BC Culture Days Reconnects Communities With The Arts In Dynamic Hybrid Lineup

BC Culture Days announces its dynamic new line-up of free and interactive creative events hosted by artists and cultural organizations from across B.C. and Canada in its 12th annual celebration of arts and culture, September 24 to October 24, 2021.

Featuring an ever-expanding roster of events and activities aligned to the 2021 Culture Days theme - RE:IMAGINE - the month-long celebration invites British Columbians to imagine a post-pandemic world brightened through creative exploration and artistic expression. Events will include a plethora of options geared towards all comfort levels and abiding by current public health recommendations, including socially-distanced outdoor and pre-registered indoor events, pre-recorded videos, livestream presentations, self-guided activities, and more.

"As pandemic restrictions ease and we look towards the future with cautious optimism, it's essential that we take this time to recommit to strengthening our communities through creative connection," says BC Culture Days Program Director Nazanin Shoja. "We've all been impacted over the past 18 months and have had to adapt to new ways of interacting and communicating with one another. It is our sincere hope at BC Culture Days that the events and activities offered this fall will serve as a catalyst for British Columbians to rediscover their creative pursuits, safely reconnect with their communities, and collectively reimagine a new future supported by shared experiences."

To further enhance the 2021 arts and culture celebration and help boost community engagement, BC Culture Days has selected 10 outstanding emerging artists to participate in this year's cultural ambassador program. Representing a wide array of artistic disciplines - dance, theatre, visual arts, storytelling, poetry, film, and music - each ambassador will host an interactive event free to the public, as part of the ambassador event series, RE:CONNECT. These events will encourage participants to explore new and creative ways of reconnecting with their communities. Ambassadors have been paired with an artistic mentor - an established artist or leader in their chosen field - to guide them over the course of six months, as well as to help develop their BC Culture Days events.

This year's BC Culture Days activities will kick off with a brand new video series, RE:GENERATE, showcasing the creative resilience of five remote or rural B.C. communities, as they adapt to COVID-19 restrictions and re-emerge with inspiring ideas for the future. Each week of the month-long event, several new videos will be released online, featuring event coverage and interviews from one of five communities - Prince Rupert, Bella Coola, Sooke, Salmon Arm, and Kimberley.

There will also be a pre-recorded welcome ceremony from Chief Kwakwee Baker, member of the Squamish First Nation, as well as a pre-recorded provincial proclamation from BC Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, Hon. Melanie Mark.

Culture Days raises the awareness, accessibility, participation, and engagement of Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. It is a collaborative movement dedicated to providing free, hands-on, and interactive arts and culture activities across Canada.

For more information on how to take part in BC Culture Days - including live streaming options as well as an enhanced registration system that has made it even easier for participants to plan and share their events in 2021 - or to sign up for the BC Culture Days newsletter, visit culturedays.ca/bc.

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