The Pemberton Arts Council (PAC) has come up with a way to bring art to locals and visitors this summer.
On Saturday, Aug. 15, the organization will launch Art HOP 2020, a self-guided and physically distanced art tour set up in businesses around town.
Thirty local artists, ranging from established to emerging, have been paired up with local businesses to set up their art in windows so viewers can take in the show from the street. Participants include Vanessa Stark, Levi Nelson, Susie Cipolla, Valerie Butters, and Heidi the Artist, to name just a few, with photography, painting, glasswork, and fibre art on display.
“Everything has been exceptional,” says Karen Love, executive director of PAC and a participating artist. “I’m really impressed by how many artists and businesses have signed up. The community is sharing the love of the arts.”
As the pandemic wore on, PAC board members met to discuss how COVID-19 was impacting their event plans. Essentially, all summer events in the downtown community barn were cancelled and it seemed like no events could be held in the near future.
Rather than wiping the calendar clean for the rest of 2020, the board came up with the idea for a safe, self-guided art walk.
“It’s giving venues for people who haven’t been represented in town yet,” Love says. “Maybe new people will be discovered. I found some people I had no idea lived here and I thought it was really great to invite them along.”
Most of the art will be displayed in downtown business windows, but PAC has also developed a map for art hoppers to follow. It will be available at the various venues as well as on the organization’s website.
“You’ll see stickers on the windows with our logo,” she added. “We’ll have [maps] at the visitor centre and at the businesses too.”
There will also be an interactive element on Instagram where participants can snap a photo of themselves at one of the venues with a to-be-determined hashtag and post it for a chance to win prizes.
“There are a lot of people in town right now and it looks like a lot of visitors are around,” Love says. “It’s a win-win for new people to see what this town has to offer and the people who live here can discover [it too].”
The Pemberton Art Hop runs at various venues until Sept. 15. For more information visit pembertonartscouncil.com.
