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Art Beat: Here's what's happening for Heritage Week on the Coast

One Flower One Leaf exhibit opening, Riders of Justice's second screening, pandemic-postpone piano performance and Steve Wright offers a songwriting workshop
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Cultural educator Tsawaysia Spukwus, pictured during the 2016 grand reopening of the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives, will lead a weaving workshop during B.C. Heritage Week.

B.C.'s Heritage Week is fast approaching, and will include two free events at the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives in Gibsons.

The annual celebration takes place from Feb. 20 to 26. This year's theme is "Always in All Ways."

"Celebrating Heritage Week is easy," said Kirstin Clausen, executive director of Heritage BC. "During Heritage Week we encourage people to have fun, and partake in the many programs and events that are being offered by communities across B.C."

On Saturday, Feb. 18, the museum offers a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Wool Weaving Workshop with cultural educator Tsawaysia Spukwus from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is free and open to all members of the public.

There is capacity for 20 community members to register and learn wool weaving, including learning to warp, twine, and weave using traditional Sḵwx̱wú7mesh weaving techniques to make a headband. 

General museum visitors are welcome to drop in and ask questions, while Tsawaysia will offer insight into the cultural significance of wool weaving to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation. 

Call the museum to register. There is limited capacity and weavers 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

A second event takes place on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 2 to 5 p.m. in collaboration with the Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society

100 Years of Sunshine Coast Authors will feature local writers Heather Conn, Mike Starr, Jennie Tschoban, Jan DeGrass and Betty Keller reading from works of historical Sunshine Coast authors. 

Historical authors featured will include Hubert Evans, Muriel Wylie Blanchet, Les Peterson, and Bertrand W. Sinclair. Of interest, Les Peterson was one of the founders of the Gibsons museum in the 1960s, and Hubert Evans’ hand-built rowboat, the handliner, is today featured in the museum’s main gallery space. 

Email [email protected] or call 604 886-8232 for more information.

Province-wide event listings for Heritage Work are available online at heritagebc.ca/events.

All you need is love

The One Flower One Leaf gallery in Gibsons launches its Love Exhibition this weekend, with an opening reception at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10.

Friday's reception takes place at One Flower One Leaf (436 Marine Drive). Artwork will be on display at the Zócalo space at 441 Marine Drive from Feb. 10 to 19.

Interactive eye contact experiments, love mediations and heart coherence breath work are scheduled at intervals over the course of the exhibition.

Details are available by browsing to onefloweroneleaf.com or visiting @onefloweroneleafgallery on Instagram.

One more ride for justice

The Sunshine Coast Film Society plans its second screening of the Danish film Riders of Justice on Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Raven's Cry Theatre in Sechelt.

Doors open at 1:30 p.m. and the show starts half an hour later.

The 2020 film, presented in Danish wish English subtitles, is a dark revenge comedy. A cautionary note: the film contains a significant amount of violence and strong language.

Film Society memberships and further details are available at scfs.ca.

A key performance

The Sunshine Coast Recital Society will present pianist Nicolas Namoradze, first prize winner of the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition, on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2:30 p.m. at the Raven's Cry Theatre. 

This concert was originally scheduled to take place in 2021, but was rescheduled due to the pandemic. There will be a pre-concert chat at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets are available by emailing [email protected].

All the Wright stuff

Aspiring songwriters have a unique opportunity to find inspiration and support for their craft.

Musician Steve Wright is offering a two-day songwriting workshop at his Soundspace Studio in Sechelt on March 4 and 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 pm. His sessions will cover writing memorable melodies and engaging lyrics, plus techniques to break through writers' block. 

Steve has had songs featured in TV, film, and on websites, written songs for nine commercially available releases, and is well-known in creative circles on the Coast as a mentor to many musicians. 

Registration instructions are online at thesoundspace.net.