The PLRAC 41st Annual Open Sky Exhibition will be held in Chetwynd June 9 to July 17.

The exhibition is open to regional artists at ALL career stages working in ALL mediums!

ALL submissions will be accepted and adjudicated by two arts professionals, Gerry Sheena, a carver and a member of the Interior Salish Nation, and Mary Anne Molcan, a Vancouver Island-based

The exhibition will take place at the Chetwynd Rec Centre and is co-hosted by the Chetwynd Community Arts Council.

IMPORTANT DATES

– The exhibition is tentatively scheduled for June 9th to July 7th.

– Intake opens April 15th

 The submission deadline is May 26th

What do I need to submit artwork?

You will need:

– 1 to 3 images of each artwork
– An artist statement for each work (optional)
– The title, medium, dimensions, and price (if for sale) for each work
– The category for each artwork (Representational, Three-Dimensional, Conceptual, or Photography)

Criteria:

All mediums, sizes, and forms of work will be accepted.

Youth artists may also submit artwork, however, their entries will not be juried.

Open to all artists residing in the Peace River Regional District and Northern Rockies Regional Municipality.

All artists who submit to Open Sky must stay at arm’s length to the jurors.

Only original artwork is eligible. No copies from magazines, mechanical reproductions, kits, or commercial molds.

Works previously entered in the Regional Juried Art Exhibition, or Open Sky Exhibition are ineligible.

Work must have been completed after January 2022.

Limit of FOUR entries per artist.

Entry fees are $10 per entry.

For More Information

CALL FOR ARTISTS

Event: 2023 Community Arts Council Street Banner Project

Project: Create four Street Banner Designs to be displayed in pairs.

Theme: “Our Agricultural Heritage”.

Size: Each Banner image is designed for a 32” x 60” finished banner including 3.5” sleeve top and bottom.

Design: Images should be very bold and simple with a minimum of 1 – 3 items of subject matter and no more than 3 – 4 colour screens.

Timeline: Call for Artist Submission is February 3, 2023, to March 3, 2023.

 Entries Due: Friday, March 31, 2023. Artwork can be saved as a printable pdf file, at 300dpi at ¼ size of the finished banner size. Submit to FSJ Community Arts Council  info@fsjarts.org .

Selection Process: In keeping with the theme of “Our Agricultural Heritage”, preference will be given to artists with present and past ties to the North Peace area.

The Final Selection will be decided at a Review Committee selected by the Fort St John Community Arts Council and submitted to the FSJ Community Arts Council no Later than Friday, March 10, 2023.

Notification to Artists: Artists will be notified by the FSJ Community Arts Council once the Selection Process is completed on or before Friday, March 10, 2023.

Accepted Artwork: Successful artists will work with the Community Arts Council and the Banner Company to finalize the images in a Technical Review and Critique by Friday, March 31, 2023. The artists have the option of including their name on the design. The artist of each of the four final designs selected will receive a fee of $125.00 per image. The images will then become the property of the Community Arts Council.

For further information, please contact the FSJ Community Arts Council at  info@fsjarts.org or by calling 250 787-2781.

Tips for Creating the Fort St John Banners.

1: Street banners are designed to be read not only by pedestrians but also by passengers in moving vehicles.  Images should therefore be very bold and simple with  a minimum of 1 to 3 items of subject matter. 

2: If text is used it should be large and bold in a simple typeface with no drop shadows and a minimum amount of text will be more visible.  Fine line work will be lost  and blurred.

3: For banner longevity, use bright bold primary colours or at the least strong secondary colours.   Some colours will blend into one from a distance e.g. green and blue together.

Do not use outlines but allow some white to delineate colours. This really helps make the image read from a distance.  White and yellow together will eventually fade out into a blur.  Dark colours work well against light and vice versa .  Pastel colours do not work on street lamp post banners.

4: Do not use half tones and graduated colours as they also fade out quickly.

5: Design as if for screen printing, allowing no more than 3 to 4 screens.  Even though the banners are digitally printed, bold simple screen printed type images will still read best no matter how they are printed.  Any item vertically hoisted will diminish in size by at least half.  Therefore think in terms of designing  a postage stamp which has to be read traveling at 50 kph minimum.

6: Artwork can be saved as a printable pdf file, at 300dpi at ¼ size of the finished banner size.

7: The banner size currently for fort St. John is 32” x 60” including 3.5” sleeves top and bottom included in the 80” length.

The two 3.5” sleeve/rod pocket areas should be left as blank space. Stitching lines will distort any image near them.  Design to the finished size and the manufacturer will look after all bleeds.

8: When working on computer design and /or paper e.g. letter size 8.5” x 11”, it is advisable to view the finished creative from 4 feet approx.   If the image is still readable then this is a banner design that will work in both a pedestrian and traffic flow area.

9: We are frequently asked by designers to view the draft of a design before it goes for final approval.  We can offer advice from a production and technical aspect and this can be corrected.  Once a design has been approved by the end user it is often difficult at this stage to make any necessary changes.  Better to check in earlier to ensure “readable” and  uv colourfast images.

If you have any questions please contact Luci Newby at phone: 1 800 667-0308 or email: lucibigbold@gmail.com .

