Over two weekends in August, the Rotary Centre for the Arts welcomed youth ages 12 to 18 to take part in the Mural Project. With help from local artists David Doody and Jorden Blue, participants learned how to design and create a colourful large-scale mural using a projector, collages, brushes, rollers, paints and a whole lot of imagination.

With these tools, and guidance from the David and Jorden, participants took a bare wall in the Music Room at the RCA and transformed it into a kaleidoscope of colour. Inspired by the joy of music, the completed mural will remain a permanent fixture at the RCA.

"Throughout the project students were able to take part in something that gets respect," says Doody, "The mural will remain a part of the RCA and will not get painted over. With this, students can take pride in something in the community and be involved in something cool."

The Mural Project is a fantastic way for youth to engage their creativity in a safe and supportive environment. Not only do participants get to experience a creative venue for expression, they also learn important communication skills, while meeting other youth with similar interests.

In recognizing the importance of youth involvement in the community, Off the Wall Clothing kindly sponsored two special participants in the '09 Mural Project. The Rotary Centre for the Arts would like to thank Off the Wall Clothing for their generous contribution and support. We would also like to thank David and Jorden for making the Mural Project such a success!

Event: Harry Manx
Date: October 1, 2009 at 7:30PM
Ticket: $30 adult / $10 student

Free Local Artist Preshow:
Wild Rose at 6:30PM

This October Harry Manx will be in Kelowna to kick off the new '09-10 Spotlight Series. Often referred to as an "essential link" between the music of East and West, Harry Manx is well known for his ability to create musical short stories that wed the tradition of Blues with the depth of classical Indian ragas.

Born on the Isle of Man, Manx spent his childhood in Canada and left in his teens to live in Europe, Japan, India and Brazil. He honed his hypnotic live show on street corners, in cafes, bars and at festivals.

But it was Indian music that captured Manx, and in the mid 80's he began a five-year tutelage with Rajasthani Indian musician Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Grammy winner with Ry Cooder for "A Meeting by the River").

From Bhatt, he received a custom-made, self-designed mohan veena - a 20-stringed sitar/guitar - that was the catalyst for Manx to forge a new path with his now signature East-meets-West style of music.

Playing the mohan veena, lap steel, harmonica and banjo, Manx envelops his audiences into what has been dubbed "the Harry Zone". With his warm vocals and hauntingly beautiful melodies, Harry Manx is a performer not to be missed!

Tickets can be purchased online at Select Your Tickets, by visiting the RCA Box Office, or by calling (250) 717- 5304. For more information on Harry Manx visit www.harrymanx.com.

In addition to the Harry Manx performance, we wanted to give readers a peek at some of the fantastic Spotlight performances coming this October.

Greg Sczebel
October 10, 2009 at 7:30PM

Greg Sczebel is a Canadian Juno Award-winning independent singer/songwriter from Salmon Arm, BC. With a musical career that began at age 17, Greg's soulful piano pop has been building a steady buzz in the undergrounds of the music scene nationwide.

WAM! will also be taking place at the Rotary Centre for the Arts on the evening of the Greg Sczebel concert. From 9-11 p.m. guests are welcome to take in a live performance by the Michael Garding Group, meet artists and enjoy wine and treats available for purchase at the bistro.

Light & Metal
October 16, 2009 at 7:30PM

Combining forces, Vancouver-based dance company MovEnt joins the Tara Cheyenne Performance for an evening of high energy dance/theatre.

SURGE, presented by MovEnt, is a bold examination of the power of physical industry and bANGER: The Power Hour, presented by Tara Cheyenne Performance, is a dance-theatre hybrid that sheds light on the social reject and reconciles the differences between us and him.

*Join MovEnt Choreographer, Day Helesic, onstage for a Repertoire Master Class on Thursday, October 15th. To pre-register call (250) 717-5304.

Music and dance/theatre lovers alike are encouraged to purchase their tickets early, as performances do sell out. Tickets can be purchased through Select Your Tickets, in person at the Rotary Centre for the Arts Box Office, or by calling (250) 717-5304.

Visit the Rotary Centre for the Arts on September 3rd from 4-8 p.m. for the return of the First Thursday Art Crawl.

The event will feature art, music and tasty snacks, plus the grand opening of the new Jewellery Workshop located upstairs in Studio 203.

