Tin Town Cafe Member Show – Closing TODAY
2026-06-03 00:00 - 23:59 (America/Vancouver) | Tin Town Cafe, 2456 Rosewall Crescent #106, Courtenay, BC, V9N 8R9, Canada
CV/Arts first Tin Town Cafe Member show is closing today
CV/Arts and Tin Town Cafe have partnered to host a rotating exhibition series featuring work by current CV/Arts members. The salon-style hang in the cafe will rotate three times a year, giving multiple members regular opportunities to show and sell their work in a welcoming, high-traffic setting. The current member show features 27 works of art by 20 local artist members.
To apply for the next show visit our website

HeARTful Art: Paint for Relaxation & Wellness
2026-06-12 08:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-19 08:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-26 08:00 - 17:00 | Silver Bowerbird Gallery, Back door 479 4th St., Courtenay, british columbia, V9N1G9, Canada
Join Margaret every Friday 2-5 pm at the Silver Bowerbird Gallery in a series of expressive art activities that focus on improving mental and physical wellness helping you to reconnect with your authentic self.
For anyone, but especially those who are experiencing stress, anxiety, dealing with life changes or health issues. The aim is to enhance one’s vitality, energy and positivity through art. Discover your own creative genius or just relax into a comfortable, nurturing space to explore what art has to offer you. No experience necessary.

Lenticular Print Making with Kourtney Jackson
2026-06-13 13:00 - 15:00 | campbell river art gallery, 1235 Shoppers Row, campbell river, BC, V9W2C7, Canada
Join us SATURDAY JUNE 13TH from 1PM-3PM for a special workshop with ‘Sacred In All Forms’ artist, Kourtney Jackson!

Discover how motion, time, and visual storytelling can exist within a single image in this hands-on DIY lenticular print workshop. Using their own photography, participants will create prints that shift as the viewer moves, producing the illusion of a movement and transformation.

For more information, visit our website: www.crartgallery.ca/events

ES:MO live in Campbell River
2026-06-13 19:30 - 21:30 | Rivercity Stage, 1080 Hemlock, Campbell River, BC, V9W 3E4, Canada
ES:MO is Elizabeth Shepherd and Michael Occhipinti, two imaginative genre-defying musicians who create music that is uniquely their own. ES:MO fuses a love of songwriting with the inventive musicianship they’re known for as perennial Juno Award nominees (19 JUNO nominations between the two!) and veterans of the Toronto music scene.
Michael Occhipinti’s huge palette of sounds and versatile skills has made him one of Canada’s most admired guitarists. He leads jazz orchestras, plays afro-pop, R&B, funk, and Sicilian folk music, and does it all with finesse, curiosity, and virtuosity. He’s played with Bruce Cockburn, Bill Frisell, Trey Anastasio, Laila Biali, Andrea Bocelli, the Toronto Symphoni and many more.
Elizabeth Shepherd is a classically trained pianist who turned to jazz through her love of old-school hip-hop. She’s been hailed as “wholly unique and unclassifiable,” a “jazz virtuoso with a pop sensibility” blaring the boundaries between jazz, R&B, pop and hip-hop. Her soulful and ethereal voice and keyboard work stunned listeners on ES:MO’s debut album The Weight of Hope, which received a JUNO nomination in 2022. The album was built around the duo’s unique interpretations of songs by Stevie Wonder, Bruce Cockburn, Jackie Shane, Nick Drake and others.
The second ES:MO album SUNSHINE IN MY BONES which comes out just before this tour is a celebration of the duo’s own compositions built on hours of jam sessions, found sounds such as washing machines, improvised voice and guitar loops, and the magical connection Elizabeth and Michael have when they create music together. Their thoughtful songs explore everything from war crimes to cruise ship class warfare, love among tulips, and the need for human connection. On the recording they’re joined by guest drummers Larnell Lewis, Jinu Isac, Tony Ferraro, and Marito Marques. For this west coast tour they’ll be joined by Tony Ferraro on drums and Derek Fillippo on bass.

Sing & Steam
2026-06-18 19:30 - 22:00 | The Lost Faucet Sauna House, 3455 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 9N6, Canada
Sing & Steam is a cozy evening of sauna rounds, simple songs and good vibes.
No music experience needed, all songs will be beginner-friendly (promise!), no music-reading required. Song time will be in between steams, and guided by Zoë from Squeaky Wheel Creative, with Dan & Lisa from The Lost Faucet facilitating an awesome, music-focused Aufguss session for us at the end. Our sauna is booked from 7:30-10pm – stay for some or all of that time.
Come solo or bring a friend – all genders, bodies, and voices are welcome! (Ages 18+)
Register by emailing thesqueakywheelcreative@gmail.com.

