UBCO Bachelor of Fine Arts students Eve Lexi and Sara Richardson with their painting on the Town Wall at the Lake Country Art Gallery during last year’s Festival of the Arts.
As the academic year winds to a close, students at UBC’s Okanagan campus are completing final projects, experiments and prepping for exams.
For students in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS), this means completing all the painting, drawing, writing, sculpting, acting and other projects that will make up the 2022 Spring Festival.
The month-long event brings a myriad of events to campus and throughout the City of Kelowna. Many events are free and all are open to the public. Paid parking is available for the workshops and showcases happening on campus.
“The Spring Festival gives the community a glimpse of the exciting world of young and emerging artists while at the same time, building students’ understanding of their relationship, through their art, to their community. It’s a win for all concerned, and we’re so grateful for the support we received from our Presenting Sponsor—TD Bank Group, and additional community organizations,” says Creative Studies Department Head Denise Kenney.
The 2022 Spring Festival will feature events from across the many creative studies programs, with public readings from graduate students and faculty, live performances, art exhibitions and more.
The annual festival kicked off earlier this month with Art on the Line, a fundraiser and auction featuring works from students in the fine arts program, along with faculty, alumni and community members.
Many of the events will be offered with hybrid-attendance options—people can participate virtually in the 2022 Short Story Contest award ceremony on March 31 or the Annual Sharon Thesen Lecture which will be given by Creative Writing Professor Matt Rader this year on April 6.
The public is invited to campus to see what the students have been creating at the Masters of Fine Arts Studio Open House on March 30 at the new Innovation Place graduate maker space.
Graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts students will exhibit their work as part of the year-end show When This Is Over, a collection of sculpture, photography, drawing, painting and more. The opening reception for the exhibition takes place April 22.
If you’re exploring downtown Kelowna this spring, you can also see student and faculty work on the Art Walk between the Kelowna Art Gallery, downtown library, and the Rotary Centre for the Arts. These are just a few of the opportunities to see what FCCS has been growing. The public is welcome to attend all events and exhibits.
The full list of Spring Festival events, and details for each, can be found at: fccs.ok.ubc.ca/about/events-workshops/spring-festival.
The FCCS Spring Festival is sponsored by TD, the Rotary Centre for the Arts, the Lake Country Art Gallery, the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan and the City of Kelowna.
