Following on the success of the White Rock Arts Festival Culture Crawl, Surrey and White Rock are partnering on a new, expanded event.
The inaugural White Rock and South Surrey Culture Crawl will come to multiple venues on the peninsula on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6.
Highlighting art, music, theatre, historic exhibits and tours, most activities will be offered on a free, drop-in basis, with the exception of some ticketed performances.
"We are delighted to partner with the City of White Rock," Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said in a media release.
"This collaboration is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and support our local artists, promote cultural diversity, and strengthen the vibrant communities of Surrey and White Rock," she added.
"We are thrilled to showcase the incredible talent and cultural richness of our community through the White Rock and South Surrey Culture Crawl," White Rock Mayor Megan Knight said.
Studio open houses throughout the Peninsula will offer works by individuals and groups in such diverse media as painting, pottery, wood-turning, arts and crafts, assemblage and stained glass.
Among other venues:
• The White Rock Community Centre (15154 Russell Ave.) will feature dance classes and demonstrations, a 'Kid's Creative Corner', an art and craft market, and a multitude of musical interludes by local performers, plus Naked Stage Readers Theatre's present the old-time radio spoof, Radioland `48 (Sunday, 10:30 a.m.).
• White Rock Library (15342 Buena Vista Ave.) will offer a talk by Luba Lesychyn, author of humourous art theft thrillers (Saturday, 1 p.m.) and a spooktacular event for children, It's Dinoween with Bryce Raffle and Steven Kothlow, authors of The Littlest Dinosaur's Spooky Halloween (Sunday, 1 p.m.).
• Nomad Gallery (1377 Johnston Rd.) will mark the 20th anniversary of International Artist Day with its creator, Chris MacClure, and host the Small Introductions Art Show, featuring work by 15 local artists.
• The Landmark Pop-Uptown Gallery (15140 North Bluff Rd.) and White Rock Gallery (1247 Johnston Rd.) will be showcasing both local and nationally known artists, while The Shop Next Door artists' co-op (1187 Johnston Rd.) will feature more than 25 artists, including live demonstrations of painting, stained glass and jewelry making, along with busking musicians.
• At Islands Cafe (1237 Johnston Rd.) the flute and guitar duo Silverwood (Kate Yoshitomi and Michael Gillette) will play from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, while Blue Frog Studios will offer a ticketed Oktoberfest celebration with The Gordanairs on Saturday from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
• In Centennial Park (14600 North Bluff Rd.) the Leisure Centre will present an art exhibition market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, while Peninsula Productions will present the staged reading The Leisure Society, described as "a scathing indictment of Western society, instant gratification and rampant consumerism," from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
• The Kent Street Activity Centre (1475 Kent St.) lives up to its name with a plethora of activities throughout the weekend, including demonstrations of woodcarving, a workshop on art journaling, a story and poem workshop on the theme of food, a sing-along party, performances by the Kent Street Players and the Kent Street Choristers, a Saturday night dance with the Silver Stars, and dance performances showcasing Bollywood style (with Tamanawis Secondary students) and Punjab folk dance with the Folk Star Arts Academy.
• One Love (991 Stayte Rd.) will host an African Market Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m. highlighting food, fashion, music and poetry.
• On White Rock beach, the White Rock Museum and Archives (14970 Marine Dr.) will present Then and Now: A Pictorial History of Change and Growth in White Rock (Sunday, 11 - 11:45 a.m., 2 - 2:45 p.m.) and Hamish Ross/McDonald Realty (14869 Marine Dr.) will feature an exhibition by the Praxis Photography Collective (12 - 4 p.m. both days).
• South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre (14601 20 Ave.) will present an additional performance of Naked Stage Readers Theatre's Radioland '48 (Saturday, 10:30 a.m.) plus Pass the Mic, Semiahmoo Arts' invitation to local storytellers to share their written work, anecdotes or reminiscences (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day).
• The Semiahmoo Potters Society studio at 2585 132 St. will provide an opportunity to "watch potters in action, discuss pottery techniques and browse the gallery for unique gifts" (Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.).
• In Crescent Beach, Beecher Place (12160 Beecher St.) will present a show by the Three Artists in Harmony Collective (Joy Peterson, Terri Casela and Julie McDowell), In Love With Nature, at the Crescent Beach Pop-Up Gallery (Saturday, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.).
• Nearby, the Bayview Arts Collective (2584 Bayview St.) will offer an eclectic artisan exhibition (Saturday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.), while, just down the street, at 2744 Bayview St., Artists and Music will present acrylic and oil works (Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.).
• At Elgin Heritage Park (13723 Crescent Rd.), Totest Aleng, the new studio dedicated to Indigenous artistic and cultural practices, will highlight the work of local carver Ryan Hughes of the Snuneymuxw First Nation (Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.), while at Historic Stewart Farm, visitors can observe artist Cara Guri create her crowdsourced artwork Community at Home, explore the early 1900s farmhouse, and enjoy homemade refreshments while listening to local musicians.
A map and full details of all events and specific times can be downloaded at whiterockcity.ca/culturecrawl, or picked up at any White Rock or Surrey community centre starting in September.