Art Opening Celebration (with Artist Talk by Michael Campbell) | Field Recordings of Icebergs Melting
2026-06-19 16:00 - 18:30 | Comox Valley Art Gallery, 580 Duncan Avenue, Courtenay, BC
ART OPENING CELEBRATION (WITH ARTIST TALK)
Field Recordings of Icebergs Melting by multi-media artist Michael Campbell will open at the Comox Valley Art Gallery on Friday, June 19. Doors open at 4:00pm to view the new exhibition.
At 5:30pm, there will be an artist talk, followed by a casual reception and hospitality. Everyone is welcome.
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FIELD RECORDINGS OF ICEBERGS MELTING
Artist Michael Campbell’s multi-media exhibition “. . . brings into play its place in the cultural imagination of a frontier zone of extreme conditions, and its history during the period of European expansion from the 16th to the 20th centuries. The allusion conjures the stream of survey ships that sought the north-west Passage of the North Pole, strove to classify species and peoples, and to map the New World. It further speaks to present day resource extraction and climate change monitoring, the forays of animal rights activists and increasingly, military survey flights asserting territorial claims. . . . Its steam punk ethos with its fusion of Victorian Era and future technologies sets an undercurrent of planetary emergency in motion. . . .” – Jan Allen
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The Comox Valley Art Gallery is committed to creating safer spaces where everyone can participate.
All ages are welcome.
CVAG spaces are accessible. Efforts are made to make presented programming contents available to all by using approachable audio and visual technologies to aid in experience and wayfinding. Staff are available to answer any questions and to provide orientation to the presentation and gallery spaces.
Programs are barrier-free (no cost). DONATIONS are appreciated and contribute to ongoing community interactive programming.
PUBLIC HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS: we ask that visitors choose not to visit if they are experiencing symptoms of colds and flus.
Hand sanitation dispensers are available at CVAG. Wearing a mask is at the discretion of the visitor.

Amber Webber & Stephen McBean: BLACK MOUNTAIN Twin Oscillations
2026-06-19 18:00 - 22:30 | Comox Valley Curling Centre, 4835 Headquarters Road, Courtenay, BC, V9J1P2, Canada
CVGBs presentsFrom Los Angeles & Vancouver
ATO Recording Artists
Amber Webber & Stephen McBean:BLACK MOUNTAIN Twin Oscillations

With special guests from VictoriaSMALL PLEASURES

and from Powell RiverELECTRIC BRAINS

6 PM Friday June 19Comox Valley Curling Centre4835 Headquarters Road, CourtenayLicensed all ages event.$25 Advance tickets athttps://www.eventbrite.ca/…/amber-webber-stephen-mcbean…$30 tickets at the door if not sold out.

BLACK MOUNTAIN TWIN OSCILLATIONS TOURBlack Mountain’s founders & principal singer/songwriters Amber Webber & Stephen McBean are pleased to announce special intimate duo performances of select BMA bangers in the UK and Canadian / European dates. Most shows are with the incredible SUNN O)))
The rock canon has many anti-heroes, Black Mountain being the latest. In the past, Can’s ‘Tago Mago’ established that the only rule in rock and roll is that there are no rules. Delinquent proto-metallers Black Sabbath demonstrated that you can make a lot from not that much. Now Black Mountain teach us that you don’t have to be afraid of the past to move bravely into the future.Black Mountain is a Canadian psychedelic rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia. The band is composed of Stephen McBean, Jeremy Schmidt, Adam Bulgasem, Amber Webber, and Arjan Miranda. Since forming in 2004, Black Mountain has released five globally celebrated LPs: Black Mountain (2005), In the Future (2008), Wilderness Heart (2010), IV (2016) and Destroyer (2019)https://www.blackmountainarmy.com/https://blackmountain.bandcamp.com/https://www.instagram.com/blackmountainarmy/https://www.facebook.com/BlackMountainOfficialhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mountain_(band)

with special guests from VictoriaSMALL PLEASURESSmall Pleasures is a post-punk duo from Victoria, Canada.Inspired by early 80s dark-wave pioneers, the band is a fusion between Viny’s fuzzed out bass backed by Nevada’s textured drums and triggered synth mixed with lofty vocal melodies. Currently, Small Pleasures are working on their sophomore album recorded by Colin Stewart at The Hive, with a release planned for the summer of 2026. In the past year, the duo toured Japan, France and played multiple shows and festivals across Canada. April 2026 will see the return of the band overseas, with dates in Germany, Austria and France.

and just as special guests from Powell RiverELECTRIC BRAINSPower pop, punk rock and roll from qathet BC! These guys ruled at the Dead Soft/K Car roller skating night last summer! Before that all those fortunate enough to catch the Dead Bob show at the Waverly will recall the rawkus punk rock celebration that was Electric Brains (then called the Kicks) who worked the room into a frenzy. Electric Brains count among their members a certain Sean Hawryluk, a crucial member of both Kelowna/Vancouver’s legendary Ladyhawk, and then hardcore metal pathcutters Baptists.https://open.spotify.com/artist/6YHbb1RXqz1WvSsAhWQzET…https://www.instagram.com/electric__brains/

CVGBs is a loose collective bringing oddball music, art, & culture to the Comox Valley.https://cvgbs.com/upcomingshows/

John Czegledi Annual Outdoor Art Show
2026-06-20 10:00 - 18:00 | BC
This is John’s 15th Annual Outdoor Garden Art Show. Metal Sculptures large and small. Stainless steel and Patina natural steel.

