Smarties
Family Drop in Art  Sessions
2 to 4pm on Sundays
Participation by donation
Come to Gallery Vertigo for an afternoon of family fun!

Sunday - January 15th from 2 – 4 PM

Musical Fun!

with Tanya Lipscomb

Tanya Lipscomb, a mother of three, an award-winning, touring singer/song writer has developed a character named Kiki the Eco Elf.  Striving to entertain and educate children about the environment and ecological sustainability with colour, excitement and enthusiasm, Kiki has been spreading this message to children across Western Canada.  Using puppets, theatre, story-telling and songs in both French and English, Ms. Lipscomb explores numerous environmental concerns.

Children are our best hope for a sustainable future, and that is why I have made it a priority to inspire, encourage and teach children about the environment before it is too late.
Kiki the Eco Elf

January 22nd from 2 – 4 PM
Drawing!

with James Postill

James Postill earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Okanagan University College in 1993.  He has since been a picture framer, art teacher and full time professional artist with a list of public and private commissions, exhibitions and sales. James is passionate about the Okanagan with the ever-changing colours of its muscular rolling hills and grasslands.  While he continues to produce work on that theme, he has recently completed a  Rain Series  in oils.  Two of his commissioned murals can be seen in Lumby.

Ever since I can remember, I have always loved art and often retreated into my art world / the ‘world of art’
in my formative years.
James Postill

January 29th from 2 – 4 PM
Snowglobes!

with Anne Mihalcheon
Anne Michaleon currently works as a bookkeeper at Cutting Edge Locksmith, which she co-owns with her husband Rick. She worked at the House of Dwarfs Daycare in the after school program and has taught SMARTIES workshops at Gallery Vertigo in: Making Masks, Making Wind Chimes, Making Mosaics, Making Treasure Boxes.  Anne continues to work  towards getting a Bachelor of Fine Arts at UBCO.

Watch here for information about upcoming SMARTIES sessions,
or drop by the gallery for a handout.
Please share this information with your friends

At Gallery Vertigo we take having fun very seriously! That’s why we have rounded up some highly qualified instructors to lead a variety of exciting art-making activities that the entire family will enjoy.  We call it SMARTIES because it's a fact, art makes you smart!

No registration necessary, just drop in for some fun... Everyone is welcome...wear old clothes and bring your imagination. We’ll supply materials, encouragement and smiles! Suggested Donation: $3.00 per person. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Teens are welcome too. We strongly encourage parents to be part of the fun! We also welcome grandparents to take part! Volunteers interested in art are invited to come down and assist at the workshops. No experience necessary. It happens every Sunday from 2 to 4 pm.

Please contact the gallery if you would like to volunteer, or be added to our SMARTIES mailing list.
Gallery Vertigo #1 (upstairs), 3001 31st Street - 250-503-2297 - www.galleryvertigo.com - info@galleryvertigo.com
Friend us on Facebook: Just type in Gallery Vertigo

Meet New SMARTIES Coordinator
Anne Mihalcheon!

Anne is currently working towards earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at UBC Okanagan. The artist has been an active participant in North Okanagan Artists Alternative for many years, contributing to the Almost Famous fundraiser and showing her work on the members wall and in group exhibitions. Anne is currently a studio artist at Gallery Vertigo.

In addition to producing her own art work, Anne enjoys sharing the joy of art making with others, especially children. Anne excelled at our Strategies for Teaching Art program here at the gallery a couple of years ago and related experience includes participation in  the House of Dwarfs Daycare after school program as well as having taught numerous SMARTIES sessions, including sessions creating three dimensional objects such as masks, wind chimes, mosaics, and treasure boxes.

Anne works as a bookkeeper for Cutting Edge Locksmith, which she owns and operates along with husband Rick. For fun and exercise, Anne studies Karate. She holds a 1st degree Black Belt in Shotokan and Goju Ryu Karate, and is currently studying Kyokushin Karate.

SMARTIES INSTRUCTORS NEEDED!

Would you like to teach a SMARTIES session or two at Gallery Vertigo this Fall?
We are now booking SMARTIES sessions for October, November and December.
Please reply towww.galleryvertigo.com or apowell@shaw.ca
Questions?
Please call Amber at 250-503-2297 on Fridays.

New instructors and returning instructors welcome!
Volunteer assistants are on hand for each session.
It pays $40.00 per two hour session. (Sundays 2 to 4 pm)
All arts activities welcome, visual arts, acting, dancing, singing, music, crafts, etc.
Please secure your date(s) ASAP as these opportunities fill up quickly.
The info needed to book a session is listed below.
Drop by the gallery to pick up a form, or we can email to you.

Instructor Information:
Your name, phone number and email address, home address.
A little bit about yourself (an informal, BRIEF bio)
List of related education and/or experience.
A picture of you.
Activity Information
The title of the proposed activity.
A brief description of the activity. (short paragraph)
A picture of your activity.

