A BC-Wide Celebration of Artist-Run Culture

- Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna

Presented by PAARC and the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad

Chatter & Whirr is a winter festival celebrating artist-run culture in BC. An initiative of the Pacific Association of Artist-Run Centres (PAARC), this unique festival connects events in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna scheduled throughout the month of February. Members of artist-run centres from across BC will meet to discuss the vision of artist-run culture that has powered events like Chatter & Whirr throughout Canada for over thirty years and highlight the best of alternative culture through exhibition openings, creative cultural happenings and province-wide discussions, setting the tone for and creating an awareness of artist-run culture in BC.

The festival kicks off in Kelowna with Chatter & Whirr Unleashed (February 6 and 7), a music and media arts night-time event hosted by the Alternator, Kelowna’s only artist-run centre. Featured exhibitions are by Plains Cree-Métis artist Jude Norris and two artists originally from Kelowna, Brian Gotro and Christian Nicolay. Representatives from Kelowna, Penticton, Kamloops and Vernon will also participate in an open discussion about artist-run culture and the role it plays in our communities on February 7, 12pm.

The “chatter” then migrates to Victoria at Open Space gallery with an opening reception for Index Project: renovated an investigative work into how historical art inhabits contemporary art production and presentation by Fiona Macdonald on February 13 at 8pm. The exhibit runs until March 21.

Vancouver will be host to 13 individual events at 8 different venues between February 18 and 21 to generate even more “chatter and whirr” around artist-run culture. Venues include, VIVO Media Arts Centre, Gallery Gachet, Access Gallery, Artspeak, Grunt Gallery, UBC, the W2 Launch Pad at 116 W Hastings Street and Western Front. The whirlwind of activity includes 4 opening receptions, Your Hit Parade – a 3-night music extravaganza of artists at VIVO, artist talks at Artspeak and Access Gallery, a full day of “chatter and whirr” on community generated media at UBC and a Chatter & Whirr Panel Discussion on February 21, 7pm at Western Front. All events are free and open to the public with the exception of Your Hit Parade (tickets are $10/night and $25/for all three nights).

During the Chatter & Whirr Panel Discussion current director/curators of artist-run centres, past and founding members of artist-run centres, and individuals that are involved in younger organizations that operating within the scope of an artist-run centre will discuss and answer questions about the work produced within artist-run culture.

The Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres (PAARC) was established in 1988 as an association representing artist run centres in British Columbia. Member organizations are artist initiated and artist controlled. The primary mandate of the society is to work towards the benefit of the practicing artist, within the context of artists’ self-determination and to collaborate on programming initiatives and advocacy work. For information about PAARC or programming information about Chatter & Whirr visit www.paarc.ca or www.paarc.wordpress.com.