. In Conversation with Intrepid’s Sean Guist, Simamba will discuss her process in creating solo work. Her past solo works have varied in their process, and in this artist talk, she shares how both A Chitenge Story and Our Fathers came to be, and the ways in which those two different creation processes were structured in order to serve each show and its needs and intentions.

"Real Life, Real Light" by Dan Eastabrook April 8th - 28th 2021 Dan Eastabrook has called Victoria home since 2009, when he came to study at the Western Academy of Photography. While enrolled, he obtained diplomas in photojournalism and advanced visual communications. He has been photographing since he obtained his first digital camera in 2001, and has covered a range of subjects from news to landscapes, and fine art to portraits. FORTUNE GALLERY 537 Fisgard Street, Victoria, BC

Canadian College of Performing Arts: Festival of New Works The Festival of New Works is this week! The two-day festival is the culmination of the Year II mentorship program. Students apply for this extra-curricular with a project proposal. Each student is then paired with a faculty member to guide them through their artistic creation project, from preparation to incubation to final presentation. It’s a unique opportunity for students to take on a leadership role by guiding their peers in a field or discipline of their choice And we are happy to introduce you to the line up! Thursday April 15 7:30pm Josie Schmalz (Choreography) I’d Tap That Tyrus Williams-Penney (Playwright) Counting the Days Adrian Palek (Directing) Surprise content advisory: mature content Hailey Sabourin (Wardrobe) Costume Presentation Jean Hart (Film) I Wanna Hold Your Hand content advisory: coarse language Heather Watt (Playwriting) Written In These Pages content advisory: depictions and discussion of substance abuse / addiction, and coarse language Sara Gargaro (Physical Theatre) Glass Girl content advisory: mature content and coarse language Emma Sainte-Marie (Musical Theatre) A Siren’s Song content advisory: mature content Madeline Jane (Choreography) Trophy Wives content advisory: mature content and coarse language Nat Glass (Playwriting) Tripping on a Root Alison Bendall (Musical Theatre) A Midsummer Musical Friday April 16 7:30pm Mackenzie Langdon (Musical Theatre) Unsung: The Unknown Villains of History content advisory: mature content and coarse language Kane O’Scalleigh (Playwriting) TBD Greg Murdoch (Directing) Arabian Nights Adrian Palek (Playwriting) The Adventures of Ronald and Finn Jaren Guerreiro (Stage Combat) Rules of Engagement content advisory: depictions of violence and death Elizabeth Fehr (Playwriting) Listen to Me content advisory: coarse language, discussions of sexual assault and rape, depictions and discussions of domestic violence, discussions of sexual assault between minors Naomi Lorenzo (Physical Theatre) Ashes Tiffany Oud (Physical Theatre) Don’t Talk About It Eilidh Tew (Playwriting) Escaping Average Cooper Hiebert (Physical Theatre) Sailing Away content advisory: mature content and depictions of domestic violence Behind The Scenes Abby McCallum (Stage Management), Grace Martin (Stage Management), Leo Livora (ASM / Props), and Hannah Kinch (Lighting). Special note: as the works are still in process, content advisories are subject to change. The latest updates will be in the digital program provided in advance on the day of the performance. Livestream admission is by donation. Suggested donation of $10.00 per evening. Ticket sales end 30 minutes before the performance. Please purchase your tickets in advance. BUY TICKETS