Please join us as we welcome June Martens, Fay Wolfenden and Janet Stein to the RCA. These lovely ladies will be offering an abundance of exciting new jewellery courses, so make sure you check out the courses online, or in the new Fall 2009 Course brochure, available at the Rotary Centre for the Arts.

The First Thursday Art Crawl is a great opportunity for art lovers to meet the RCA resident artists and learn all about the various processes involved in creating art. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event!

Join the Kelowna Sculptors Network Society and Gyptek Inc. for a special one-day 'How-To' seminar - The Basics of Mold Making & Casting.

The seminar will take place on Saturday, October 3rd from 10am - 2 pm and is only $5 to register.

Instructed by Rick Hand of Gyptek Inc., the seminar will teach you the basics of how to make a rubber mold, allowing you to make reproductions of an original model.

In addition, the seminar will introduce you to materials used for making models, proper preparation of your original model, using a brush-on vs. a pourable mold rubber, proper mixing and application techniques, casting into a rubber mold, using fillers and metal powders, and much more!

To register please visit the Rotary Centre for the Arts online, in person, or call (250) 717-5304. Registration is limited, so reserve your spot today.

This month in the Galleria...
Louise Lambert

"Enchanted" is how Louise feels as she looks upon the Okanagan landscape, whose paintings have made her one of the most sought after landscape painters in the valley.

From her first glimpse of a sunset and sunrise over Lake Okanagan, Louise was struck by the ethereal nature of the areas light that she uses to capture the spectacular brightness and shadows of the surrounding mountains, skies, and vineyards.

Her unique interpretation of the valley's shadows and light has caused local media to nickname her "The Lady of Light."

This month in the Mezzanine...
Works by Rebekah Wilkinson

This month in the Display Cases...
Works by Julia Trops & Rebekah Wilkinson

The Rotary Centre for the Arts is gearing up for its two major annual fundraisers - Homes for the Holidays and Evergreen. Proceeds raised at each event are used to support important Youth and Community Programming at the RCA.

This year's Homes for the Holidays event will be held from November 13-15th, 2009 with various tour times to choose from. Again this year, Homes for the Holidays will feature some of Kelowna's finest homes exclusively decorated by professional designers for the holiday season!

We also encourage you to save the date for Saturday, November 21st, 2009 to attend Evergreen JazZ'd. To celebrate its 10th year, Evergreen has expanded to include 326 guests and a colourful New Orleans twist.

While Evergreen JazZ'd is still the RCA's fabulous black tie fundraiser event, we've decided to put an extra helping of "Fun" into the celebrations. Various locations within the Rotary Centre for the Arts will be transformed into the French Quarter of New Orleans, complete with street performers, fire spinners, burlesque, Jazz and a whole lot of Funk!

Tickets to Evergreen are $200 per person and are now available for purchase by calling (250) 717-5304. To learn more about Evergreen JazZ'd and to view the invitation online, please visit www.RotaryCentrefortheArts.com

The '09 Evergreen Art Gallery is now available for online viewing! If you are interested in any of the works, they are available for purchase in person at the Rotary Centre for the Arts, or by calling (250) 717-5304 through September 1st - November 20th, 2009.

The Gallery will also be on display from November 9-19th in the Upper Lobby at the Rotary Centre for the Arts - Everyone is welcome to come check it out! To learn more about each artist and to view their work visit www.RotaryCentrefortheArts.com

Join well known artists Louise Lambert, Julia Trops, Rebekah Wilkinson and Charlotte LaFleur at the breathtaking Greata Ranch for a weekend of wine tasting and lovely artwork.

The event takes place on Saturday & Sunday, October 3-4th from 10am - 6pm. For more information please contact Julia Trops at julia@juliatrops.com.

Become a member of the RCA and learn all about us at the Annual General Meeting. The AGM takes place on Tuesday, September 22nd at 6:00 p.m. Please mark your calendars to attend!

During the AGM a full slate of directors will be presented by the Board, with 5 directors to be nominated for a one-year term and 5 directors to be nominated for a two-year term.

Members who are interested in being on the KVPACS Board are asked to contact Tracie Ward at (250) 717- 5304 or any member of the Board.

Should your KVPACS membership be expired, you may renew it up to and including the time of the AGM. Non-members will not be permitted to attend the meeting. We look forward to seeing you at the AGM.

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