Art-lovers and history buffs will be able to road-trip around the Kootenays this summer on the Columbia Basin Culture Tour to view the region’s best artistic talent and cultural landmarks.
In operation since 2009, the tour is making its return to the region on July 29 and 30. It offers participants the chance to explore studios and galleries that aren’t usually open to the public and gives them free access to heritage sites and museums.
Executive director of the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance Kallee Lins says the tour is self-guided, meaning participants can drive themselves to different communities within the Kootenays, and stop at designated sites to view displays of art and live demonstrations.
Lins said that a map, showing four scenic car routes, will be available on their website in the coming months. The tour is free for participants.
“I love having an inside look at an artist’s process, being able to engage with art as they create it. So often we see the art only in a gallery,” she said, adding that viewing art in a nature-based outdoor environment is a great way for creatives to find inspiration.
READ MORE: 11 East Kootenay venues featured in Columbia Basin Culture Tour
West Kootenay Arts Council, which organizes the tour, is currently accepting applications from venues. The registration fee is $50 until March 31 and is raised to $60 in April. Registration officially ends on April 15.
A handful of venues have signed up so far, including The Cranbrook Community Theatre.
Ceramicist David Barnes, painter Jenny Steenkamp and multidisiplinary artist Lise Carignan plan to show their work in Creston.
Maureen Frank, office manager for Cranbrook Community Theatre, says the theatre has not finalised its plans for the tour, but adds that in previous years, it offered guided tours of its historic building at 11 11 Avenue South. One of the highlights, she adds, is a visit to the costume room, which only opens to the public during the basin tour.
“It’s almost like going in to your grandmother’s closet or going through Mr. Dressup’s trunk.”
Frank said that she would like to see more Cranbrook representation at the tour, considering that last year the theatre was one of the only local venues to take part.
An estimated 80 venues and a few thousand participants took part in last year’s tour – and Lins is hoping for a similar turnout this year.
To register as a venue, visit wkartscouncil.com.
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gillian.francis@cranbrooktownsman.com
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