Fresh, crisp and delicious!| Photo courtesy of UBC Botanic Gardens.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! There is indeed much to be thankful for in this diverse city, with plenty of events, festivals, conferences, talks, shows and exhibits happening this month. With autumn in full swing, there is a lot to see and do. Why not check out some of the events below?
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As You Like It
Now until Oct. 15, 8 p.m. (3 p.m. weekend matinees)
Studio 58 at Langara, Vancouver
The Studio 58 theatre school is presenting an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play, As You Like It, until Oct. 15 at Langara. One of Shakespeare’s great comedies with some of his most loved characters, the play flips the traditional rules of romance. Gender roles, nature and politics run amok in a show that reflects on how confounding, yet undeniably pleasurable, life can be. For tickets and showtimes, please check out the studio website.
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A Journey Into Chopin’s Musical Inspiration
Oct. 14, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Vancouver Playhouse
Professor Maria Pomianowska of the Academy of Music in Kraków, Poland, along with her folk band, will recreate the music of the Polish countryside, playing on replicas of instruments from the Chopin era at the Vancouver Playhouse on Oct. 14. Pomianowska’s band will provide a unique interpretation of the music of the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, demonstrating specific features and characteristics of music from the Polish countryside. The essence of the music was absorbed by Chopin and integrated into his own compositions. For tickets and more information, check out their website.
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Apple Festival 2017
Oct. 14–15, 11 a.m.
UBC Botanical Gardens, University of British Columbia
The Apple Festival returns to the UBC Botanical Gardens for the 26th time, featuring one of British Columbia’s most valuable edible horticulture crops: the apple! With about 75% of B.C.’s orchard lands dedicated to apple trees, there are plenty of apple varieties grown right here in our province. At the festival, sample some of these apples at the Tasting Tent, watch cider-pressing and grafting demonstrations, and purchase some fresh made-in-B.C. apple pies.
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Vancouver Writers Fest
Oct. 16–22
Granville Island, Vancouver
The Vancouver Writers Fest has been telling stories and enriching the literary scene of the city for 30 years. Over 100 authors will converge at Granville Island to entertain, educate and inform with the latest poetry, novels and creative non-fiction being produced today. In honour of Canada 150, the festival hopes to reflect on this momentous national occasion in order to explore Canadian identity, politics and the lands and waters we call home. For specific readings and events, please consult their website.
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The Making of an Archive
Oct. 17 12 p.m.–5 p.m. and Oct. 21 & 22, 2 p.m.–5 p.m.
Carnegie Community Centre, Vancouver and the Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond
The grunt gallery, in collaboration with Toronto’s Gendai Gallery, will present artist Jacqueline Hoàng Nguyễn’s project, The Making of an Archive, in Vancouver and Richmond this month. This project seeks to collect images of everyday life photographed by Canadian immigrants, in a direct, collective and exploratory approach. By building this alternative structure of personal images, the artist aims to create a new archive that seeks to represent the fractured ideology of multiculturalism from the bottom up, where forms of civic engagement within a kinship structure or even in solidarity with other communities can be observed. Check out the grunt gallery website for more information.
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After the Flight: Community-University Refugee & Migration Symposium
Oct. 11–19
Various locations in Vancouver and UBC
The second annual Refugee and Migration Symposium will provide opportunities to learn from one another, exchange refugee and claimant settlement experiences, as well as share research, knowledge and passion on refugee and migration issues. Hosted by the Liu Institute, this year’s program features panel presentations, a conversation on media representations and a film screening to explore the dynamics of refugee and immigrant settlement and integration. The symposium hopes to reframe the public discourse around refugees and migrants by bringing new research and conversations to light around refugee settlement and integration in our communities and places of learning. Visit the Liu Institute website for more information on the symposium.
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Eve Lazarus.| Photo courtesy of Vancouver Perspectives.
Historic Crime: Early Forensic Investigations
Oct. 19, 6:15–8 p.m.
Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre, Vancouver
Join author Eve Lazarus at the Vancouver Lookout for a night of true crime as she draws on stories from her latest book Blood, Sweat, and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance, Vancouver’s First Forensic Investigator. In 1907, as the City Analyst for the City of Vancouver, John F.C.B. Vance worked in several buildings in downtown Vancouver before being named honorary inspector for the VPD and put in charge of the newly formed Police Bureau of Science (now housing the Vancouver Police Museum). Vance used his cutting-edge skills in serology, toxicology, firearms examination, trace evidence and autopsy to solve some of the most sensational crimes of the twentieth century. His techniques were so effective that there were seven attempts on his life, and for a time, he and his family were under constant police guard. To purchase tickets, please visit their website.
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Sunshine Coast Art Crawl
Oct. 20–22, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Various venues along the Sunshine Coast Highway, Sunshine Coast
Explore the vibrant arts and cultural scene along the Sunshine Coast this mid-October. With 144 venues between Langdale and Earls Cove, there is plenty to see and do. Meet with artists, watch art demonstrations and check out the many watercolour paintings, carvings, jewelry, pottery, sculptures, ceramics, acrylics and more. There will also be venues open on Friday night from 7–9 p.m. For more information, please refer to their website.
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The Army and Revolution in Egypt: Historical Perspectives on a Current Crisis
Oct. 19, 7:00–8:30 p.m.
SFU Harbour Centre, Vancouver
Join Zeinab Abul-Magd, associate professor of Middle Eastern history at Oberlin College, as she discusses the past, present and future of Egypt’s politics at SFU Harbour Centre on Oct. 19. In Egypt’s postcolonial history since the 1950s, the military institution has constantly hegemonized the state and economy, and deeply securitized everyday life and urban spaces of civilian citizens across social classes. Under another military president today, increasing poverty and simmering public rage might lead to a new wave of uprisings in the foreseeable future. Check out the SFU website for more details and to RSVP a seat.
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Lyse Lemieux: Full Frontal
Oct. 13, 2017–Mar. 25, 2018
Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver
The Contemporary Art Gallery will present an exhibition by Canadian artist Lyse Lemieux, incorporating two new inter-related large-scale commissions across the gallery façade and off-site at Yaletown-Roundhouse Station. Lemieux’s artistic stance asserts the individual and the gendered within the bland, homogenous surroundings of this part of the city. Her artistic practice is often described as one focused on drawing, balanced between figuration and abstraction. Her working process is inseparable from the forms she creates, which are almost always in reference to the human figure. Check out the CAG website for more details on her exhibit.