Beyond Enlightenment: The Best is Yet to Come Presenter: Rabbi Matt Ponak Sunday, April 25, 2021 at 7 pm on Zoom Does Judaism have an end goal for spiritual growth? Is Buddhist enlightenment the same as Hindu liberation or Christian mystical union? Religions are both traditions and innovations. Their innermost spiritual expressions change over time. In our culture, we embrace newness in technology, science, business, and the arts, but we leave spiritual innovation largely unexplored—at least openly. Religions are storehouses of tremendous wisdom that originate in ancient civilizations. However, to fully actualize their potential, we must take even their most transcendent lessons, and juxtapose them to today's needs. In Beyond Enlightenment, Rabbi Matt Ponak will explore different forms of spiritual realization—the end goals of meditative schools—from a multitude of mystical traditions. In so doing, he will paint a picture of what contemporary forms of enlightenment could look like. Contrary to the common view, the later stages of mystical progression vary quite dramatically from system to system. Could it be that new forms of spiritual development are waiting to be discovered? Rabbi Matt Ponak is a teacher and student of embodied transformation. Rabbi Matt has studied with many of this generation’s leading teachers of Jewish mysticism including Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, R. Arthur Green, R. Zvi Ish-Shalom, R. Tirzah Firestone, and R. Rami Shapiro. Also holding an MA in Contemplative Religions from the Buddhist-inspired Naropa University, Rabbi Matt weaves world wisdom with ancient Jewish insights. The presentation will be on Zoom. For information and the Zoom link contact info@congregationemanuel.ca This talk is sponsored by the Emanu-El Adult Education Team. Donations to our Adult Education fund are always welcome. You may donate ONLINE or through the office at info@congregationemanuel.ca

Karen Kaiser presents New Work April 20 - May 9, 2021 at the Gage Gallery See http://www.artopenings.ca/karen-kaiser.html

Right of Return Sanaz Sohrabi | Caroline So Jung Lee | Mona Kasra | Peng Zuqiang April 10 to May 8, 2021 online at deluge.ca Deluge Contemporary Art 636 Yates Street, Victoria BC Right of Return is an online exhibition of media works by four international artists exploring revolutionary politics, diasporic knowledge and the intersection of collective memory vs. archival evidence. Sanaz Sohrabi uses Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp and an anonymous photo taken at the Refah School in Tehran from which to consider the myriad meanings of the Persian word “temsaal.” Notes on Seeing Double incisively dismantles and reconnects these two images to consider the friable truth of representation. In 1632 Amsterdam, anatomy theatres were a form of entertainment for those who could afford it. These public dissections gained cachet the sooner they were scheduled after the state executions which provided corpses. In February 1979 in Tehran, an unknown photographer captures a thronging post-revolutionary crowd gathered to greet Ayatollah Khomeini at one of his weekly meetings. This photograph, enlarged to its limits, reveals “otherwise unnoticeable fragments, shadows, cropped objects and figures, characters who remain untouched or indiscernible. An image whose ghostly fragments and visual residues continue to linger.” Equating this to a sort of dissection, an opening up, Sohrabi asks how we can “see these factual documents of a series of historical events otherwise, outside their original frame of reference?” Caroline So Jung Lee documents a return to Korea in search of the intergenerational origin stories of the country’s nascent feminism. An interlocutor speaks of the ascending hopes for the “alpha girls” of the 80s and 90s. Raised with a belief in their own agency and a more equitable world but impeded by the seemingly inexorable forces of patriarchy and a newly fractious economy, this new generation were “expecting a world that was ready for them, but it was not.” Unsettling time, At the Bottom of the Sea shifts backwards and forwards, between the unrelenting movement of Korea’s cities, the implacable forces of nature and the furious chants of the Gwanghwamun protestors unwilling to cede their futures to the past. 16mm film grain, hand-processing and solarization both abstract and personalize these individual narratives. Twenty years after her departure, Mona Kasra seeks to recapture a memory of her former home in Tehran through satellite images, aerial and 360° photography. Inbetweenness confronts this lack of resolution, as Kasra’s search for conclusive evidence is frustrated, truth crumbling under data and time. Left to the unreliability of locative efforts, Kasra must reimagine the place she knew through the simulacra available and her own senses. “I look for traces of home everywhere. Sometimes I find it in a bowl of Persian rice. Sometimes in the loud thunder reminding me of missile attacks during the war between Iran and Iraq. Sometimes I find home on the streets of Los Angeles. It all depends…I can’t get close.” Inauguration exposes the capricious nature of oral family narratives and official records to deconstruct the compelling and unreliable story of a failed assassination that was either the work of a solitary individual or at the behest of a revolutionary organization. The “facts” say would-be assassin George Fong, who worked as a cook in Berkeley, bought a revolver and taught himself to shoot in order to dispatch visiting Prince Zaixun and help free China of Manchurian rule. Born in the USA and radicalized by the Young China Association, Fong either choked at the crucial moment—fearing he would injure bystanders in the crowd assembled to greet Zaixun—or was apprehended by a detective from the Chinatown police tipped off to the plot. Foreshadowing the 1910 event, visuals tells the story of two Chinese-Cuban activists’ attempt to attend the inauguration of the Young China Association in San Francisco a year earlier. Ultimately, Fong’s fate remains as much of a mystery as the definitive truth in Peng’s decoding of historical facts and fictions.