Come stroll the gardens and find a perfect piece of art for your garden.

Refreshment provided on the patio. Everyone welcome!

6742 Rennie Road, Courtenay, BC

250 338 7904 for more info

National Indigenous People's Day
2026-06-20 12:00 - 21:00 | Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds, 4839 Headquarters Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9J 1P2, Canada
National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations coming on Saturday June 20th!
K’ómoks First Nation and their community and cultural partners are inviting the Comox Valley to come together to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day 2026 and the unique contributions and cultures of First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities locally and across Canada. This FREE community celebration takes place on Saturday June 20th from 2 pm till 9 pm at the beautiful Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds

This year’s celebration includes interactive Youth and Elder Zones, K’ómoks cultural resource and archeology displays, guided walks to the Tsolum River, live screen printing, story telling and knowledge sharing, delicious food vendors including a traditional salmon BBQ, over 30 Indigenous craft vendors, cultural and community tents, and live music from world class Indigenous artists including The Spiritual Warriors, Tsimka and Michael Red, LOV, and 4 time Juno Award Winner Aysanabee!
Aysanabee is a multi-instrumentalist and singer songwriter currently based in Toronto. He is Oji-Cree, Sucker Clan of the Sandy Lake First Nation, a remote fly-in community in the far reaches of Northwestern Ontario. A four time JUNO winner, Aysanabee merges indie, soul, and electronic sounds with mournful saxophone and pulse-quickening fingerpicking, exploring themes of memory and storytelling.
Solemn and soaring, his striking sound is equal parts hypnotic and melodic which has been compared to Bon Iver, Matt Corby, Don Ross, Kim Churchill, Kings of Leon and Sam Smith. On March 23, 2024, Aysanabee made history as the first ever Indigenous Artist to win the JUNO Awards for both Alternative Album of the Year and Songwriter of the year, for Here and Now, his sophomore album. This year he won JUNOs for both Alternative Album and Indigenous Artist of the Year for his 2025 album Edge of the Earth!
Tsimka & Michael Red is a collaboration of music from the land and from the heart. Rooted in ancestral Tla-o-qui-aht homelands, Tsimka works with Nuuchahnulth singing traditions along with contemporary inspirations as part of her musical expression. She often invokes Tla-o-qui-aht language in her songs, integrating language revitalization into the experience and tapping into cultural teachings, imagery and love of her home.
Michael Red fills out the rest of the music, beats and atmospheres *all* created from blending & morphing & affecting natural sounds recorded primarily on Tsimka’s ƛaʔuukwiʔatḥ home territory. Sounds like Cixwatsac (Frank Island frogs), Swainson’s Thrush, and other birds, a little creek at Hiłwinʔis, ocean, rain, mist and ice. Together they express a human experience with observations and emotions that arise with desire, joy, care, resiliency, and kinship.
The Spiritual Warriors create music inspired by the land and life in the coastal mountains of the Lil’wat Nation, Mount Currie BC. With their unique blend of indigenous chants and contemporary roots, rock, reggae, The Spiritual Warriors are distinctly west coast.
This internationally acclaimed band performs most of their songs in U’cwalmicwts (the Lil’wat Language) and are passionate about preserving and promoting their language and culture. They use the chanting styles of the Lil’wat/St’at’imc people to fuse with reggae and rock to create uplifting contemporary Indigenous world music. This truly unique band will take you on a cultural journey to the natural heartbeat of the Indigenous drum and the St’at’imc people.
LOV is a force of resilience, rhythm, and reinvention. Hailing from Poundmaker Cree Nation, Treaty 6, Saskatchewan, LOV transforms personal trials into soulful affirmations of strength and independence. With a sound rooted in UK-inspired soul and guided by a deep sense of purpose, LOV’s music is both healing and unapologetically empowering.
Her journey took a pivotal turn when she decided to fully embrace her artistry – stepping into her truth and reshaping her narrative. What followed was a rebirth. LOV’s rich, smoky vocals channel raw emotion into songs that carry the weight of lived experience while remaining light enough to dance to. Whether she’s celebrating matriarchal strength or voicing quiet moments of reflection, her music resonates with sincerity and grace.
Cultural and Community Partners for this year’s celebrations include Kumugwe Cultural Society, Queneesh Indigenous Community Society, Wachiay Friendship Society, MIKI’SIW Métis Association, Indigenous Women’s Sharing Society, Upper Island Women of Native Ancestry, City of Courtenay, Town of Comox, Village of Cumberland and Comox Valley Regional District.
Volunteers are still welcome for this year’s celebration, with a special meal for all volunteers provided by LUSH Valley! The volunteer sign up, event details, stage schedules, community sponsors can be found at https://komoks.ca/nipd-2026/
For more information message communications@komoks.ca

Ian Fry Exhibition: Landscapes of Light
2026-06-24 12:00 - 2026-07-18 17:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Ian Fry: Landscapes of Light
This exhibition celebrates the work of Ian Fry, a painter whose distinctive vision has been shaped by his remarkable journey from Scotland to the Pacific Northwest. Born in Edinburgh and educated at the Glasgow School of Art, Fry began his career as a successful illustrator before dedicating himself fully to painting. Over the past three decades, he has developed a body of work that captures the enduring spirit of the landscapes he calls home.
Drawing inspiration from Vancouver Island, Bowen Island, and the wider coastal regions of British Columbia, Fry’s paintings reveal an intimate understanding of light and atmosphere. Expansive shorelines, distant mountain ranges, rolling grasslands, and quiet rural scenes are rendered with a striking balance of realism and lyrical interpretation. Whether depicting waves advancing toward a misted beach, horses moving through open country, or birds silhouetted against a luminous sky, his work conveys both grandeur and stillness.
Fry’s background in illustration is evident in the clarity of his compositions and his ability to distill complex scenes into powerful visual narratives. His paintings invite contemplation, encouraging viewers to experience the rhythms of nature and the fleeting qualities of weather, season, and light. His restrained palette and masterful handling of atmosphere create spaces that feel simultaneously familiar and dreamlike.
Throughout the exhibition, themes of journey, belonging, and connection to the natural world emerge. The landscapes are not simply records of specific locations but meditations on our relationship with the environments that shape us. In Fry’s hands, the coastlines, mountain valleys, and open fields become places of wonder and quiet emotional resonance.
Ian Fry’s paintings remind us that landscape remains one of the most powerful vehicles for storytelling, expressing both the beauty of the visible world and the deeper currents of our human experience in nature.
Artist Reception Saturday, June 27, 7-9pm. 526C Cumberland Rd in Courtenay, BC. Exhibition runs thru July 18, 2026. Gallery hours Weds to Sat, 12-5pm. Visit www.artfulthegallery.com for more information.

Cumberland Home & Garden Tour AND Culture Crawl
2026-06-27 09:00 - 17:00 | Cumberland Village, Cumberland, BC, Canada
Join us for the 2026 Cumberland Home & Garden Tour AND Culture Crawl! Explore the built places, gathering spaces, studios, gardens, urban farms, historic gems and modern additions in the Village of Cumberland.

Early Bird Tickets are on sale now until June 15th for $25 – Buy your tickets HERE

The overarching theme for this tour is ‘resilience’. We explore ways that our community can build resilience through water conservation, mindful landscaping, urban farming, alternative energy, restoring old buildings and building new structures with state of the art materials.

We also explore ways to build resilience through Neighbourhood Emergency Planning, FireSmart assessments and drought and wildfire smart landscaping.

Resilience is also all about creativity! Expect pop up art shows, music, crafts and other creative undertakings as we partner with Comox Valley Arts to activate the culture crawl aspect of this awesome event!

Wan to join this fun this year and share your home, garden or gathering space? We’d love to hear from you. Message courtney@cumberlandforest.com

Ian Fry: Landscapes of Light at Artful : The Gallery
2026-06-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7

Canada Day Open House at The Courtenay and District Museum
2026-07-01 11:00 - 14:00 | the Courtenay and District Museum, 207 4th St, Courtenay, BC, COURTENAY, BC, V9N 1G7, Canada
The Courtenay and District Museum will celebrate Canada Day with an open house from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm on Wednesday, July 1. Guests are welcome to enjoy live music by Alan Jossul, enter to win a door prize, and try their hand at kids’ crafts.
There will also be a special one-day-only 50% off sale for the book Step Into Wilderness: A Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley (limit of 3 per person).
While you’re at the museum loving the air-conditioned comfort, take a few moments to check out the second-floor exhibit New Acquisitions, an in-house produced display showcasing some of the donations that haven’t yet been seen by the public.

Summer 2026 Make Art Series
2026-07-01 13:00 - 16:00, 2026-07-08 13:00 - 16:00, 2026-07-15 13:00 - 16:00, 2026-07-22 13:00 - 16:00 | Comox Valley Art Gallery, 580 Duncan Avenue, Courtenay, BC
SUMMER 2026 MAKE ART SERIES

This summer, the Comox Valley Art Gallery is inviting the community to explore new worlds and perspectives through its Make Art Series, running in conjunction with artist Michael Campbell’s exhibition Field Recordings of Icebergs Melting.

The free program includes drop-in Make Art Projects for all ages every Wednesday from 1 – 4pm on the CVAG Plaza, at the corner of Duncan and 6th Street in Downtown Courtenay. The activities are guided by CVAG summer interns.

The weekly Make Art sessions will include field journals, map-making, paper mache mountain, found material paintbrushes, planetary cyanotypes, small terrariums, pounded plant prints, and garland-making. As part of the Pulse on the Plaza and Market Day events with our community collaborators, we will also be facilitating the creation of zines and screen prints, miniature spaceships, and pride buttons and upcycled pride flags.

CVAG’s Make Art Series offers accessible art-making experiences for people of all ages and abilities. Materials are provided, and facilitators are on-hand to provide instruction. Children and those needing assistance to participate should be accompanied by adult support persons.

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WEEKLY ACTIVITY SCHEDULE (1 – 4PM EVERY WEDNESDAY)

• July 1 – Field Journals• July 8 – Map-Making• July 15 – Paper Mache Mountains/Zine-Making (Part 1)• July 22 – Paper Mache Mountains/Zine-Making (Part 2)• July 29 – Found Material Paintbrushes• August 5 – Planetary Cyanotypes• August 12 – Small Terrariums• August 19 – Pounded Plant Prints• August 26 – Garland-Making

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MAKE ART ACTIVITIES DURING SPECIAL EVENTS

• Pulse on the Plaza – K’ómoks Fusion Festival (Friday, June 26, from 5 – 9pm) – Zine-Making + Screen Printing• Pulse on the Plaza – Inner Space/Outer Space (Friday, July 24, from 5 – 9pm) – Miniature Spaceships• Market Day (Saturday, July 25, all day) – Sunshine Pinwheels• Pulse on the Plaza – Pride Party (Friday, August 28, from 5 – 9pm) – Pride Buttons + Upcycled Pride Flags

'Iconography + Identity' at the Campbell River Art Gallery
2026-07-04 13:00 - 15:00 | campbell river art gallery, 1235 Shoppers Row, campbell river, BC, V9W2C7, Canada
The Campbell River Art Gallery invites you to an artful afternoon full of personal interests, admiration, and identity exploration!
On Saturday July 4th from 1 – 3PM artist Aoife Mckirgan will be hosting a workshop where participants will look at what they hold sacred, whether it be pop-culture, environments, or personal experiences, to create a collage and drawing based portrait on paper. Explore using symbolism and iconography to make a representation of who you are when identities are broken down to simple imagery rather than realism!
Bring your enthusiasm for all that interests you!
For all ages and experience levels!
>REGISTER NOW ONLINE AT https://www.crartgallery.ca/events/#!event/register/2026/7/4/iconography-identity
About the Artist:
Aoife McKirgan is a painter and coloured-pencil artist whose work draws inspiration from her own childhood and contemporary pop culture. Through her art, she explores themes of idolization, gender stereotypes, and personal identity.
She includes the use of pop-culture and everyday imagery in her work to hopefully create connection among viewers through shared interest and experiences.

Venue
Campbell River Art Gallery

Address
1235 Shoppers RowCampbell River BC V9W 2C7, CA

Starts
Sat Jul 4 2026, 1:00pm PDT

Ends
Sat Jul 4 2026, 3:00pm PDT

Backyard Blues (House concert)
2026-07-04 19:00 - 21:30 | 888 Knight Rd, Comox, 888 Knight Road, Comox, BC, V9M 3T2, Canada
Join us for an evening of musical entertainment with Steve Mitchel & Mick Sherlock, the Gentlemanly Bluesman! With beautiful vocal harmonies, resophonic guitar and Ukulele. You’ll be moved by this rockin blues that you can sing along to, or swing along to. The Gentlemanly Bluesman Duo aim to rock your soul!!
Contact Linda Price for ticket info – 250-650-2888
25.00 per person

Artful : The Poets Feature Poet Kristina Campbell
2026-07-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Mytho-poetic artist Kristina Campbell draws deeply from the well of her own life, inviting us to laugh, cry, and cuss right alongside her. With disarming vulnerability and sharp insight, she leads us straight to the heart of the matter, poking fearlessly into the soft underbelly of her dreams, desires and delusions.
Campbell is the founder of Artful Existence Counselling and Facilitation (2018) and the driving force curator of Artful : The Gallery (2020), a creativity facilitating hub of activity in the Comox Valley that earned Campbell the Nonny Milne Award in 2024 for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts.
Kristina Campbell makes art using whatever method seems the best choice in the moment: poetry, paintings, experimental film, sculpture, collage, felting or photography. This truly makes her a multi-media artist, possibly afraid of commitment, easily distractible and/or all of the above. Campbell enjoys rewriting Viking mythology, artfully creating new gods from the old ones. She carves portraits of these venerated gods (who often resemble her family members) into wood panels and burnishes them with umber, reds and gold leaf to glorify, immortalize and sometimes mock them.
Campbell uses runes, the Viking alphabet, for divination, to tell stories, and for writing secrets in public. She has designed and created a hand-coloured ‘bind-rune’, a unique design incorporating several runes, for the cover of her first chapbook which will be released at her Artful : The Poets feature reading. “For An Art” is a limited edition of 150 chapbooks, individually numbered and signed, that will be available for sale at the reading.
Early praise of “For An Art” has included comparisons to Alan Ginsberg’s “Howl” and the lyrics of Lou Reed. This feeds directly into the soft underbelly of Campbell’s dreams, desires and delusions.

