The cancellation of the 2020 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts (SCFWA) left a big cultural gap in a year full of them, and this year is still littered with question marks about local arts and entertainment. But word is that the festival looks more likely to happen than not, depending. (That d-word seems mandatory in 2021.) “The ground we walk upon is not quite settled as we await vaccines and keep an eye on the COVID-19 variants,” festival producer Jane Davidson wrote in the SCFWA February newsletter. “Our plan for the summer of 2021 is based on our ability to gather in groups of up to 50. We are hopeful that restrictions will relax enough to allow us to do at least that and we hope they relax even more to allow us to increase that number,” Davidson said. “Compliance with public health guidelines and safety will lead our way forward.”
The extra good news is that festival events would not be confined to a weekend in August. “Our plan is to produce a summertime Sunday afternoon series of readings from July 4 to August 8. On Festival weekend, we will have 7 p.m. events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (August 13, 14, and 15) and 2 p.m. events on the Saturday and Sunday. That’s 11 events in total with capacity for an audience of 42-44,” the newsletter said. Also, “[e]very event will be recorded by a professional videographer and the entire series (July 4 to Aug. 15) will be posted online as a virtual Festival for the last two weeks of August.” Fingers crossed. Davidson provides several more details about the current 2021 plans at writersfestival.ca.
Shout Out
It soon will be time again for the annual youth arts show at Gibsons Public Art Gallery (GPAG). The show, Shout Out! 2021, is open to all Sunshine Coast residents age two to 18. “Participating youth may submit up to two pieces of artwork in any medium (drawings, painting, prints, mixed media, photography, animation, video, sculpture, etc.),” gallery manager Christina Symons said in a release. Submission forms and artwork may be dropped off at the gallery at 431 Marine Drive in Gibsons starting March 4, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The deadline is 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 7. More information and submission forms can be found at www.gpag.ca. The show runs from March 11 to April 4.
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