Boundary artists open their doors to the public

This year’s Boundary Artisans Association (BAA) studio tour joins the Columbia Basin Culture Tour for a two day celebration of arts, culture and heritage in the Boundary and the Columbia Basin. Join us for a broad cultural experience which includes the Boundary Artisans in their studios as well as galleries, museums and art centres from Eholt to Christina Lake. With even more venues and expanded to a full weekend of fun, you are invited to discover the cultural and creative face of the Boundary at the fourth Annual Boundary Artisan Studio Tour.

The fourth annual BAA studio tour on Saturday, Aug. 14 and Sunday, Aug. 15 will join in the second annual Columbia Basin Culture Tour (CBCT) in a pilot project for 2010. 

 

“The BAA studio tour is a great excuse to discover the creativity in your own neighborhood, or take a road trip to experience the inspiration in studios farther afield. Self directed and free, just grab the map and go,” says BAA president, Chris Dalziel.

 

The CBCT is funded by the Columbia Basin Trust and as the Boundary is not part of the Columbia Basin usually organizations in the Boundary cannot benefit from this funding. In the past some Boundary arts organizations, such as the Boundary District Arts Council, have been allowed to join in events sponsored by the CBT, without receiving direct funding.  

 

With this precedence in mind,  Dalziel approached the organizers of the CBCT and requested that Boundary Artisans be allowed to join in the event, being held on the same weekend that BAA organizes their annual studio tour. A pilot project for 2010 was initiated and eight of the 10 participants in this year’s BAA studio tour will be participating simultaneously in the CBCT.

 

This pilot project gives Boundary Artisans access to $15,000 worth of advertising including a glossy printed CBCT Tour Booklet, as well as online promotion at http://www.cbculturetour.com/ . The CBCT benefits from the extra promotion of their tour in the Boundary Region, as well. 

 

Tour organizers from both organizations feel that this partnership will build public recognition of the great creative outlook residing in the Kootenay and Boundary regions, drawing visitors from other areas of B.C. along the Hwy. 3 corridor, for this huge celebration of arts and culture. 

 

Although the BAA Studio Tour and the CBCT are joining in this pilot project, both events remain independent and participants were required to choose if they will be on both tours. Because of this visitors will need to pick up both the BAA Studio Tour map, available free at visitor information centres in the Boundary, as well as CBCT Tour booklet to fully explore both tours. Tour booklets and maps can also be picked up at participating venues.

 

The expanded two day event will allow visitors to travel to the venues that most interest them. The BAA Studio Tour has added a second Saturday studio tour day on Sept. 25, which will allow people to visit those artisans that they missed in August or go back for a second look. 

 

The expanded BAA Studio Tour has 10 participants this year including the newly opened Christina Living Arts Centre (Grand Opening on August 6) and Studio 2 – the Grand Forks and District Arts and Heritage Centre. New artisans to the tour this year are Steve Chursinoff of Dragonfly Portable Ponds, Photographer, Elliot Teskey of Moments of Reflection, and Wood Turner, Alex Semenoff. Artist, Bonnie Popoff and Potter, Erica Von Bank are rejoining the Studio Tour after taking a few years off. Regular participants include Robin Dalziel of Joybilee Farm and Marita Fiebiger of Pottery Etc. The tours are also part of the province wide BC Culture Crawl that happens every August. 

 

Artists and artisans who are interested in joining in the 2011 studio tour (Aug. 13, 14) which will be part of a larger regional arts festival, can contact Chris at 1-866-965 9665.

 

Contact information for participants in this year’s BAA Studio Tour:

 

1-866-965-9665

 

Eholt, B.C.

1-866-965-9665

 

Grand Forks, B.C.

250-445-9907

 

250 442 8321

 

250 442 5335

  

250 442 2201

 

250 442 0460

 

250 442 5393

 

250 442 2211

 

Christina Lake

250 447 6561