Dust off your summer kicks and don your best cultural hat; the Nakusp Art Walk is officially underway!
The Arrow Lakes Fine Art Guild (ALFA) kicked off the Nakusp artistic exhibition with a smart and refined gala event at Selkirk College on June 27.
Guests from the community were invited to mix and mingle with the artists of the art walk while enjoying delectable edibles from Gabbie’s Fairy Tale Café as well as a selection of Jennifer Chocolates.
The soundtrack for the evening was provided by a lineup of talented Kootenay musicians, who crafted a tranquil sound space for the celebration. Paul Gibbons (also known as Garbanzo) ushered guests into the college with his international sounds crafted with a kalimba (an African thumb piano) and a traditional Indian bansuri flute.
Rudy Gorazon followed with his acoustic guitar set and Don Guerete closed out the gala with his sensational guitar picking selection of familiar easy rock tunes.
Anne Beliveau, proprietor of Studio Connexion, assumed the role of MC for the evening’s festivities and unveiled the official ALFA Art Walk brochure that was developed by Debra Rushfeldt and Betty Fahlman.
Beliveau applauded the ladies’ efforts and remarked, “they worked really hard to create a brochure that would stand out with the quality of the artists and venues of Art Walk.”
The stylish brochure identifies all of the artists and their venues by use of an illustrated map of Nakusp and includes thumbnail samples and artist bios.
Interested patrons of the arts are invited to take a self-guided tour of the rich tapestry of local talent on display for the duration of July and August.
“Our goal is to promote visual arts in Nakusp” Beliveau proudly shared, “which has the potential to become a tourist destination with a cultural focus.”
Beliveau also took the opportunity to thank all of their sponsors who made the art work possible.
“We would like to thank The Columbia Basin Trust, Kootenay Rockies Tourism, Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance and the Regional District of Central Kootenay. Money was used for the brochure, poster, markers, plus tonight’s celebration and curators.”