A free creative networking and collaboration event is taking place in Penticton as part of BC Culture Days.
The Okanagan edition of Stone Soup, May 11 at the Leir House in partnership with the Penticton and District Arts Council, will give Okanagan community members the chance to connect with other potential Culture Days event registrants to expand their local network, find new collaborators, share resources, and brainstorm ideas for creative projects together.
Everyone is welcome, including individual artists (amateur and professional), arts organizations, cultural groups, heritage workers, local businesses, BIAs, media, venue managers, presenters, volunteers, and other arts and culture enthusiasts. The event will also feature a musical presentation by award-winning recording artist Tiinesha Begaye.
Begaye is a singer, songwriter, and visual artist of Okanagan (Syilx) and Navajo descent. Her father is Native American award-winning recording artist Jay Begaye from Steamboat Canyon, Ariz. and her mother is Lauren Terbasket from British Columbia. Begaye comes from a strong cultural tradition from both her father’s tribe which is Navajo, and her mother’s tribal lineage which is Okanagan, Thompson and Nezperce in the Interior Plateau tribes. Begaye was born in Keams Canyon Arizona, and has resided both in Arizona, and in the Okanagan Valley.
In 2010, Begaye was nominated and won Best Female Artist of the Year at the Native American Music Awards for her album Horses Are Our Journey, which she recorded with her father. That same year Begaye completed her associate’s degree in Administration of Justice. She also graduated from the Enowkin Centre in Penticton, where she studied art, music and performance, in order to combine her many talents and to begin producing. In 2016, Begaye completed her Bachelor’s degree in Archaeology and is passionate about protecting and preserving cultural traditional sites.
Stone Soup refers to the fable in which hungry travellers start a soup with a pot of water and a stone, inviting the curiosity of local villagers. One by one villagers begin to offer ingredients to add to the mix, creating a delicious soup for the whole village to enjoy together.
Culture Days is a collaborative, Canada-wide volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation, and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. Now in its eighth year, Culture Days is the country’s largest public participation campaign in the arts. This year’s celebrations will take place from Sept. 29 to Oct.1, inviting the public behind the scenes to discover the world of creative people in their community. Last year, 658 Culture Days activities were offered in 60 communities across B.C.
The Penticton event takes place May 11 at the Leir House from noon to 2 p.m. RSVP by clicking here.