West Kootenay Regional Arts Council

Deep Roots exhibition opening
2025-06-06 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Vancouver) | Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery, 502 Vernon Street, Nelson, V1L 4E7, Canada
Deep Roots is the latest art/history exhibition at the Nelson Museum, which aims to explore the history of West Kootenay forestry industry, the attitudes and actions of our community to forest resources and the continuing importance of forest management to people, the environment and the economy. The exhibition examines our community’s relationship to the forest environment-both past and present, told through archival images, items from the collection, contemporary art and photography, film, and published articles.
This event is FREE and open to the public.

Painted floor cloth workshop
2025-06-07 10:00 - 14:30 | Taghum Hall, 5915 Taghum Hall Rd, Nelson, V1L 6Y4
A two-part workshop teaches participants to create their own painted floorcloth: decorative mats for home and hearth. Instructor Lily Mayall’s own beautiful floorcloths embrace playful narratives, but workshop-goers are free tell their own tales. All materials are provided; more information and registration at taghumhall.ca for this workshop—a Taghum Hall kitchen renovation benefit—which runs Saturday, May 24 and Saturday, June 7, from 10am – 2:30pm.

Summer Lovin’ FREE Thursdays
2025-06-12 16:00 - 20:00, 2025-06-19 16:00 - 20:00, 2025-06-26 16:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-03 16:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-10 16:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-17 16:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-24 16:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-31 16:00 - 20:00 and 5 more dates | Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery, 502 Vernon Street, Nelson, V1L 4E7, Canada
Come on down to the Nelson Museum on Thursday evenings, where you can visit the galleries, museum, and shop for FREE. 4-8pm every Thursday.

The Mosquitos – New Absurdist Theatre
2025-06-12 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-06-13 19:00 - 21:00 | The Capitol Theatre, 421 Victoria Street, Nelson, British Columbia, V1L 5R2, Canada
Material Theatre Presents:

THE MOSQUITOS
“Things are changing rather quickly. We no longer share a reality”.
A group of old friends get together for a dinner party, while rumours of an unimaginable change swirl around them. How will they face total transformation?
An absurd comedy of manners with an existential heart, The Mosquitos is original new theatre written and directed by Slocan Valley playwright Marya Folinsbee. With equal parts humour and pathos, The Mosquitos reconsiders our place in the ecosystem, asking;
How do we create a coherent life together when we understand the world so differently?
A meditation on politics, relationships, (mis)information and the role of art in making meaning, The Mosquitos is inspired by absurdist classics like Eugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros and Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days (and, by life in these times).
This world premiere features a talented ensemble of local performers and artistic team:
Written and Directed by Marya Folinsbee
Featuring Performances by:
Emily Ryan
Kozmo Sammartino
Roger Carter
Patricia McLaughlin
Karmelle Spence-Sing
Lindsay Clague
James Shaw
Aaron Pickett
Mike Funergy
Sound Designer Jeremy Sauer
Projection Designer Brian Lye
Mask & Puppet Designer Elaine Weryshko
Stage Manager Martina Avis
Technical Director Terry Brennan
Production Designer Marya Folinsbee
Creation support from The Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance.
Production support from The BC Arts Council.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

www.materialtheatre.ca

The Mosquitos – New Absurdist Theatre
2025-06-12 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-06-13 19:30 - 21:30 | The Capitol Theatre, 421 Victoria Street, Nelson, British Columbia, V1L 5R2, Canada
“Things are changing rather quickly. We no longer share a reality”.

A group of old friends get together for a dinner party, while rumours of an unimaginable change swirl around them.
How do we face total transformation?
An absurd comedy of manners with an existential heart, The Mosquitos is original new theatre written and directed by Slocan Valley playwright Marya Folinsbee. With equal parts humour and pathos, The Mosquitos reconsiders our place in the ecosystem, asking:How do we live in the world together when we have fundamentally different versions of reality?

A meditation on politics, relationships, (mis)information and the role of art in creating meaning, The Mosquitos is inspired by absurdist classics like Eugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros and Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days (and by life in these times).

