Comox Valley Arts

Poetry Reading and Book Launch
2026-03-07 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Vancouver) | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Join host Kelly Madden at Artful : The Gallery for the poetry reading and book launch of Ed Varney and Dan Kirk. Guest poet Kristina Campbell will also join the reading for an entertaining trio of Comox Valley Poets.

Ed Varney was inspired to become a poet during his second year of University and has followed that idea over the past 60 years. Along the way he has learned printing technologies, publishing strategies, book binding skills, graphics and fine arts, arranged exhibitions, edited anthologies, founded small poetry magazines and published over 20 books and chapbooks of his own poetry. Varney reports that poetry continues to engage him and new poems emerge on sheets of paper in his studio. Varney’s latest chapbook is ‘Crossroads’, published by the Poem Factory. It follows the path that thought takes as it expresses itself in words and how those words morph into poetry.

Dan Kirk has spent extended periods of time over the past 20 years reading American poets William Stafford, Robert Bly and Emily Dickenson, Spanish poets Antonio Machado and Juan Ramon Jimenez, Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer and Norwegian poet Olav H. Hauge. They have informed and inspired Kirk’s writing in an ongoing conversation where he has responded to, argued with and extended their words and ideas and brought them into his world. This volume ’Still Talking’ represents a distillation of his ongoing dialogue with these poets and others who evoke a response. Kirk founded and ran the Red Tree Poetry Series and co-produced the first two Cascadia Poetry Festivals in Cumberland, B.C. with Adelia MacWilliam and Ed Varney. Reading in locations around Vancouver Island and Kelowna, Daniel has enjoyed the varied audiences for poetry in these communities.

Kristina Campbell is an artist and therapist who has lived in the Comox Valley since 2017. In 2020, Campbell established Artful : The Gallery to provide a home base for her multi-media art practice which includes painting, poetry and experimental film. Campbell has reached back through her Danish ancestry to bring the Nordic gods to her mythopoetic sensibility as an artist. Campbell’s style is an expression of her belief that using mythological imagery can inspire and lead to the creation of new narratives. Campbell’s fascination with mythology, symbols, memory and dream imagery is a unifying theme throughout her work.

Kelly Madden is a Vancouver Island poet whose writing is raw, unflinching, and deeply rooted in place. She speaks for the overlooked: those lost to the overdose crisis, those unhoused, and the ecosystems we continue to erase. Her work has appeared in numerous publications supported by the League of Canadian Poets, Reckoning, SAPPzine, Island Writer’s Magazine, CV2, The Poet, Drift, Drunk Monkeys and elsewhere. She is currently working on her second collection of poetry.

Spring Fling and Easter Magic 2026
2026-03-21 11:00 - 14:00 | the Courtenay and District Museum, 207 4th St, Courtenay, BC, COURTENAY, BC, V9N 1G7, Canada
The Courtenay Museum invites you to their annual “Spring Fling and Easter Magic” event on Saturday, March 21st, from 11 am to 2 pm. Admission is by donation.
This will be a fun-filled, action-packed three-hour event.
The ever-popular petting zoo provided by Barnyard Party Animals gives folks a chance to meet ducks, geese, bunnies, chicks, guinea pigs, and hedgehogs.
We have invited a special guest this year, “Magician Donald Dunphy,” who will be performing amazing magic shows. Audience participation is a must. There will be two magic shows, one at 11:45 and the other at 12:45. Each show will be different.
You will have the opportunity to visit with volunteers and a rescue bird from MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre, where you can learn about their amazing wildlife rescues.
A couple of games are planned for the Fling, including a scavenger hunt and guess how many treats contest. People can also enter to win door prizes. Don’t forget to bring your craft skills to make a cute Easter craft to take home with you.
The Elasmosaur mascot will be making an appearance for photo opportunities and handing out delicious chocolate treats.

Triskaidecadarn! ookoolaydeez postponed to April 10th
2026-04-10 19:30 - 21:30 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Well….it seems the Ookoolaydeez should have been scared of Friday the 13th!

Tara has lost her voice because of laryngitis. We have been crossing our fingers she would be recovered for the originally scheduled March 13th concert, but, sadly, it’s not to be.

We are crestfallen that we won’t be able to entertain you this Friday, BUT **we have rescheduled the concert to Friday, April 10th at 7:30 p.m. at Artful : The Gallery.**

If you can attend on the new date, yay!
If you are unable to attend, I will refund you via e-transfer.
Please let me know which option works for you. Email: ookoolaydeez@gmail.com

Thanks for your understanding, and sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.

The ookoolaydeez are on a mission to light up the world with joy using irresistibly singable tunes, playful wit and exuberant whimsy.
Songbirds Tara Hope and Diana Kolpak serve up a spicy buffet of original songs and poems that take you on an unexpected, hilarious, profound, wild and juicy journey. Among the tasty offerings are: snappy blues, dark lullabies, Shakespearean rap, sweet bluegrass and flirty musings about housework. Harmonies are sophisticated. Instruments include a motley assemblage of ukuleles, a washboard, a toilet plunger, a toy glockenspiel and baby tap shoes…just to name a few.
The ookoolaydeez made their debut at the 2025 Woodstove Festival in November, followed by house concerts and an appearance at the Art is Love is Resistance fundraiser in Cumberland.
Diana studied classical piano and has decades of experience as a theatre performer and director. Tara studied ukulele and guitar and is a prize-winning wearable art creator/performer. Both are poets and published authors. They started writing songs together in the autumn of 2024.
In addition to performing as the ookoolaydeez, Tara and Diana also sing as part of The Happy Gang, an ensemble of six fiddlers, four vocalists, a percussionist, a guitarist and a bass player, who play monthly concerts at several of the Comox Valley’s long term care facilities.

Courtenay Little Theatre Presents: “The Children” by Lucy Kirkwood
2026-04-15 08:00 - 2026-04-19 17:00 | Sid Williams Theatre, 442 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2J2, Canada
What do we owe the next generation?
Courtenay Little Theatre presents The Children by Lucy Kirkwood at the Sid Williams Theatre, April 15–19.
Part mystery, part comedy, and part eco-thriller, The Children is witty, gripping, and deeply relevant. Retired nuclear engineers Hazel and Robin are living in a cottage on the coast of England after a disaster at the nearby power station. When their former colleague Rose arrives unexpectedly, an evening of food, drink, and memories takes a surprising turn.
As old secrets surface, the three must confront questions of responsibility, sacrifice, aging, and what they will leave behind.
Directed by Catherine Hannon and featuring Simon Easterman, Erin Malin, and Ruthie Tilston.

Holding Heritage: Unspoken Stories
2026-05-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Cumberland Museum & Archives, 2680 Dunsmuir Ave, Cumberland, BC, V0R 1S0, Canada
Unspoken Stories showcases candid conversations between
Chinese-Vietnamese Boat People refugees and their families.
At its heart is the belief that for younger generations to carry culture forward, they must first be inspired by the stories of their own families.
By encouraging honest and intentional dialogue across generations, we invite viewers to see how embracing personal understandings of their roots can spark pride, belonging, and a deeper connection to both their identities and family histories.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with:

Hollie Ha, Holding Heritage founder and Unspoken Stories creator
Sandy Ho, Author of “No Way But Through: A Family Memoir”
Andrew Ha, interviewee from the Unspoken Stories project

Hollie Ha bridges generations by sharing candid conversations and untold stories of Chinese-Vietnamese Boat people refugees and their descendants. Through these meaningful exchanges, the series explores the delicate interplay between heritage, identity, and family dynamics.
Watch the trailer here!
