Art & Culture

Black Bear Review Magazine Launch

Selkirk College returns to the Nelson Museum this spring for the launch of the 9th print edition of Black Bear Review! This event features readings from the talented students and community members showcased in the magazine. Refreshments will be served, admission by donation.

Oh Pray Tell

BC group with “sass and grace” – gorgeous harmonies, body percussion and movement, experimental folklore.

Kootenay EcoFest

A two day festival, on May 24th and 25th, focused on building community by reconnecting to nature through local waste reduction solutions, live demonstrations, inspiring learning opportunities, and local arts and cultural experiences. Enjoy workshops, tours, demos, a repair cafe, a recycle market and live entertainment. Review festival schedule here. Festival hosted at Bear Spring Eco Retreat.

Single day festival ticket $55. Two day festival pass $90 (two day student pass $60, age 16 and up with student ID). Children 16 and under FREE when accompanied by a parent. Purchase lunches for $15 each. Purchase festival tickets here.

Write Off the Bat! Awards Night

In late February, a draft of writers (a scribble? An epic?) came together for a marathon writing weekend. Two accomplished jurors read all 24 submissions with an eye to the quality of the writing, originality, and how they addressed the assigned theme. Who won? Come find out! Hear some winning words, and have a great evening celebrating creativity. It’s free!

Revival *Album Release Event* Art Show & Live-Performance

*Album Release Day*

Saturday March 29th
Doors Open 1:30pm
Artist Talk/Show 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Live-Music Performance 5:00 – 7:00pm
Door Price $10-15
*Food and Tea/Coffee Available for purchase

The project known as ‘Revival’ is a creative outpouring by folk artist Ru Rose. Revival showcases a deeply sincere full length conceptual debut album of 12 original sacred folk songs recorded Live-Off-The-Forest-Floor in the mountains of the unceded and ancestral territories of the Sinixt and Ktunaxa nations, also known as the Kootenays of British Columbia. Interwoven with the songs of the album is a series of 12 intricate paintings created with hand-made inks, dyes and paints.

With deep gratitude for the support of Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia in making this creation possible, and for the Columbia Basin Trust and the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance for supporting this Album release community event.

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Original Songs / Concept / Production / Vocals / Acoustic Guitar / Shruti Box / Native Drum / Painting by Ru Rose Cabodyna
Sound Engineer / Bass / Percussion / Support Vocals / Banjo by Kai Cabodyna
Percussion (Kins Domain/Sowing Seeds) / Support Vocals (Kins Domain) by Indiana Cabodyna
Violin by Shawn Fisher
Lead Guitar (Sowing Seeds) by Amir Derakhashan
Support Vocals (the Womb) by Vanessa Deverell
Sound Engineering / Mix by Barry Jones of Sincerity Studios Mastering by Tyrell Jordan of Arrow Lake Recordings

www.rurose.earth/shows

Revival – Art Show & Live Performance at SOMA

Saturday April 5th
Doors Open 1:30pm
Artist Talk/Show 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Live-Music Performance 5:00 – 7:00pm
Door Price $10-15

The project known as ‘Revival’ is a creative outpouring by folk artist Ru Rose. Revival showcases a deeply sincere full length conceptual debut album of 12 original sacred folk songs recorded Live-Off-The-Forest-Floor in the mountains of the unceded and ancestral territories of the Sinixt and Ktunaxa nations, also known as the Kootenays of British Columbia. Interwoven with the songs of the album is a series of 12 intricate paintings created with hand-made inks, dyes and paints.

With deep gratitude for the support of Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia in making this creation possible, and for the Columbia Basin Trust and the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance for supporting this Album release community event.
.
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Original Songs / Concept / Production / Vocals / Acoustic Guitar / Shruti Box / Native Drum / Paintings by Ru Rose Cabodyna
Sound Engineer / Bass / Percussion / Support Vocals / Banjo by Kai Cabodyna
Percussion (Kins Domain/Sowing Seeds) / Support Vocals (Kins Domain) by Indiana Cabodyna
Violin by Shawn Fisher
Lead Guitar (Sowing Seeds) by Amir Derakhashan
Support Vocals (the Womb) by Vanessa Deverell
Sound Engineering / Mix by Barry Jones of Sincerity Studios Mastering by Tyrell Jordan of Arrow Lake Recordings

www.rurose.earth/shows

Museum Mash!

