West Kootenay Regional Arts Council

Castlegar - Oots Open Mic ft. Jayne Karma Lamo & the Interbeings
2026-04-12 17:30 - 21:00 (America/Vancouver) | Harry’s Hall, 1119 Columbia Rd., Castlegar, British Columbia, V1N4L7, Canada
Monthly Open Mic with feature act. Saturday April 12th at Castlegar’s newest, hippest venue… Come on out, we’d love to see you perform, watch, dance or simply hang out… All arts disciplines welcomed.
All ages, by donation event.
Let’s go Castlegar/Oots and beyond!
Doors open at 5:30pm
Music starts at 6:00pm
Feature Act at 8:00pm
Food and drinks available.
This month’s feature act: Jayne Karma Lamo and the Interbeings
Jayne Karma Lamo & The Interbeings are an emerging, femme-fronted, neuro-spicy Kootenay act playing all original post-grunge, alt rock, dream-pop / shoegaze, with undertones reminiscent of The Cranberries, PJ Harvey, Emma Ruth Rundle, Radiohead and Tool. Audiences are loving their unique & super tight sets, and are utterly captivated by Jayne’s ethereal signature vocals, emotional lyrical content, and brain-tingling, catchy melodies. Jayne is backed by Ryan Hagen on bass, Steve Wilson / Lee Campese on drums, and Nelson from Nelson on guitar – local Kootenay favourites, and is planning to record another killer album this Spring with Juno award-winning producer Roger Swan.
Website: https://jaynekarmalamo.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaynekarmalamo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaynekarmalamo
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1QrONa5msW5C3taGeeSok6
BandCamp: http://jaynekarmalamo.bandccamp.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jaynekarmalamo

Nelson - Fresh Starts: Hand Mending Workshop
2026-04-17 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Vancouver) | Nelson Public Library, 602 Stanley St, Nelson, British Columbia, V1L 1N4, Canada
Join the Nelson Public Library and West Kootenay Fibreshed for a hand mending workshop to learn how to fix worn or ripped clothing.
WK Fibreshed members will be on hand to guide the session and encourage peer-to-peer learning.
Materials provided for simple mending projects.
All welcome and no registration necessary!

Salmo - Your Story, Your Stage Performance Workshops Day 1
2026-04-18 11:00 - 17:00 (America/Vancouver) | Salmo Art Church, 304 Main St., Salmo, V0G1Z0
Improv, hosting, drag, dance, poetry, feedback (bring something to share and we’ll help you shine). A weekend to learn from performance pros. A stage to try something new (or just to have fun doing what you love). Suggested ages 15+
The Sunday showcase is optional but encouraged. It’s an open mic with a supportive audience. Priority stage spots go to workshop participants
$10 per workshop
$20 for the full two days of workshops
Free spots available (or by donation)
*REGISTER HERE*

All workshops and the showcase take place at the Salmo Art Church EXCEPT for the dance workshop with Fabiola Gascon, which will be held in the SVYCC multipurpose room.
Dates and times:
Saturday, April 18th
11 – 1 – THE CONFIDENCE TO FAIL – INTRO TO IMPROV W MICHELLE HART
1:30 – 3:30 – OWN THE MIC: HOSTING WITH DRAG, COMEDY, AND CONFIDENCE W ELLA L’AMOUREUX
4 – NO LIMITS: MAKE A DIY SHOW AT ANY LEVEL W KARMELLE AKA ALGORERHYTHM

Sunday, April 19th
11 – 1 – FUSION FLOW: LATIN & CONTEMPORARY DANCE W FABIOLA GASCON OF TAPATIA COLLECTIVE *this workshop only — takes place in the Salmo Valley Youth and Community Centre’s multipurpose room*
1:30 – FROM PAGE TO STAGE: THE ART OF SPOKEN WORD WITH KAI HARWOOD
3 – PRE-SHOWCASE FEEDBACK W KARMELLE AKA ALGORERHYTHM
6:30/7 – SHOWCASE HOSTED BY CHERYL COOK

A Super Normal Productions project
Generously supported by the CKCA.

