Rooting Our Heritage Proposal
This video was made as a proposal for a community revival project contest, hosted by Joey's Only Seafood Restaurants. We had great support, and lots of votes, but we didn't get enough to win. Congratulations to the Pregnancy Care Centre of Kamloops; they truly do great and amazing work for their community and they deserve their win!
The vision of the Rooting Our Heritage community revival project is a collaborative effort involving many partners in the community. The Arts Council of the North Okanagan is an umbrella organisation dedicated to arts and culture in the North Okanagan. This project fits into our mandate because it highlights local culture and heritage by identifying 10 heritage trees in the City of Vernon, BC to be honoured through the arts in a unique, accessible and multi-disciplinary way.
Everyone knows that trees are a vital part of the environment and especially when they are located inside the city. They provide a means to reduce noise, prevent erosion, provide habitat and filter the air. Whether in a park, a neighbourhood or lining a city street, trees accentuate the natural beauty of Vernon. Our city is remarkable with all its mature trees forming a dense canopy over the rooftops of our homes. They reduce energy consumption in the summer by providing shade and in the winter by providing wind breaks. The annual leaf litter from deciduous trees provides excellent compost material for the home gardener. And what back yard is not made better with the addition of a tree for a tire swing or a climbing fort? While many of the trees in Vernon are young and will carry their legacy into the future, some of those mature timbers that make Vernon distinct have been around for a long, long time. As ancestors in our community, we believe they should be honoured.
We will select, by jury, 10 artists through an open and public call to artists who will then each create a work of art in tribute to one of the trees. The artists will be asked to journal their progress and document with photos and sketches the steps involved in creating their original work of art.
The result will be an exhibition of the work created, and to memorialise this project, we will have a book published featuring the trees and their stories as well as reproductions of the art, artist biographies and descriptions of the creative process, or journaling, as supplied by each artist. Proceeds from book sales will be used as fundraising and to cover the costs associated with reprinting, thus continuing the legacy.
During the period of time when the artists are creating the work, we will hold community out-reach events, such as on-site or studio-based art/environmental/heritage activities for youth and children. Another facet of the project will be a series of heritage tree tours and a self-guided tour pamphlet will be produced so that citizens and tourists may visit the trees for years to come, long after the exhibition has come to a close.
In planning and producing the above exhibits, activities and events, we envision working with a wide variety of proposed and potential partners, such as local art galleries and artist collectives, community gardening organisations, the city and local history and heritage institutions. Though this may seem to be an ambitious project, we believe that if we are awarded with the $25,000 that Joey's Only Seafood Restaurant is offering, it would cover our costs in publishing the book, paying artist fees and some administration costs.
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Joey's Community Revival Project - Get Bent Active Arts Society, Penticton - VOTE FOR USby artandwine505 views
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