RespectFest Draws Near

North Okanagan RespectFEST 2017 is now taking free registrations for workshops in August and early September.

The event celebrating respect and diversity, takes place September 18-24 at various venues in and around Vernon to mark  Canada’s 150th Anniversary.

Groups and individuals are invited to help create a river mosaic of tile that winds down the sidewalk of a downtown Vernon city block. Under the guidance of artist Gabrielle Strong, each workshop takes approximately 3 hours and allows participants to create their own design following a shape template. This project is free of charge and is open to most ages including older children accompanied by an adult (not suitable for very young children). With hundreds of sections to be created, volunteers, corporate and community groups, teams and clubs are invited to get involved.The Buoyant Buddies Dragon Boat team is one group that recently created their mosaic tile piece.

If you would like to get involved through volunteering or organizing a private group session, contact the artist at gabrielle@gabriellestrong.com.

Open registration is taken online for any of the many scheduled days and times at https://respectfest2017.com/public-art-workshops/.

Also, in the weeks leading up to RespectFEST there will be workshops on the History of the First People facilitated by Mollie Bono, Okanagan-Similkameen. These workshops are designed to develop a greater understanding of local First Nations culture and history and are open to the public and interested agencies. Pre-registration is required.
· September 7 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm The Okanagan and other Interior Salish People Pre-Contact
· September 12 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm Interior Salish People and Early Contact with Newcomers
· September 16 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm Understanding and responding to the fallout of colonization, loss of land and resources

Details about all RespectFEST events are available online at respectfest2017.com.

Photo: Members of the Buoyant Buddies Dragon Boat team (l-r) Annette Kovach, Nancy Street, Bonnie Davidson, Josie Taylor, Sharon Hoffman recently created their own river mosaic tile for the downtown public art piece being designed as part of RespectFEST2017.