Salmo – Your Story, Your Stage Performance Workshops Day 2
2026-04-19 11:00 - 20:30 (America/Vancouver) | Salmo Art Church, 304 Main St., Salmo, V0G1Z0

Rossland - Speaker Aerin Bowers: Swimming the English Channel
2026-04-23 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Vancouver) | Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre, 1100 Hwy 3B | Junction of Hwys 3B & 22, Rossland, BC, V0G 1Y0, Canada
At 2:30 am on June 29th, 2025, Rosslander Aerin Bowers set out to swim the English Channel. Sixteen hours and 33 minutes later, she walked onto a beach in France. The marathon feat was a culmination of a dream — and years of training. Come out to the Museum at 6 pm on Thursday, April 23rd, to hear the whole story, from training and logistical challenges to battling tides and encounters with jellyfish!
Entry by Donation. Treats/refreshments provided.
More info/RSVP at rosslandmuseum.ca/news/2026/april-speaker

Nelson - ALL TOGETHER NOW: Singing Event with Luke Wallace
2026-04-24 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Vancouver) | Nelson United Church, 602 Silica Street, Nelson, British Columbia, V1L 4N1, Canada
Join songwriter Luke Wallace and a collection of Nelson Singers for a night of uplifting harmony rooted in justice and ecology.
Luke Wallace is a dynamic force in the world of folk music, using his talent as a songwriter, speaker, and choral arranger to champion environmental causes and inspire positive change. Hailing from the Coast Salish Territory known as Vancouver, Canada, Luke has been on a decade-long journey of touring, recording, and organizing for the betterment of people and the planet.
Presented by West Kootenay Climate Hub and Earth Days Nelson & Area, ALL TOGETHER NOW is a mix between a song circle and performance. Part concert and part audience harmony workshop, this evening of collective music brings voices together in soidarity and love for the Earth.
Luke is like a modern Pete Seeger. From the moment he hits the stage, he has the audience singing about positive change. We desperately need that and we need him on stages all across our Country right now! He doesn’t back down but he doesn’t alienate people either. He’s a perfect voice for right now.” – Doug Cox
Doors @ 6:30PM Show @7:00PM
Nelson United Church
Tickets at Eventbrite

Creston - Dancing on Mountains: Women of the Kootenays
2026-04-25 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Vancouver) | Creston Legion, 137 11 Ave N, Creston, British Columbia, V0B 1G0, Canada
Dancing on Mountains: Women of the Kootenays
edited by Luanne Armstrong
A new collection of stories that is a celebration of the brilliant, radical essence of the women of the Kootenays is just out from Caitlin Press. The book was compiled and edited by award winning editor and author, Luanne Armstrong. Dancing on Mountains is a collection of inspiring and eclectic stories written by women from across geography and time, each of whom has been drawn to take root in the mystic, beautiful Kootenays. In their own words, these women—teachers, artists, musicians, writers, entrepreneurs and environmentalists—share stories that embody the spirit of the Kootenays. From fleeing the US draft alongside the men of the sixties and pushing against traditional gender roles and sexism, to reclaiming Indigenous identities, calling out environmental threats and fighting for our climate today, these stories span the spectrum of human experience.
Nestled among pristine lakes, powerful rivers and awe-inducing mountain ranges, the Kootenay region of British Columbia has always drawn a distinctly adventurous crowd. The dramatic and somewhat isolated landscape has long been a fertile ground for artists, musicians, back-to- the-landers, hippies, environmentalists, free thinkers, and those seeking to escape the confines of big cities to the east and west and the political dynamics to the south. Others have called the area home for millennia—the Sinixt Nation, which spans the interior plateau of BC and extends beyond the areas now known as the Kootenay region, and the Ktunaxa Nation, which have long resided on the lands and waters of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers and beyond the confines of our colonial borders. Today, the Kootenay region is a hub of farming, arts, culture and counterculture in British Columbia and the contributors for this fascinating anthology represent the wide, culturally diverse and fascinating variety of women’s stories.
The book is available in bookstores or can be ordered from Caitlin Press.
https://caitlinpress.com/
The Creston Book launch will be held Saturday, April 25th, at 2 pm.
Readers will be Maureen Cameron, Ilana Cameron, Paula Snow, Polly Wilson and Yvette Schenkel. Our bookseller will be Joe Fraser of Kingfisher Books. Coffee by Lark Roasters.

