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the quality of creative engagement in the Okanagan through publications and events.
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Spark & Tinder
STOKING THE CREATIVE FIRE
» Thursday 30 April 2009 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing ideas
and people in the Okanagan creative economy. Join writer and ecologist Don Gayton, filmmaker and creative director James Dow, and artistic director and choreographer David LaHay as they
explore the value of creativity in tough times.
» $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
Creative Leaders Explore Why Culture is Especially Relevant in a Recession
Great minds are creative minds. Great minds don't think like everyone else. When everyone zigs, they zag. When everyone panics, creative minds search for answers. Right now in the midst of this economic recession, it is the creative minds that will not only survive but thrive. And the arts are where many of the most creative minds come to play.
On Thursday, April 30th at 5 pm the ongoing weekly Okanagan Institute Express series at the Bohemian Café presents Spark and Tinder: Stoking the Creative Fire, which brings together three talented and thought-provoking individuals: award-winning BC writer and grassland ecologist Don Gayton, local filmmaker and CHBC creative director James Dow, and Ballet Kelowna artistic director David LaHay.
LaHay believes it's vital that communities consider culture as an investment for the future. "The creative economy is about our investment in our personal and community well-being," LaHay says. "Cultures and nationalities are quite often defined by the amount of time, energy and financial commitment invested in all the arts and the depth of regard for artists. Quite often it is left to the artist to protest and instigate change in times of political and economic unease."
Another consideration is the role culture plays in connecting the individual to the larger experience.
"Sure we can draw a straight line from culture to the economy, but for me that line also passes through the heart," Gayton says. "Local culture helps me understand and love the Okanagan. When we care about a place, we're going to build local economies that are more sustainable."
It's the job of the creative economy to ensure that it offers a constant mirror to see ourselves even at times when institutions such as Canadian television appear to be under fire, says Dow.
"In many cases - especially during bleak times - television and film can be a cultural reflection on who and what we are as a society. If we are attuned to that, there are opportunities to invest and build the film industry locally. Right now the Okanagan is in a great position to exploit those opportunities."
 James Dow is the Creative Director at CHBC Television and a partner in the digital media production company TechYou Media. As a broadcast television writer/producer/director, Dow has garnered numerous regional, national and international awards for documentary, commercial and promotional production. From 2001-2003 he was a director with the Okanagan Film Commission. He's currently developing several television properties for presentation to the national networks.
 Don Gayton is an ecologist and author of several award-winning works of creative non-fiction, including Interwoven Wild (Thistledown, 2007), Kokanee (New Star, 2003), Landscapes of the Interior (New Society, 1997) and the enduring Wheatgrass Mechanism (Fifth House, 1990). He's currently working on Okanagan Odyssey: A Journey Through Terrain, Terroir and Culture. Don lives in Summerland, BC, where he works as a grassland ecologist.
 David LaHay is the founding Artistic Director of Ballet Kelowna and brings many years of expertise to his directorship as a performer, teacher, ballet master and director. He enjoyed a long and successful career as principal dancer with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (Montreal) and was guest artist with The Royal Swedish Ballet (Stockholm), The Alberta Ballet (Calgary) and The Cuban International Dance Festival (Havana).
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Spark and Tinder: Stoking the Creative Fire takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 88th event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007. Express has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, community activist Don Elzer, dancer David LaHay, architect Jim Meiklejohn, culinary artist and writer Heidi Noble, broadcaster Marion Barschel and others from a wide range of creative fields.
A very special event coming up in early May - book your seats today:
 A Celebration of the Culinary Arts
At Okanagan College Infusions
Thursday May 7, 5-9pm
A Stimulating Evening of Entertainment,
Artisanal Food and Liquid Refreshments
» For information and tickets, click HERE. |
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