No way to replace ArtWalk
Organizers cancelling rather than moving it online
A popular cultural festival that draws more than 7,000 admirers of art has been cancelled in Lake Country.
Organizers of ArtWalk considered moving the event — which features the sale of original paintings, photographs, and other mixed-media creations — into a digital-only experience due to restrictions on large gatherings imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While it still would have been possible to facilitate online sales between artists and art admirers, such a modified event wouldn’t have suitably replicated the spirit of ArtWalk, organizers say.
“We considered producing a modified version of ArtWalk through various digital strategies,” longtime organizer Sharon McCoubrey said. “However, it would not be possible to capture the experience of ArtWalk, the magic mix of artworks, music, people, the energy of mingling creativity, and unexpected encounters.”
Billed as the Okanagan’s largest art show, ArtWalk sees more than 400 artists with a connection to the Valley offer their work for show and sale of juried artwork at what is easily Lake Country’s most popular annual attraction.
This year’s event was to have been held on Sept. 12 and 13.
Though ArtWalk has been cancelled for this year, McCoubrey and other volunteers hope to present a one-of-a-kind public art project, with details to be announced later.
Relying on about $30,000 worth of annual municipal funding, the Lake Country Public Art Commission has enlivened public spaces in the town of 14,000 with more than 30 works of original art.
“I believe the supportive approach taken by the municipality, and the dedicated contributions of so many volunteers, results in many opportunities for artist participation. It is a good thing to be an artist living in Lake Country,” McCoubrey said in a 2018 interview.