April Featured Artists at the Gallery at Matticks Farm: Introducing Jessica Pedersen Jessica Pedersen is a Canadian artist born in Vancouver, BC. She was raised by artist parents - her mother is a ceramic artist and her father is a painter. Jessica studied Fine Arts at Camosun College in Victoria, BC, Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver BC, and Nova Scotia University of Art and Design in Halifax - where she received her BFA. Jessica’s current body of work is inspired by nature, beauty, and observation. Jessica’s work is included in many private and corporate collections nationally and internationally. Jessica currently resides in Nanaimo, BC with her partner and two children. To see more of Jessica's work, click on link below https://www.thegalleryatmatticksfarm.com/jessica-pedersen Barbel Smith Bärbel is a Canadian by heart and German born. Her fondest memories were growing up along the shores of Lake Huron and in the woods of Muskoka. Here she spent numerous hours with her sketch book and paints capturing the fascinating Canadian landscape. Later she lived in western Canada and received her training through self – study and attending Alberta University of the Arts. studying under William Parker. Her first show was at the Muttart Public Art Gallery in Calgary.Since then, she has travelled from coast to coast capturing the colours, light, and joy in her depiction of the Canadian landscape; focusing on the emotive use of colour and line – erasing extraneous details and infusing her paintings with a spiritual vision. Numerous layers of glazing give her paintings a glow - as if lit from within.She was recently featured in a magazine article titled “Light in the Landscape”; has taught art classes for over a decade and a half and currently resides in a country home surrounded by forest where she paints full time. See link below for more of Barbel's work https://www.thegalleryatmatticksfarm.com/barbel-smith Lisa Roy I am a painter splitting my time between Oakville, Ontario and our little escape on beautiful Salt Spring Island, British Columbia where I work out of my seaside studio surrounded by fresh sea air, sailboats and the sounds of nature (and our neighbour's chickens).Born in Northern Ontario, I am a graduate of Sheridan’s fine art and graphic design programs.After 18 years as an art director and graphic designer in editorial design, branding and advertising, I left my career behind and spent eight years as an expat in Ireland and Dubai. My travels became a huge inspiration in my work. Upon returning to Canada, I studied intuitive abstract expressionism and after a career of precision and staying within the lines, I discovered the energy that comes from painting intuitively rather than focusing solely on what I see. My art can be found in private collections internationally. Click on link below to view more of Lisa's work https://www.thegalleryatmatticksfarm.com/lisa-roy On behalf of myself, my staff and all our local and Canadian artists we have the honour of representing I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you! This has been a crazy, scary and trying year and we're not out of the wood yet. I'm so grateful for all the support we've received from our clients and community this past 12 months! Be safe With gratitude Dawn The Gallery At Matticks Farm Inc. 109-5325 Cordova Bay Victoria, BC V8Y 2L3 Phone: (250) 658-8333

Jeremy Herndl: Human Nature April 10 - 24, 2021 Madrona Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new paintings by Jeremy Herndl. "Human Nature" is a collection of work that combines the natural landscape with big industry, inviting viewers to look at the beautiful and often contradictory connections between humans and their surrounding environment. Of these works, Herndl says "As a landscape painter, ideas about land use, colonialism, privilege, and environment shape the way I look at places. I am interested in the stories embedded in place and how people and place are intertwined and expressive of one another. More and more, I am learning about how the body is affected by the environment, the air and water, and how that environment is shaped by human use." Jeremy Herndl received his bachelor of fine arts from NSCAD in 1996 and his master of applied arts from Emily Carr in 2011. In 2019, Herndl was the recipient of the Helen Frankenthaler Fellowship and is currently the artist in residence for the Fairy Creek blockade. For further details on the exhibition, please contact the gallery or visit www.madronagallery.com Image: Jeremy Herndl, "Natural Habitat", 48 x 54, Oil on Canvas