This world premiere features a talented ensemble of local performers and artists:
Written and Directed by Marya Folinsbee
Featuring Performances by:
Emily RyanKozmo SammartinoRoger CarterPatricia McLaughlinKarmelle Spence-SingLindsay ClagueJames ShawAaron PickettMike Funergy

Sound Designer Jeremy SauerProjection Designer Brian LyeMask & Puppet Designer Elaine WeryshkoStage Manager Martina AvisTechnical Director Terry BrennanProduction Designer Marya Folinsbee

Creation support from The Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance.Production support from The BC Arts Council.We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
#BringingTheArtsToLife #Kootenayartist #Nelsonbc

The Mosquitos – New Absurdist Theatre
2025-06-12 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-06-13 19:30 - 21:30 | The Capitol Theatre, 421 Victoria Street, Nelson, British Columbia, V1L 5R2, Canada
“Things are changing rather quickly. We no longer share a reality”.
A group of old friends get together for a dinner party, while rumours of an unimaginable change swirl around them. How will they face total transformation?
An absurd comedy of manners with an existential heart, The Mosquitos is original new theatre written and directed by Slocan Valley playwright Marya Folinsbee. With equal parts humour and pathos, The Mosquitos reconsiders our place in the ecosystem, asking;
How do we create a coherent life together when we understand the world so differently?
A meditation on politics, relationships, (mis)information and the role of art in making meaning, The Mosquitos is inspired by absurdist classics like Eugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros and Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days (and, by life in these times).
This world premiere features a talented ensemble of local performers and artistic team:
Written and Directed by Marya Folinsbee
Featuring Performances by:
Emily Ryan
Kozmo Sammartino
Roger Carter
Patricia McLaughlin
Karmelle Spence-Sing
Lindsay Clague
James Shaw
Aaron Pickett
Mike Funergy
Sound Designer Jeremy Sauer
Projection Designer Brian Lye
Mask & Puppet Designer Elaine Weryshko
Stage Manager Martina Avis
Technical Director Terry Brennan
Production Designer Marya Folinsbee
Creation support from The Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance.
Production support from The BC Arts Council.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts

Dark Chapters closing event with David Garneau
2025-06-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery, 502 Vernon Street, Nelson, V1L 4E7, Canada
David Garneau returns to the Nelson Museum with guests Susan Musgrave, Paul Seesequasis, and Fred Wah, for an artist talk and reading event, featuring excerpts from the Dark Chapters publication and amongst the artworks in Gallery A. This event is free and open to the public.
Rocks and books, bones and shadows—studied in isolation, interpreted by 17 leading artists, poets, essayists, and academics from across the country—come together in Dark Chapters, a striking project by Métis artist David Garneau. Presented as both a touring exhibition and a publication, Dark Chapters explores the tension and balance between everyday objects and powerful cultural symbols.
David Garneau (Métis) is a Professor of Visual Arts at the University of Regina. He is a painter, curator, and writer who engages creative and critical expressions of Indigenous contemporary ways of knowing, being, and doing. In 2023, he received the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Art: Outstanding Achievement and was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada.

FrancoFête 2025: catapult, bocce and guinguette!
2025-06-22 12:00 - 19:00 | Lakeside Park, 1900 Lakeside Dr., Nelson, V1L 5S4, Canada
Get ready for Francofête 2025!
Join us on June 22nd from 12 to 7 pm at Lakeside Park for a day packed with French culture and community spirit. Dive into a bocce tournament, join an epic poutine-eating contest, sip on delicious drinks from our guinguette-style bar, and enjoy a slam poetry performance. It’s a family-friendly event that’s completely free — come and celebrate with us! Discover the richness of the French language and the warmth of francophone Visit afko.ca/francofete-2025 for more details. Let’s make it a day to remember!

Incandescence
2025-06-24 19:00 - 21:00 | The Capitol Theatre, 421 Victoria Street, Nelson, British Columbia, V1L 5R2, Canada
Incandescence, a National Film Board of Canada production, is an immersive cinematic experience that weaves together on-the-ground footage with extraordinary stories of survival and adaptation that transform our understanding of wildfire.
Wildfires are burning with increasing intensity around the world. Following the rhythms of the seasons, Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper’s Incandescence is an immersive cinematic experience, weaving on-the-ground footage with extraordinary stories of survival and adaptation that transform our understanding of wildfire. The film takes shape from the ancient patterns embodied in fire: destruction, aftermath and rebirth. From the flightpath of bees to an osprey’s aerial perspective, floating over the landscape: the Earth comes back.
This important documentary provides insight into the devastating impact of the Okanagan wildfires in recent years, highlighting the personal stories of affected individuals and the environmental consequences that resulted. Join the directors Ami and Ripper after the screening for a community post-screening Q & A.
This event is presented by the Capitol Theatre.

