This October, the Langley Centennial Museum is inviting local art lovers to participate in two exciting, behind-the-scenes art studio tours that have been programmed in conjunction with Culture Days.
Founded in 2009, Culture Days is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing Canadians with opportunities to participate in, and appreciate, all forms of arts and culture by building a national network of cultural connections.
Since the annual event’s inception, 10 million Canadians have participated in 40,000 Culture Days activities and events in 900 cities and towns.
On Sunday, Oct. 2, participants can strap on their walking shoes and head out to tour the studios and community-based arts collectives’ in the village of Fort Langley.
This free program starts at the Langley Centennial Museum at 9135 King Street with a tour of the current exhibit, Form & Function: A Showcase of Contemporary BC Furniture Designers. It then moves on to the Fort Langley Artists Group (FLAG), Pat Barker’s Pencil Studio, k’wy’i’y’e Spring Salmon Studio, featuring the work of Phyllis and Drew Atkins, the studio of Elaine Brewer-White, the Fort Langley Art Glass studio in Gasoline Alley, and the Fort Gallery on Glover road.
On the same weekend, the museum is also offering a $35 art tour the day before, on Saturday, Oct. 1.
On this tour, a Township bus will take participants to a handful of artists’ studios in and around Langley and stop for a tasty bite at Porter’s Bistro Coffee & Tea House for lunch.
The studios of painter Barbara Boldt, wood turner Ed Pretty, printmaker Edith Krause, as well as painters Susan Falk and Vivian Harder, will all be open to welcome the bus tour participants. The program runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The $25 cost includes lunch.
Pre-registration is required for both the Township art tour, and the Culture Days walking tour.
To register online, go to recexpress.tol.ca and enter barcode 501118 for the Art Studio Bus Tour; or barcode 495478 for the Fort Langley Art Studio Walking Tour.
For more info, call the Langley Centennial Museum at 604.532.3562 or visit museum.tol.ca.
Culture Days at the library
Four Fraser Valley Regional Library locations in Langley are also holding Culture Days activities this year.
In Aldergrove, join the library on Saturday, Oct. 1, for an afternoon of crafts from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., celebrating Canada's diverse arts and cultures. Register in advance by calling 604-856-6415.
In Langley City, on Friday, Sept. 30 from 2 to 3 p.m., participants can transform rocks into magnificent pieces of art using paint and imagination, then enjoy a performance by a trio from the Langley Ukulele Ensemble. Register by calling 604-514-2850.
And in Fort Langley, enjoy yarn bombing on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, fingerweaving on Sept. 30, and tea and pom-pom making on Oct. 1. Register by calling 604-888-0722.
More information on all of these events is available here.