Nelson - Storytelling Workshop: Dreaming in the Chrysalis
2026-04-25 15:30 - 17:30 (America/Vancouver) | Kiwanis Villa Community Hall, 700 Gordon Rd., (Access via Radio Ave.), Nelson, Canada
In collaboration with Storytelling Nelson. An afternoon of story, poetry and ideas.
Storyteller and theatre practitioner Gail Nyoka leads you through an interactive program.
Hear the story of Sedna, the woman who transforms into the Goddess of the Sea. What will this story mean to you?
Participate in techniques developed by playwright Augusto Boal and his Theatre of the Oppressed (no acting experience required or expected).
You are invited to play.

Winlaw - Slocan Valley Threads Guild Yard & Yardage
2026-04-26 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Vancouver) | Slocan Valley Threads Guild,, 7112 Perrys Back Road, Winlaw, V0G 2J0
Fabric, yarn, notions, equipment, plants and books for fibre-related activities for sale at reasonable prices outside under tents.
Lunch, snacks, coffee etc.
Display of members’ work inside the hall.
Lots of socializing too at this valued annual community event.

Slocan Valley Threads Guild
7112 Perry’s Back Road in Appledale. It’s a left turn off Highway 6, a few minutes north of Winlaw.

Rossland - Speaker Aerin Bowers: Swimming the English Channel
2026-04-30 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Vancouver) | Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre, 1100 Hwy 3B | Junction of Hwys 3B & 22, Rossland, BC, V0G 1Y0, Canada
At 2:30 am on June 29th, 2025, Rosslander Aerin Bowers set out to swim the English Channel. Sixteen hours and 33 minutes later, she walked onto a beach in France. The marathon feat was a culmination of a dream — and years of training.
Come out to the Museum at 6 pm on Thursday, April 30th, to hear the whole story, from training and logistical challenges to battling tides and encounters with jellyfish!
Entry by Donation. Treats/refreshments provided.
More info/RSVP at rosslandmuseum.ca/news/2026/april-speaker

Creston Valley Bird Festival
2026-05-08 08:00 - 2026-05-11 17:00 (America/Vancouver) | Rotacrest Hall, 230 19 Ave N, Creston, BC, V0B 1G5
Celebrate the birds, art, and the agriculture of the Creston Valley.
Get ready to spread your wings and join us for an unforgettable celebration of feathered friends and the vital wetlands they call home during their annual migration north.
The Creston Valley Bird Festival is an exciting event that takes place every second weekend in May, where you’ll get the chance to explore and deepen your appreciation for the great outdoors with presentations, hikes, field trips, and tours with our expert bird guides.

Paint It Black: on overcoming perfection in art with Nik Black
2026-05-15 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Vancouver) | The Opal Door, online only
Now in its fourth year, Nik Black will be hosting this online only event. Open to any artist who wishes to overcome the burden of perfection and make some really unusual work, in a safe and supportive environment.
It begins with a live opening chat with the artist, a review of the materials that could be used, and a first few marks. Nik will answer your questions and offer some tips on how to navigate the rush of art making/destruction.
The only supplies needed are ones you already have, and a tool of obliteration. Nik uses black paint and after 14 days of creating goes live to destroy everything. (These papers are then utilized in other projects, we will talk about this too!)
This process is based on an exercise found in Art and Fear a book by David Bayles. This is suggested reading before or during the event. Please focus on the many pots vs single pot discussion.
Discover how destruction can free you from perfectionism and reignite your passion to play

Creston Clay Fest
2026-08-15 10:00 - 16:00 (America/Edmonton) | Eversfield Ceramics, 1522 Airport Road, Creston
Local Potters invite the public to learn, play, and explore the world of ceramics. Refreshments and interactive kids table available throughout the day. Fun for all ages!