I look forward to hearing from you soon, Amber Powell apowell@shaw.ca 250-503-2297 (Fridays)

Gallery Vertigo wishes to thank these sponsors of the SMARTIES program: The Regional District of the North Okanagan and the Gallery Vertigo Knitting Circle.
And many thanks to our wonderful volunteers, without whom this program would not be possible! New volunteers always welcome

Remember the days when we put pen to paper to communicate with others?

Well, why not give letter writing another try at the new Letter Writing Club at Gallery Vertigo.

Letter Writing Club meets the second Tuesday of every month at 7 PM at Gallery Vertigo 3001 31 St #1 upstairs. Bring paper and a pen. Vertigo will provide inspiring writing atmosphere, refreshments, and a comfortable place to sit. Stamps and stationary will be for sale at cost and cards made by local artists will be available. All are welcome and admission is by donation. First Letter Writing Club is Tuesday October 11th. For more info call 250-503-2297.

AUTHOR FOSTERS ART OF LETTER WRITING

“I want to write more letters,” says Vernon novelist and poet, Laisha Rosnau. “Not emails, not Facebook status updates, not tweets or texts but more real letters, with a pen and paper.” To this end, Rosnau has decided to start the Letter Writing Club at Gallery Vertigo on the second Tuesday of every month.

Inspired in part by a program on CBC radio about a similar club in Toronto, Rosnau found out clubs were opening up across the country. “Even though I’d like to write more letters, I don’t make it a priority. If I start a club, I’ll have to show up!” she laughs.

Rosnau is the author of the novel The Sudden Weight of Snow, which takes place in a fictional town based on a North Okanagan/Shuswap community, and two collections of poetry, Notes on Leaving and Lousy Explorers. Research into a new novel has taken her into several different archives. “I’m fascinated not only by the personal information that’s revealed, but by the different perspectives letters give into world events at the time and by the writing styles of different eras, and how they change.”

Having moved several times, Rosnau keeps an archive of her own correspondence, organizing letters and cards from friends and family in boxes. “The letters begin to dwindle in the late Nineties and they’re all but gone by the early 2000s. I think of this generation of tweets and status updates and wonder what may be lost as those forms of communication are instant and also so ephemeral. We might not want our grandkids to one day read our old status updates but a good letter is a thing to save.”

Rosnau will open Gallery Vertigo in downtown Vernon the second Tuesday of every month for the Letter Writing Club. “I’ll put on some tea, some music if people like, and arrange comfortable places for people to sit and write.” She’ll provide stamps at cost as well as some stationary and encourages people to contribute old stationary and cards to the group. Cards with art by local artists will also be available.

“It seems strange, in this over-scheduled world, to schedule one more thing to do,” says Rosnau. “But really it’s a good excuse to go to the gallery, put on some tea, hang out with other people who want to write letters and, well, actually write them!”

The Letter Writing Social Club will be on the second Tuesday of the month, beginning Tuesday October 11th at 7 PM at Gallery Vertigo 3001 31 St. #1 upstairs. For more information contact Gallery Vertigo at 250-503-2297.

Knitting Circle At Gallery Vertigo
With Janet Armstrong and Allison Griswold
The first and third Saturday morning of each month

Drop in sessions for knitters of all experience levels are held at Gallery Vertigo the first Saturday morning of each month. These sessions are open to anyone interested in knitting, whether new or experienced. 

"These sessions are taking on a life of their own with knitters sharing their expertise and their stories. At our first knitting circle, one person picked up yarn and needles after a thirty year absence from knitting and her hands still remembered how. Another person picked up needles and knit for the very first time. Other knitters have years of experience. Everyone enjoys creating in a mutually supportive group atmosphere." (Judith Jurica, Director of Gallery Vertigo and new knitter).

There is a fee of $5.00 per person per session.  Registration is not necessary.  All proceeds will support the SMARTIES Sunday family drop-in art sessions held at Gallery Vertigo. Drop-ins are on the first and third Saturday of each month from 10am to noon.

Bring along yarn and needles, etc. and/or a project or two you are working on.

Allison and Janet are passionate, experienced knitters and love sharing their knowledge. Bring your knitting questions and problems, and they'll happily work out the solutions for you.

A warm welcome awaits you. Coffee and goodies are served. Donations of homemade goodies welcome.



Janet Armstrong can be contacted for interviews at 250-545-2474 or by e-mail info@janetarmstrong.com
www.janetarmstrong.com

Allison Griswold can be contacted on Tuesdays at Gallery Vertigo - 250-503-2297 or by email - ballisongriswold@shaw.ca

Call Gallery Vertigo for information. (250)503-2297 or info@galleryvertigo.com

About Janet Armstrong
Janet Armstrong believes that to be happy in life one must have a passion—hers is fibre, whether that be yarn, fabric or thread. In her workshops, she actively cultivates an atmosphere of invigorating creativity, encouraging discovery and invention amongst the participants. Janet coordinated the first Okanagan Knitting Retreat with colleagues Gloria Hanson and Wendy Henderson in 1999—the 11th retreat is scheduled this May. Janet has taught at national and international fibre art conferences.