The PLRAC is thrilled to announce the 41st Annual Open Sky Exhibition! Inspired by the stunning skyscapes of Northeastern BC, the name Open Sky speaks to the openness of opportunity to regional artists at ALL career stages working in ALL mediums! ALL submissions will be accepted and adjudicated by two arts professionals. We are excited to have Gerry Sheena, a carver and a member of the Interior Salish Nation, as well as Mary Anne Molcan, a Vancouver Island-based printmaker, serving as jurors this year! The jurors will chose artwork for the following awards:Distinguished Representational Award ($600)Distinguished Conceptual Award ($600)Distinguished Three-Dimensional Award ($600)Distinguished Photography Award ($600)9 Chosen AwardsHonorable MentionsToni Onley Artists’ Project ScholarshipThe exhibition will take place at the Chetwynd Rec Centre and is co-hosted by the Chetwynd Community Arts Council.IMPORTANT DATES– The exhibition is tentatively scheduled for June 9th to July 7th. – Submissions will be accepted starting April 15th at https://opensky.peaceliardarts.org/  – The submission deadline is May 26th.What do I need to submit artwork? You will need: – 1 to 3 images of each artwork – An artist statement for each work (optional) – The title, medium, dimensions, and price (if for sale) for each work – The category for each artwork (Representational, Three-Dimensional, Conceptual, or Photography) Criteria: All mediums, sizes, and forms of work will be accepted. Youth artists may also submit artwork, however, their entries will not be juried. Open to all artists residing in the Peace River Regional District and Northern Rockies Regional Municipality. All artists who submit to Open Sky must stay at arm’s length to the jurors. Only original artwork is eligible. No copies from magazines, mechanical reproductions, kits, or commercial molds. Works previously entered in the Regional Juried Art Exhibition, or Open Sky Exhibition are ineligible. Work must have been completed after January 2022. Limit of FOUR entries per artist. Entry fees are $10 per entry. Questions? Email ed@peaceliardarts.org Meet the Jurors  Gerry Sheena is a member of the Interior Salish Nation and has been carving for over 30 years. His work can be found throughout galleries in BC as well as at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. His carving style is traditionally Salish, informed by modern painting techniques and innovative use of color and design. He has carved masks, bowls, rattles, plaques, and various sizes of totem poles. From 1998-2002, Gerry mentored youth in the Collingwood community to create public art. In four years, they completed four carvings: Synala Totem Pole, The Multicultural Gateway, The Guardian of the Park, and the Renfrew Park Eagle. All the carvings were done in the public, with many people visiting the carving site, and can be found throughout the Renfrew Collingwood Community.Gerry Sheena, totem pole in red cedarMary Anne Molcan is a Canadian visual artist who creates unique hand-carved lino block prints. She is very grateful to live, work and play on the unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation on Vancouver Island. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with distinction from Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, BC. Majoring in Visual Arts, printmaking became a strong focus as she developed her practice. Minoring in psychology, she is intrigued by the affiliation we have with our unconscious and how that relates to the physical world. Hours of quiet reflection spent in the natural world inspire and inform her work. Having spent several years in vision care, her interest in perceptual aesthetics is an unwavering constant throughout her explorations. Molcan is a member of People of Print and has exhibited in both Canada and the United States. Her work is held in public and private collections internationally, including the Vancouver Island University’s digital intellectual and creative archive. Recent awards include The Los Angeles Print Society, 2022 Print Day in May Award, The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, 2020 Print Day in May Award, the Visual Arts Award of Excellence, the EJ Hughes Memorial Award in Visual Arts, and The Ladysmith Arts Council Fine Art Show’s Best Printmaking Award. Visit https://maryannemolcan.com/ for more informationMary Anne Molcan, Vivication, multi-cut lino reduction Thanks to our sponsors:

Fort St. John will welcome Impulse, an interactive public art installation made up of illuminated seesaws where the public gets to be musicians and artists from Saturday, February 11, through Wednesday, February 22, at the corner of 100 Street and 100 Avenue.

This international exhibit provides a family-friendly light and sound experience to create an ever-changing composition powered by play. Opening night, co-hosted by the Fort St. John Community Arts Council, will feature music, hot chocolate, and more, from 6 until 8 pm on Saturday, February 11.

Learn more

Lantern making workshops are a free activity for the children that will be held on Saturday, February 4^th from 10:00 -12:00 or from 1:00 – 3:00 PM at the North Peace Cultural Centre. Contact the Cultural Centre to register. 250-785-1992 or reception@npcc.bc.ca

The students will be asked to return on Saturday, February 11^th from 5:00 – 6:00 PM to finish their lanterns and then parade across the Avenue to participate in the “Impulse” opening.

The Arts Council has asked all candidates for City Council to answer a few questions about Arts, Culture and Heritage in the community. The partnership with the City is very important to the ability of artists and arts groups to operate and provide programming and do all the things that are so important to the quality of living in Fort St. John. We believe that Arts & Culture is a pillar of a vibrant community and it is important to hear how candidates views on this subject.

We will share their answers as they are returned to us in the order that we receive them

LILIA HANSEN: CANDIDATE FOR COUNCILLOR

SHANNON STANGE: CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR

LYLE GOLDIE: CANDIDATE FOR COUNCILLOR

GORD KLASSEN: CANDIDATE FOR COUNCILLOR

TREVOR BOLIN: CANDIDATE FOR COUNCILLOR

SARAH MACDOUGALL: CANDIDATE FOR COUNCILLOR

BYRON STEWART: CANDIDATE FOR COUNCILLOR