: 7 NEWS photo Nei Lucente
; CLAIRE Mason helps nine-year-old Cecilia Cannem fleft) and An-

: . Jul Kinds,.7, with masks for a Dramaworks theatre production.

The masks will.be on display at Humberston Edwards gallery ¢ as
oo Part of the Harmony Arts Festival.

Week-long celebration of artistic talent

IN THIS age of mega-musicals and multi-million dollar

movies, it’s a refreshing change when a small,

munity-driven festival comes along in which whole neigh-
borhoods and businesses can get involved, rather than sit
back and be passively entertained.

On Monday, the second annual

Harmony Arts Festival gets under |

way in the parks, beaches and
streets of West Vancouver. Like
last year, members cf the public
will have the chance to take a
peek-a-boo into what their
neighbors are up to.

The idea for a multi-media arts
festival was originally hatched by
West Vancouver Mayor Mark
Sager, who spoke of a desire to
see a music festival created in the
district in his inaugural speech.

“We had hoped to do an art-
waik and combined the two,’’ said
festival coordinator Colicen Reed.
“We decided we'd like to create
an experience for the entire com-
munity so we struck a committee,
which came up with the idea for
Art in the Park, an art auction
and Creative Kids’ Day. Instead
of one day, we decided we needed
one week to make it worthwhile.”’

The week-long festival is a
celebration of West Vancouver’s
“hidden’’ talent, the painters,
sculptors, musicians, dancers and
performing artists who make their
living from their craft but who
haven’t received much exposure.

utdoor concerts are planned
for each evening at Ambleside
Park and Dundarave Pier, featur-
ing everything from steel drum
bands to West Vancouver band
She Stole My Beer. -

Throughout the week, tours of
ArtBeat, a visual feast of artistic
window displays created along
Marine Drive, will be offered sev-

NOTICE TO MOTORISTS
TRANS CANADA HIGHWAY
(First Avenue to Brunette)
SINGLE LANE TRAFFIC

“The Ministry of Transportation and Highways advises that there will be single
lane - traffic on. the Trans Canada Highway between First Avenue and the
Brunette interchange from Sunday July 26 io Tuesday August 25. Single lane
traffic is needed to enable crews to repave the highway and will be in effect

as follows:

Sunday to Thursday
10:30 PM - 5:30 AM

Motorists should expect delays
or plan to use an alternative route.

Note: the eastbound lanes will be repaved first, followed by the westbound
lanes. No work wili be done on Sunday August 2 and Monday August 3. For
further information, please cal! the Ministry's 24-hour road report at 525-4997

m _(Greater Vancouver) or *4997 (BC Cellular/Cantel).

Province of

British Columbia

ee 2 ey

ecw nee

Ministry of Transportation

and Highways

By Evelyn Jacob
News Reporter

eral times daily.

When organizers pitched the
idea of a juried artwalk to Marine
Drive businesses last year, 56
owners agreed to let artists
transform their storefronts. This
year, 72 merchants have signed

“A lot of merchants weren’t
sure about it or didn’t understand
it. This time they came to us and
said, ‘We'd love to be part of it.’”

According to Reed, there are
benefits to be reaped by both

merchants and artists. For exam- .

ple, last year, one artist landed a
large contract after someone spot-
ted his work in the window of a
local linen store.

And when one West Vancouver
restaurant saw how much custom-
ers enjoyed eating to live enter-
tainment, it booked iocal musi-
cians for thé entire summer.

A number of new events have
been added to this year’s pro-
gram, including a juried craft
display. But the big attraction is a
celebrity arts auction, which
features the work of seven weli-

com-:

known West Vancouver artists.

The festival has managed to
pull in work by internationally ac-
claimed illustrator and former
West Vancouver resident Blair
Drawson,. and painters ° Graham
Gillmore, Gordon Smith, Bill La-
ing and Ken Waliace, which will
be auctioned off (Aug. 16 at 2
p.m. The live auction gets under
way at 4 p.m.). -

(Reed notes that some of: the

work executed in the parks will-

have been created by well-
established artists, like painter
Monica Shelton.)

Prices range from $25 to
$1,000. Each artist has agreed to
donate 40% of sales to next year’s
festival.

“They (celebrity artists) were
really easy to get. We wrote 15
letters and got seven yeses,’’ said

Reed, adding it will be good. ex- —

posure for the emerging artists to
have their work displayed
alongside the more established
painters.

Logistical problerns aside,. the _

Harmony Arts Festival has done
remarkably well for the short time
it’s been in existence.

Last year 10,000 people attend-
ed an outdoor concert, watched
an artist create a work of art in a

~

park, and toured Marine Drive. ~

window displays over one week.

Festival organizers are hoping:

for an even better turnout: this
time, and, weather permitting,
they may just get their way.

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