Kelowna is filled with many arts and culture experiences for both locals and visitors to enjoy. While many of the physical spaces in Kelowna are temporarily closed, you can still explore and enjoy a variety of virtual experiences from the comfort of your own home.
From Geisha to Diva: The Kimono of Ichimaru
The Kelowna Art Gallery has made it easy for art enthusiasts to experience their latest exhibition, which explores the life of Ichimaru, one of the most famous geishas of the 20th Century. Visit their website to watch the four-part video series to tour the exhibition, create your own Origami Kimono, or read the exhibition guide to learn more about this fascinating geisha.
The Pink Unicorn
Theatre-lovers can catch an online performance of New Vintage Theatre’s presentation of The Pink Unicorn by Elise Forier Edie. The play—which centres around a mother “who must struggle to understand and accept her daughter’s truth” after she announces she is genderqueer—will feature Kelowna favourite, Kendra Hesketh, and will be directed and filmed locally in collaboration with the Okanagan Society of Independent Filmmaking.
Tickets for the show, which will take place June 3-5 at 7 p.m., are $10 and can be purchased online.
Live! at the Museum
Have some fun, learn something new, and explore Kelowna’s museums with the Live! at the Museum series. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1:30 p.m., Kelowna Museums—which includes the Okanagan Heritage Museum, Okanagan Wine and Orchard Museum, and Okanagan Military Museum—will take viewers “on a journey through the museums and the Okanagan Valley.” Click here to view upcoming topics and then tune in to Instagram Live to take part in the fun.
RCA@Home
The Rotary Centre for the Arts has launched RCA@Home, a series of virtual programming that can be enjoyed at home. Virtual Cinema House, which is the first part of the series, provides exclusive access to award-winning documentaries. For $10, viewers can watch the documentary of their choice for up to 5 days. Two new documentaries are released each week, so see what’s playing now and stay tuned for new releases.
Indigenous History and Culture
Sncəwips Heritage Museum, which represents Westbank First Nation’s heritage and the stories of Canada’s First Nations, has created several YouTube videos so viewers can learn more about Indigenous history and culture. Their newest series, A Closer Look, will see a brand new segment launched every Tuesday. Those seeking to learn more about local Indigenous history and culture can also watch Kelowna Museums’ Syilx Perspectives videos on YouTube.
Virtual Book Club
Book lovers can take part in the Okanagan Regional Library’s (ORL) virtual book clubs. Start to tackle War & Peace starting on May 14 or read French Exit and join in on May 28 or June 2. Both books are available through ORL’s eLibrary. The book club is for adults and will be held via Zoom. You can find a variety of additional virtual content for both kids and adults on ORL’s website.
Virtual Public Art Tour
Kelowna is home to more than 60 pieces of public art, which are located all throughout the city. The City of Kelowna’s public art tour app allows you to virtually explore the collection, learning more about the pieces and about artists who created them. Locals can use the app while out exploring while those outside the city can explore from home and make note of which pieces they want to see in person when it’s time to travel again.
The 48 – Vol. 1
The Okanagan Society of Independent Filmmaking held the first iteration of its 48-hour film festival. Okanagan filmmakers were provided with a genre, prop, and line of dialogue on May 1 and had 48 hours to complete their 1- to 3-minute film. You can watch all the submitted films on YouTube and stay tuned for Vol. 2.
Okanagan Spotify Playlist
Our friends at Thick as Thieves Entertainment—who produce Denim on the Diamond and AltiTunes—have put together a Spotify playlist featuring tunes from a variety of Okanagan musicians. Turn up the volume and picture yourself enjoying the Okanagan sun while you listen to this specially-curated list.
BC is getting set to enter the next phase of its restart plan next week, meaning area museums, art galleries, and libraries will be looking ahead and thinking about their plans for reopening. For those in and around Kelowna, be sure to stay tuned for more information about when you can visit in person. For those outside our region, we can't wait to see you when it's time to travel again!