Starbelly Jam Music Festival
2025-07-18 17:00 - 2025-07-20 22:00 | Crawford Bay
NOT TOO BIG, NOT TOO SMALL…

Starbelly Jam is a special festival; great entertainment, great food, great people, lots of happy kids and room to play — we’ve deliberately steered the festival away from getting too big or becoming too crowded; this festival’s success is all about the celebration of life through music, friendship and having a fun time for all in a safe and secure environment.

Opening Reception: kt̓kmin uɬ c̓ik̓ʷm (mark and make light)
2025-07-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Oxygen Art Centre, 320 Vernon St Unit-3, Nelson, British Columbia, V1L 4E4, Canada
Join us at our Opening Reception for kt̓kmin uɬ c̓ik̓ʷm (mark and make light), an exhibition by artists Manuel Axel-Strain and Kalli Van Stone, on Friday, July 18, 2025, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Oxygen Art Centre.

The artists, Manny + Kalli, will be in attendance and we’re very excited to share the new body of work they develop while in residence from July 14 to July 18, 2025. Light refreshments will be provided and the event is free to attend.

More information about the artists and the project can be found here.

Please contact info[at]oxygenartcentre[dot]org with any questions about the event, access to the facility, or for more information about the project.

InSight: Creative Soma Studio
2025-07-26 13:00 - 16:00 | Sanctuary Art Therapy, 406 Josephine St #203, Nelson, V1L 1W3
Join in on a gentle journey inward through somatic inquiry and art therapy. Using focusing oriented art therapy techniques we’ll explore a felt sense to experience the body’s innate wisdom to guide us towards new insight and self awareness.

Waking Up The Park
2025-08-09 10:00 - 2025-08-10 16:00 | Vallican Whole Community Centre, 3762 Little Slocan South Road, Vallican, British Columbia, V0G2J0, Canada
Join us at the Vallican Whole on the weekend of August 9 – 10 to celebrate the re-opening of the Sculpture Park. Originally opened in 2010, the park has been quietly slumbering until this year, when some of our best local artists have installed new wonderful sculptures to awaken it.
Come walk the forest pathways and discover the magical visions and presences, and visit the indoor gallery where there will be a new show by local artists for the duration of the weekend. Take part in art making workshops for all ages – a hands-on opportunity to use natural and recycled materials creatively. On Sunday, enjoy music by the duo Tunupa The Cosmic Gardeners (Eva Tree and Bill Dickerson) between 1 and 3 pm, and a barbecue from 12 to 2pm.
This is a FREE event, sponsored by the Columbia Basin Culture Tour. Sculpture park and gallery will be open 10 – 4 both days. See you there!

Valhalla Wilderness Society Film Screening – Safe Haven
2025-08-12 19:00 - 20:30 | North Shore Hall, 675 Whitmore Rd, Nelson, BC, V1L 6H7, Canada
All are invited to a screening of Damien Gillis and Valhalla Wilderness Society’s new film, Safe Haven: The Rainbow-Jordan Wilderness. The 30 minute film will be followed by a presentation by Valhalla Wilderness Society biologist and campaigner Amber Peters, including stunning photography from 25 years of research in British Columbia’s inland temperate rainforest.
North Shore Hall – 675 Whitmore Rd, Nelson, BC V1L 6H7.
Doors open at 6:30pm. Film starts at 7pm.
Admission by donation.
This event is being hosted by the Valhalla Wilderness Society. The Rainbow-Jordan Wilderness proposal was designed to protect a globally significant Inland Temperate Rainforest near Revelstoke, BC. Since 2017 Valhalla Wilderness Society has studied the incredible biodiversity of this intact wilderness area that was previously unknown to science. Two years of filming in the proposal’s ancient forest led to the creation of Safe Haven. The film is a call to action for British Columbians to support the campaign to protect three remaining biodiversity havens of the inland temperate rainforest.
Contact info (at) vws.org for more information.
Please spread the word and come show your support!
