Bridges: An Arts & Culture Festival in Our City

The festival will take place at the University of Northern British Columbia on June 11th – 13th, 2009.  There will be displays and performances of original work by Prince George visual artists, writers, and musicians; academic presentations, panel discussions on the cultural economy of small cities and the culture of small cities, with a focus on Prince George; and workshops for both artists and community organizers.  Local artists and arts organizations will be in the spotlight as they share audiences, network, and build new partnerships with one another.
 
Locations and times for events can be found by clicking on the Bridges Festival Schedule link below.

Bridges Festival Schedule
Poster

Outline of Events

  • Workshops - writing, music, performing arts, visual arts
  • Performances
  • Panel discussions
  • Presentations
  • Lectures
  • Events - Lynda Williams will host an Okal Rel Science fiction event
  • Performance - Marcel Gagnon (biography)

Invitations

  • "The Poetry Train - Return Trip", Hosted by Rob Budde with Special Guests: Jake Kennedy, Ken Belford, Betsy Trumpeter, Sheila Peters, Mary MacDonald, Si Transken, and Greg Lainsbury. June 12th, 2009 @ The Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum.        
  • "Local Singers and Songwriters", Hosted by Jeremy Stewart. June 12th, 2009 @ Books and Company.
  • "Artist's Talk and Reception" with Special Guest Speaker Claire Kujundzic of Amazing Space Studio, Wells, BC. June 13th, 2009 @ The Two Rivers Art Gallery.

Ongoing Events

  • Bridges Art Exhibition
  • UNBC Wellness Centre Stage - ongoing performances
  • UNBC Chapbook Collection
  • Prince George Public Library Book Display and Local Author’s Marathon
  • Prince George Railway and forestry Museum’s Train Bridge Model Collection
  • Exploration Place Slideshow

Optional Events

  • Opening event with Marcel Gagnon
  • Bridges Art Exhibition Reception
  • Poetry Event at the Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum
  • Singer/ Songwriter Evening at Books and Company
  • PGCAC  Culture Crawl (self-guided tour of  Artists and Artisans  studios)
  • Two Rivers Gallery Tour and Reception - with artist's talk: Claire Kujundzic

Bridges Art Exhibition (link)

Bridges Art Exhibition Brochure (link)

Artists
Curatorial Statement
Greg Bradacs
Jean Brandel
Judith DesBrisay
Allen Farmer
Andrea Fredeen
Annerose Georgeson
Michelle Jensen
Dahne Harding
Trevor Lloyd Jones
Betty Kovacic
Shana Labatch
Caroline Lavoie
David Marchant
Phil Morrison
Ute Wilder

 

Project Background

The foundation for this project was laid in late 2005, when Thompson Rivers University (TRU) put together a Community-University Research Alliance (CURA). This proposal built off of an earlier very successful CURA project involving the arts community in Kamloops and TRU. The goal of this second CURA project was to work with other small cities including Prince George. The Community Development Institute at UNBC offered to coordinate UNBC’s involvement.
 
Bridges represents one aspect of a larger project being undertaken to explore the key cultural realities and mediations that give form and meaning to life in Prince George. That project aims to employ knowledge about cultural organization and expression, sense of place, and community development to help understand the relationship between culture and quality of life, to document community stories, and to identify cultural assets and processes. In this way, we seek to bridge Prince George’s cultural past, present, and future, its several arts scenes, and its different generations of artists and audiences with UNBC’s arts and cultural institutions.

Research
 
Over the next year, various research inquiries will be undertaken in partnership with the members of Prince George’s arts and cultural community to showcase and demonstrate its multi-faceted contribution to the city. A number of projects focusing upon creative cultural expression will also be undertaken through individuals, the UNBC Arts Council, and community-based organizations. The festival will feature a mix of cultural studies and cultural expressions, bridging the arts and the academy.

Sponsorship and the Arts in a Small City

 

Come join our growing list of festival partners:
 
Amazing Space Studios   http://www.claireart.ca/index.htm
British Columbia Teacher’s Federation
Central Interior Regional Arts Council
Coldsnap   http://www.coldsnapfestival.com/
CFUR Campus & Community Radio
City of Prince George
College of New Caledonia
Emily Carr University
Exploration Place
Island Mountain Arts   http://www.imarts.com/artschool
Lheidli T’enneh
Lynda Williams’ Okal Rel Science Fiction Universe   http://www.okalrel.org/
Marcel Gagnon   http://www.marcelgagnon.com/
Performing Arts Centre Society
Prince George Artist’s Workshop
Prince George Citizen
Prince George Community Arts Council
Prince George Public Library
Regional District of Fraser Fort George
Street Spirits Theatre Company
Two Rivers Art Gallery
UNBC Arts Council
UNBC Bachelor of Fine Arts
UNBC First Nations Centre
UNBC Wellness Centre Stage
 
 
Contact Information

Jeremy Stewart at 250-617-2115 or jeremydstewart@gmail.com
Joanna Smythe (Fridays) at 250-960-5933 or smythej@unbc.ca

Funding provided by: