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Burnaby Arts Council offers live music, painting this weekend

Deer Lake Gallery has two scheduled outdoor events on Saturday as the arts council charts a new course in a COVID-19 world
Deer Lake Gallery, summer arts festival, file photo, Burnaby arts
It will be awhile before events look like this again at Deer Lake Gallery. This was painter Honeytta Eyvany working on her piece at the Deer Lake Summer Arts Festival last year. The Burnaby Arts Council won’t be able to offer its regular events this year thanks to COVID-19 – but it’s beginning to offer some programming again this weekend, with live music and a live painting event.

The Burnaby Arts Council is working its way back towards a new normal.

The arts council is hosting two live events this weekend – its first since the COVID-19 pandemic saw the annual Luminescence exhibition cancelled in March.

On Saturday, June 20, from 2 to 4 p.m., visitors can enjoy a Live at the Gallery performance in the gallery’s backyard, and from 3 to 5 p.m., there’s an outdoor painting event.

 “With concerts and gigs cancelled, performance halls closed, musicians will be facing a challenging year,” a gallery event notice says. “So to keep uplifting local artists, we’re bringing our Live at the Gallery series outdoors for the time being. You can still enjoy live music, get some fresh air, and support local artists, all at the same time.”

The gallery suggests people set up a picnic on the Deer Lake Park lawn to listen to the music, or add the gallery to their running and walking route.

Anyone who wants to stay on site and listen is asked to be mindful of others around them and maintain the recommended two-metre distance. The gallery also asks people to wear masks, if possible.

The Live at the Gallery gig will feature two singer-songwriters: Carmina Bolinao and Zayda. Bolinao is a Vancouver-based singer who’s heavily inspired by old-school R&B, with a touch of jazz.  Zayda is a modern folk-pop singer-songwriter, who offers up both original music and covers combining elements of her favourite genres.

For full details of the performances, check out the Live at the Gallery: Outdoor edition event listing on Facebook

The outdoor painting session will be led by Burnaby Arts Council board member Farhad Sadhegi Amini. The gallery will be spacing out easels to ensure people are a minimum of six feet apart, and the session will be limited to 10 people.

If more people sign up, the gallery will start a wait list; if there’s significant interest, the arts council says it will consider hosting another session.

Bring your preferred art supplies, and the gallery will also provide painting materials.

See a sign-up form and information at www.tinyurl.com/BACpaintingJune.

Keep an eye on the arts council’s social media channels - @deerlakeartgallery on Facebook, and @burnabyartscouncil on Instagram – to stay up-to-date on all the new developments.