Summer Ramble Songwriter Workshop
2026-07-09 10:00 - 2026-07-10 15:00 | Merville Hall, 1245 Fenwick Rd, Merville, BC, V0R2M0, Canada
Two days of songwriting, co-writing, and craft — small group, all levels welcome.
Day One starts with the fundamentals: what makes a song a song, where ideas come from, and how to get something started. You’ll write, share, and spend the afternoon in a deeper session with J. Plank and Lindi Ortega — foundations track or craft and story track, depending on where you’re at.
Day Two brings the songs to life. Many if not all participants will get to work through their song with a live band (we’ll do our best to get to everyone!) — The One Spot Ramblers — and if something special happens, there may be an invitation to perform at the Friday night Ramble Fest show.
Bring your notebook, your instrument if you have one, and your ears. Just show up with an open mind, ready to create!

Summer Ramble Festival
2026-07-10 19:30 - 2026-07-11 22:30 | Merville Hall, 1245 Fenwick Rd, Merville, BC, V0R2M0, Canada
Presented by Highway 19 Concerts and hosted by J. Plank, the summer festival edition of Ramble at the Merville Hall features two summer nights of music collaboration and community. Inspired by the late, great Levon Helm’s legendary Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, NY, each Ramble shines a spotlight on the songs of emerging and established regional talents and guest headliners, all backed by J. Plank and his stellar Vancouver Island house band.
Friday:
Lindi Ortega – guitar, vocals & songs
G. Lee Worden – guitars, keys, vocals & songs
J. Plank – musical director, host, guitars & vocals
Chris Mason – bass, vocals
Dallas Carrie – drums, vocals
Plus guests from the first Ramble songwriting workshop
Saturday:
Brandon Isaak – guitars, vocals & songs
Christy Vanden – guitars, vocals & songs
J. Plank – musical director, host, guitars & vocals
G. Lee Worden – guitars, keys, vocals
Chris Mason – bass, vocals
Dallas Carrie – drums, vocals
Plank (Jeff Plankenhorn) is a highly respected blues and roots musician known for his skill as a slide guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist, both as a solo artist and as a sought-after session musician. After years in the Austin music scene, Plank calls Campbell River home while he continues to tour across the continent and beyond. Lee Worden, Chris Mason, and Dallas Carrie round out the house band of Island aces.
Roots-noir artist Lindi Ortega, a two-time Canadian Country Music Award-winning singer-songwriter, has long captivated audiences with her signature vibrato, magnetic stage presence, and hauntingly soulful voice. Renowned for her ability to blend the ethereal with the evocative, Ortega’s artistry transcends genre labels, weaving stories that linger long after the last note fades. Her 2024 album From the Ether marked a poignant return to music following a prolonged hiatus brought on by vocal struggles, the profound loss of her father, and the dissolution of her nearly five-year marriage. These deeply personal challenges became the crucible for her artistic resurgence, reigniting her passion for songwriting and performance. The album pushes the boundaries of traditional roots music, embracing a haunting, atmospheric quality that is distinctly Ortega’s own. Esoteric yet deeply relatable, enigmatic yet undeniably raw, Ortega is a master storyteller who defies convention. Whether gracing the hallowed stage of the Grand Ole Opry or commanding stadiums alongside Chris Stapleton, hers is a voice that you don’t want to miss.
Brandon Isaak takes a dash of Taj Mahal, a sprinkle of B.B. King and a few drops of Lighting Hopkins, stirs it up, and simmers on low. This Yukon-born, Island-based songster performs a mixture of thoughtful, humorous, spiritual and catchy memorable songs; delivered with world class guitar, harmonica and vocals. Isaak has honed his craft over the past 37 years and it shows every night. Formerly guitarist and singer for the much loved Vancouver band the Twisters, and under the name Yukon Slim, Isaak has come into his own as a self-titled solo artist praised for his lo-fi sound and commitment to the blues tradition. He has played in three continents and 8 country and picked up two Juno nominations, a half dozen Western Canadian Music Award and Maple Blues Award nominations nominations each. His latest album Walkin With The Blues was recently won Canadian Blues Music Award for song of the year, electric album of the year, and guitarist of the year.
Christy Vanden is a wickedly talented multi-instrumentalist in the Comox Valley and popular guitar teacher at Long & McQuade Music. Whether playing lead guitar with Brodie Dawson and She Could Be Trouble or Karen Lee Batten, playing drums for Oktiv6 and Funkyard or the Cloud District, as a member of party juggernaut Time Well Wasted, or playing her own solo material at small stages around the region, her understated skill and musicality always shines.
Lee Worden is a multi-instrumentalist and singer with over 4 decades of professional touring and studio experience. He is equally at home on guitar, bass, keyboards or drums. He has performed with Al Harlow, Mike Reno, Corb Lund, Ryan McMahon, Tom Russell, Fernando Verela, Kim Wilson and Bobby Rush, was a member of Sweeney Todd with Nick Gilder and from 2008-2019 served as lead guitarist for the legendary Ian Tyson.
The Ramble is a family friendly, licensed event.

