Two Rivers Gallery invites everyone to attend another fun-filled BMO Community Art Days. This
summer, BMO Community Art Days focuses on community growth and features free art activities, artist workshops, live music and performances, community booths, food trucks, and local artisan vendors.
This free, all-ages event will take place Friday, July 7 and Saturday, July 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Canada Games Plaza, located in downtown Prince George. BMO Community Art Days is hosting many
talented performers, including Paul de Guzman, an artist practicing in both Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and Vancouver. Paul is excited to share “laro na tayo – let’s play,” a project that engages the general public in a pre-colonial childhood game popular in the Philippines. The game is called “sipa” and is similar to hacky sack. Those who participate in the game will enjoy about two hours of play and meaningful conversation with Paul about the Filipino-Canadian experience. Play times start at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. both days of the event.
This event will give visitors the opportunity to engage in many forms of art. The stage will showcase talent from northern B.C., including Far From Linear and Scott LaPointe. Folks can also enjoy art activities hosted by Prince George organizations, artists, and Two Rivers Gallery.
BMO staff will be present with recycled seed planters, and the BCLC will share a unique selection of games. From a friendly round of table tennis to train rides on the BC Railway museums’ Cottonwood Express, BMO Community Art Days is sure to have something for everyone to enjoy.
BMO Community Art Days has been a staple event in Prince George for over 30 years and shows just
how much fun can be had when the community comes together. In discussing the upcoming event, Two
Rivers Gallery’s Director of Learning & Engagement, Sofia Comas, had this to say: “It is a
privilege to host BMO Community Art Days. Beyond promoting art, we hope to promote a healthy,
loving, and inclusive place to celebrate community. We can’t wait to share it with everyone.”
Interactive Exhibition
In addition to the variety of activities and performances at BMO Community Art Days, this event will
also mark the opening of a new exhibition in the Galleria. This collaborative installation between Two
Rivers Gallery and The Makerie, called “Greening the Gallery,” will see the Gallery transformed into a
whimsical greenhouse filled with paper foliage created by members of the community.
In preparation for this exhibition, the two organizations have spent the last few months in classrooms
throughout the district engaging in an art activity. Participants imagined their own fanciful plant species
and brought it to life through paper, paint, and pipe cleaners. Students explored what they might look like as if they were a plant and named their new species, keeping some of their creations for themselves and contributing one to “Greening the Gallery.” This installation captures how the diversity and individuality of the people of Prince George are precisely what make this community beautiful.
Visitors of BMO Community Art Days are welcome to join in on the fun! Kim Hayhurst, owner
of The Makerie, will be in attendance both days of the event to help participants create their own plants
and add their contributions to the installation. In anticipation of this interactive exhibition.
“We are so excited to be part of BMO Community Art Days by kicking off a creative installation
crafted by the community,” Hayhurst said. “We love nothing more than seeing people of all ages having fun and leaning into the wonder of the creative process and its magical results.”
This event is free and open to all to attend.