Lucas Myers & Krista Lynch, Lance Ledger, and the Nelson Writing Salon return to the Nelson Museum for everyone’s favourite FREE children’s program–Museum Mash! Explore the building, get crafty with puppet-making, sing and dance, and have a blast! There’s lots of room to run and play, and no shushing here!

Debert Bunker: By Invitation Only film screening

Outside a military base in Debert, Nova Scotia, on a cold day in February 1984, a small but mighty group of women harnessed the power of performance art, protest, and the media—and captured the attention of the entire country.

That same day in February, 329 people were planning on using the bunker for rehearsal of a nuclear attack—nearly all of them white, middle-aged men with government or military leadership roles; only 11 women were on the list.

Months earlier, women from all over the Maritimes began planning for a multi-faceted day of action, dubbed Debunk Debert. The group arranged radio interviews on CBC morning shows, arranged for men to handle the day’s cooking, cleaning, and childcare, and staged a protest at Camp Debert, the location of Atlantic Canada’s only cold war bunker.

The protesters’ message was clear: while these men continue government from inside the bunker, what is happening to the women and children you’ve left behind? How do you continue government, or humanity, without a second generation? Documentary filmmaker Liz MacDougall explores these questions and covers the protest in her 1985 documentary Debert Bunker: By Invitation Only, screening Friday, March 14 in the Cold War Bunker, presented by the Nelson Museum to celebrate International Women’s Day.

The screening of Debert Bunker: By Invitation Only is at 6:30pm on Friday, March 14, followed by an open discussion with Anna Purcell and Tressa Ford. Tickets are $10 for museum members and $15 for the general public and includes a reproduction of the ‘Debunk Debert’ buttons created for the original protest.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the Front Desk or online. Space is limited for this one-time only event.

Stephen Fearing & The Sentimentals

Stephen Fearing & The Sentimentals Revered Canadian songwriter Stephen Fearing and the award-winning Scandinavian indie-folk band The Sentimentals share a mutual passion for crafting evocative melodies and refined musical interplay that leave audiences cheering. Combining their shared admiration for classic Tin Pan Alley songwriting and storytelling with richly textured soundscapes, they have forged a singular musical voice that is authentic and refreshingly inventive. Since joining forces in 2018, Stephen Fearing & The Sentimentals have lit up stages across Europe and Canada, delivering performances defined by an unforgettable blend of masterful songwriting and intricate musicianship. This collaboration is beautifully captured on Fearing’s 2022 album Vejpoesi (road poems), where The Sentimentals’ instrumentation deepens the emotional resonance of Fearing’s lyrics and melodies. Recorded in just three days at Maskinhallen, a theater in Frederikshavn, Denmark, these sessions reveal The Sentimentals’ extraordinary ability to reimagine and elevate Fearing’s seasoned material. Together, Stephen Fearing & The Sentimentals have created a rich musical expression focussed on artistic exploration. Their partnership seamlessly weaves traditional roots influences with subtle experimentation, resulting in performances and recordings that are both emotionally stirring and artistically groundbreaking.

Advance Tickets $40
At the Door $45

Dark Chapters opening reception

The Dark Chapters project encompasses the renowned career of Métis artist and educator David Garneau, through the dual lens of exhibition and publication. The book, Dark Chapters: Reading the Still Lives of David Garneau, invites 17 Canadian artists and academics to write a response – poetry, creative writing, critical essay – to one of Garneau’s vast collection of still life paintings. The exhibition features works from the publication as well as additional pieces chosen by Garneau. Dark Chapters offers myriad ways to investigate how the written word can implicate, illuminate, and interpret artworks.

Dark Chapters opens on Friday, March 21 at 7pm featuring an artist talk with Garneau and essay contributor Fred Wah. This event is free and open to the public.

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.