Golden Hour Tour: Kele Fleming and Matthew Presidente
2026-07-11 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Vancouver-based artist Matthew Presidente blends piano-driven songwriting with dark electronic textures, cinematic synths, and visceral pop hooks. His live shows balance intimacy and pulse, creating something both cathartic and communal. Praised by Xtra Magazine as “one of the best singer/songwriters in our LGBT scene,” He’s been a standout on Pride stages across BC and Alberta.

Kele Fleming is the distinct love child of Linda Perhacs and Ani DiFranco. She’s 70’s psychedelic, feministic, intelligent – quoting Darwin and Foucault mid song. Kele’s dynamic vocals range from choir girl naivete to raging Sinead O’Connor. Profound lyrics that are like calls to action, angry at humanity’s sad state of affairs.
Together, Kele and Matthew are a powerhouse duo singing their hearts out for love and the betterment of our world. July 2026 will see them on the road together again on their ‘Golden Hour Tour.’
Join them at Artful : The Gallery on July 11, 7pm. $15 or pwyc at the door.

Words with Jess Housty
2026-07-12 11:00 - 12:30 | campbell river art gallery, 1235 Shoppers Row, campbell river, BC, V9W2C7, Canada
Experience the magic of live poetry at the Campbell River Art Gallery on July 12th and take part in a very special Sunday event with award-winning, bestselling poet Jess Housty!
Jess will be reading poems from their soon to be released book ‘How to Nourish a Cannibal’ followed by a group discussion and Q+A!
Register now online to save your spot at https://www.crartgallery.ca/events/#!event/register/2026/7/12/words-with-jess-housty
About Jess Housty:
Jess is a Haíɫzaqv parent, land-based educator, and award-winning poet living in their homelands in the community of Bella Bella, BC.
Jess serves their Haíɫzaqv community as the Executive Director of Qqs (Eyes) Projects Society, and serves the wider BC Central Coast region as the Lead at Coastal Foodways. They also work as a Co-Lead with the Right Relations Collaborative in support of just and equitable relationships between Indigenous changemakers and the philanthropic sector.

Venue
Campbell River Art Gallery

Address
1235 Shoppers RowCampbell RiverBCV9W 2C7,CA

Starts
Sun Jul 12 2026, 11:00am PDT

Ends
Sun Jul 12 2026, 12:30pm PDT

Aaron Richmond Open Studio
2026-07-16 12:00 - 13:30 | The Jeffrey Rubinoff Sculpture Park, 2750 Shingle Spit Road, Hornby Island, BC, V0R1Z0, Canada
UVic X JRSP A R T I S T- S C H O L A R R E S I D E N T:
Aaron Richmond
Relays of Attention, Works in progress
Montreal artist-scholar Aaron Richmond, the
joint UVic–JRSP resident, opens his studio
process: drawings, lightweight temporary
sculptures and performative readings from the
Park archive. Join his guided “attentional walk”
through the work.
Thu Jul 16 · Event 12pm · Sculpture Garden
Park opens 9:30am

Celebration of The Campbell River Art Gallery’s New Entryway Mural
2026-07-17 14:00 - 15:00 | campbell river art gallery, 1235 Shoppers Row, campbell river, BC, V9W2C7, Canada
Join us at The Campbell River Art Gallery THIS Friday as we celebrate and honor the gallery’s new entryway mural ‘Trials and Tribulations’ by Kwakwaka’wakw artist James Kwaksistala! Light refreshments will be provided. All community members are invited!

WHEN //
Friday, July 17, 2026, at 2:00 PM
The Campbell River Art Gallery

Register now at our events page! https://www.crartgallery.ca/events/#!event/register/2026/7/17/celebration-of-the-crag-new-entryway-mural

About the mural:
Rendered in the traditional Kwakwaka’wakw style, ‘Trials and Tribulations’ transforms the gallery doors into a meaningful cultural threshold. Framing the entrance, two eagles spread their wings inward so that all who enter pass directly between them.
The mural features rich traditional iconography, including figures contending over a copper, the traditional emblem of wealth and status. It also depicts human figures falling into the open mouth of the sisiutl, a powerful double-headed serpent.
“The sisiutl grants strength to those who face it,” explains artist James Kwaksistala. “To go in headfirst is to meet what we fear undefended, the act of humbling oneself—to die to a self better left behind, and be reborn stronger.”

