Saturday, April 20, 2013 - 06:00

Sat, April 20, 2013 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM See description. “Dig Your Neighbourhood” Launch Event

Saturday, April 20, 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Knox Mountain Park, Kelowna, BC
http://ecoartincubator.com/project-welcomewagon.php

A family- friendly outdoor event

Ever wondered how your street got its name? What was on the land before your house was built? “Dig Your Neighbourhood” is a package of art and activities that will introduce residents to the cultural and environmental past, present, and future of their neighbourhood. This year, twelve Creative Writing and Visual Arts students at UBC have created a package which focuses on Kelowna’s North End neighbourhood. The community is invited to the official launch event.

On Saturday, April 20th from 1 – 4 PM, come to the base of Knox Mountain Park and enjoy music, drumming, street food (available for purchase from TNT Dynamite Foods), and meeting the creators of “Dig Your Neighbourhood: Kelowna’s North End.” There will be a draw for a free package, and you will get a chance to preview the works in the package.

The artwork in “Dig Your Neighbourhood” was created from research in local archives, from interviews with residents, and from spending time in the neighbourhood. It includes a calendar, a set of postcards, a DVD, a CD of specially composed North End music, a children’s activity book about the neighbourhood, a board game, a North End graphic fiction, strange alternate histories and futures of the place, a poetic guide to the trees of the area, quirky mini-plays, and a writer’s journal.

The goal of this project is to help residents live sustainably and consciously in their place. By lavishing the neighbourhood with loving and playful attention, we hope to encourage residents to see the North End neighbourhood as truly special.

The Eco Art Incubator, a research project funded by SSHRC (Social Science and Humanities Research Council) and administrated through professors Nancy Holmes and Denise Kenney at UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, will fund the production of several packages. One will be on display at the Okanagan Heritage Museum in May 2013. The remaining packages will be delivered to new North End neighbourhood residents by Welcome Wagon Ltd., as a one-year pilot project starting May 1st.

Contacts:
Nancy Holmes
Associate Professor, Creative Writing
nancy.holmes@ubc.ca
(250) 807-9369

Graduate Research Assistant:
Kelly Shepherd
kelshep@hotmail.com