Listening to the Land with Vanessa Sharkey
2026-07-18 10:00 - 13:00 | campbell river art gallery, 1235 Shoppers Row, campbell river, BC, V9W2C7, Canada
Explore the forest and learn from the plants with guide Vanessa Sharkey on Saturday July 18th hosted by the Campbell River Art Gallery!
Participants and staff will meet at the gallery at 10AM then travel to the chosen location together. Participants are responsible for their own transportation, food, hydration and ensuring they are properly equipped for the 2-3 hour walk.
>REGISTER NOW ONLINE AT https://www.crartgallery.ca/events/#!event/register/2026/7/18/listening-to-the-land-with-vanessa-sharkey
‘There are so many plants out there that signify protection. Very unassuming ones. There are plants that subtly show us what’s to come when the season changes, and once we learn about them and what they are capable of, our mindset shifts and the plants teach us a lot about ourselves.’ –Vanessa Sharkey
Vanessa is part of CorVee, a collaboration of outdoor knowledge with Cory Cliffe. From survival, plant identification, medicinal harvesting and invasive species control they share our knowledge everywhere they go.

Venue
Campbell River Art Gallery

Address
1235 Shoppers RowCampbell RiverBCV9W 2C7,CA

Starts
Sat Jul 18 2026, 10:00am PDT

Ends
Sat Jul 18 2026, 1:00pm PDT

Destroyer & Frog Eyes
2026-07-24 18:00 - 22:30 | Comox Valley Curling Centre, 4835 Headquarters Road, Courtenay, BC, V9J1P2, Canada
CVGBs presents

From Vancouver. Merge Recording Artists
DESTROYERA special solo performance with Dan Bejar

From Victoria/Penticton, Paper Bag Recording Artists
FROG EYESAn equally special solo performace with Carey Mercer

with special guests
GLOBAL FAKE&PRANATRICKS

with DJs Ben and Spencer spinning the wonderful and the weird all night!

6 PM Friday July 24Comox Valley Curling Centre4835 Headquarters Road, CourtenayLicensed all ages event.$30 Advance tickets for 19+, or $15 discounted for minors at
https://www.eventbrite.ca/…/cvgbs-presents-destroyer…or cvgbs.tickit.ca$35 tickets (cash only) at the door if not sold out.

DESTROYERPoetic, shape‑shifting indie art‑rock—Dan Bejar turns sharp wit and lush melodies into a career of fearless, ever-evolving brilliance.
Based around band founder Dan Bejar’s rakish vocals and obtuse songwriting persona, Destroyer has been in a constant state of evolution since starting out in 1995. Bejar split his time between Destroyer and other bands of note like the New Pornographers and Swan Lake, among others, but Destroyer gradually grew from their Bowie-esque indie folk of their early recordings into far more ambitious experiments with arrangement, instrumentation, and delivery. Bejar’s laid-back yet theatrical songwriting presence sits at the center of every phase Destroyer goes through, from the acoustic-leaning melodrama of 2004’s Your Blues to the cinematic lounge pop of 2011’s Kaputt to experiments with synthesizers and spoken word on albums like 2020’s Have We Met and dense pop orchestration on 2025’s Dan’s Boogie.
Destroyer has released records listed by Exclaim! magazine as among the “ten best Canadian albums of all time”, has been nominated multiple times for the Polaris Prize, been on countless Best of the Year lists…and is truly one of the most enigmatic singer songwriters of this century.
https://www.mergerecords.com/artist/destroyerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroyer_(band)https://destroyer.bandcamp.com/https://www.facebook.com/Destroyer/https://www.instagram.com/destroyer_band/

with special guests
FROG EYESFrog Eyes’ music is a feverish, theatrical strain of indie rock built around Carey Mercer’s unmistakable vocal style—quavering, urgent, and emotionally maximal—and songs that lurch between jagged intensity and fragile beauty. Their records often feel like surreal narratives delivered in bursts: guitars slash and shimmer, drums tumble forward with restless momentum, and Mercer’s lyrics spill out in dense, imagistic torrents. Across albums from The Golden River to Violet Psalms and their recent reunion releases, the band has carved out a singular sonic world—art‑rock that’s raw, strange, and deeply expressive, always sounding like it’s pushing against the edges of its own imagination.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog_Eyeshttps://paperbagrecords.com/frog-eyes/https://www.facebook.com/FrogEyesBand/https://www.instagram.com/frogeyesmusic/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/frog-eyes-mn0000988108https://frogeyes.bandcamp.com/album/the-open-up

and local uber talents
GLOBAL FAKE (Victoria/Courtenay)(members of The Jolts, TV Freaks, Night Mirrors)Melodic punk rock and post punk from across van island. 3 piece with some beautiful and some dirty tunes.https://globalfake.bandcamp.com/album/western-declinehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILu0KKvIj5o

PRANATRICKSAndrew Clements is Pranatricks and has been crazy busy releasing his new album Infiniteness, getting loads of cross Canada raves for his indie psych folk, wrapping up a tour…and is now planning a special set (with band and visuals) for Destroyer.https://pranatricks.com/https://pranatricks.bandcamp.com/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXC8pNorwKHptjIpSP7GGtwhttps://www.instagram.com/pranatricks/https://www.tiktok.com/@pranatricks?lang=en
