Comox Valley Arts

Jaques De Backer
2025-08-08 12:00 - 2025-08-31 17:00, 2025-08-09 12:00 - 2025-09-01 17:00, 2025-08-13 12:00 - 2025-09-05 17:00 (America/Vancouver) | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Jacques De Backer has filled the walls at Artful : The Gallery with colour and light through August 23. His iconic Cumberland alleyways, farm scenes and stunning cow portraits are interspersed with his wood sculptures and memories from a life lived globally. Jacques De Backer has been painting and sculpting since he retired 30 years ago, and he is a Comox Valley favourite, with other artists, and art collectors. The majority of the artworks are oil on canvas, with a wide range of sizes and prices to choose from. From small oil on panel studies for $50 to 3’ X 4’ scenic oil on canvas panoramas well priced at $2000. Artist reception Saturday, August 2, 7 to 9pm at Artful : The Gallery. 526C Cumberland Rd in Courtenay. Gallery hours Weds-Sat 12-5pm.

Double Duo Concert
2025-08-09 18:30 - 21:30 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Two dynamic Comox Valley Duos are coming together to perform at Artful : The Gallery on August 9. Doors at 6:30, and the show begins at 7pm. Duo #1 is Judy and Bruce Wing with their intertwined guitar parts that support their smooth vocals, evocative lyrics and percussive rhythms. Duo #2 is Dogwood Bloom, known for their soulful harmonies and heartfelt songwriting. Members Ashley Sykes and Shane Phillips are known for their warm and intimate live performances.

Crafty Summer Fun: Clay Creations (Week 2)
2025-08-12 10:30 - 2025-08-15 11:30 | the Courtenay and District Museum, 207 4th St, Courtenay, BC, COURTENAY, BC, V9N 1G7, Canada
For ages 7-11 (must have completed kindergarten)
Join us for a fun 4 day camp full of fun with clay! Kids will be guided through multiple clay activities that they will bring home at the end of the week. Please bring a small item that can be used for impressions in our fun creations.
Register Now!
Register now by emailing student@courtenaymuseum.ca.

Faces of the Soul by Trish Malcomess
2025-08-16 08:00 - 17:00
Trish is showcasing a large collection of spontaneous paintings and drawings on linen, vellum and paper in her studio gallery. The exhibition will be showing in Trish’s studio gallery at 1760 Dogwood Avenue, Comox until the end of August.
Open Studio: Wednesdays: 1-5pm
Studio Visits by Appointment: Thursday – Monday
Contact Trish 250 702 1634

Faces of the Soul by Trish Malcomess
2025-08-16 10:00 - 2025-08-31 17:00
Trish is showcasing a large collection of spontaneous paintings and drawings on linen, vellum and paper in her studio gallery. The exhibition will be showing in Trish’s studio gallery at 1760 Dogwood Avenue, Comox. until the end of August.
Open Studio: Wednesdays: 1-5pm
Studio Visits by Appointment: Thursday – Monday
Contact Trish 250 702 1634

Comox Valley Songwriters Circle
2025-08-18 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-10-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Each month singer/songwriters gather to share their tunes at Artful : The Gallery. The range of abilities, experience and genres welcomes musicians who appreciate the challenge (and the deadline!) of creating a new song each month.
The circle provides a place to be inspired, seek feedback and to be
able to hear what other creatives are working on. Most musicians bring along their
guitars or ukuleles, although some sing a capella or use the in-house piano for accompaniment.
Host Ashley Sykes’s love of connecting with other artists provides motivation to write
and perform in the supportive group. The circle does not provide instruction; it provides an opportunity to perform your song, and to be impacted by others doing the same.
Attendance is by donation ($10 or pwyc). The group welcomes newcomers, and the
only criteria is that the songs performed are original.

M/other Zine Workshop
2025-08-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Comox Valley Lifelong Learning Centre, 1507A McPhee Ave, Courtenay, BC, V9N 3A6, Canada
Come for two hours of creativity, and connection to generate a contribution to a local zine honoring the often invisible work of m/others and the concept of caregiving (See event photo for detailed project description).

– All materials will be supplied.
– There will be child-minding onsite and a
– Snacks, pizza and drinks will be provided!

***If you can’t attend the workshop, you can still contribute by sendingfiction, non-fiction, poetry, interviews, recipes, letters, book/website/blog reviews, comic strips, rants, day dreams, random lists, collage, art, drawings, art work and writing of any kind to: butchanko@hotmail.com
by September 15th, 2025

Abundance: Fall Members Show
2025-08-22 10:00 - 2025-09-13 16:00 | Pearl Ellis Gallery, 1729 Comox Ave, Comox, BC, V9M 3M2, Canada
The Pearl Ellis Gallery is hosting Abundance, a members’ show that brings together artists from the Comox Valley and nearby communities. On display from August 19 to September 13, the show includes paintings, photography, fibre art, sculpture, and more — each piece reflecting the creativity of the people who live here.
Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, August 23, from 1–3 pm to meet the artists, enjoy some light refreshments, and connect with others who love local art. Admission is free and everyone’s welcome.

Intercultural Weaving Project @ 4 two 5 Studio
2025-08-25 13:00 - 15:00
An artistic space where local artists gather weekly to creatively weave visual and narrative threads, exploring and expressing intercultural stories through textiles and mixed media in a spirit of collaboration and shared learning.
Where & When

Venue: 4 two 5 Studio, Courtenay
Frequency: Weekly open studio sessions, drop‑in style
Duration: Mondays and Saturdays, August 25th – October 4th, 1-3pm

Why join in?

Experiment collaboratively in a supportive, low-pressure environment
Share and learn from diverse materials, techniques, and cultural stories
Partner with CV/Arts, whose mission emphasizes equity, inclusivity, accessibility, and community engaged artistic practice

What’s provided

All weaving materials tools will be supplied. There is no need to bring materials unless they are specific to your project
Optional: bring a memory, poem, personal story, or cultural theme you’d like to visually

Who’s welcome

Artists of all experience levels and cultural backgrounds.
Whether you’re into textiles, visual arts, craft, story-based media, or if you’re simply curious and creatively inclined, you belong here.

How to sign up

Please email: ameet@ameetart.com. Include:

A brief description of your artistic practice and interest in the project.
Which weekly sessions you can attend and any accessibility accommodations you may require.

Lecture: The Coast Salish Woolly Dog
2025-08-26 19:30 - 20:30 | the Courtenay and District Museum, 207 4th St, Courtenay, BC, COURTENAY, BC, V9N 1G7, Canada
Doors open at 7:00 pm
Due to her sold-out lecture in May, Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa will return to give a repeat performance at the Courtenay and District Museum Rotary Gallery. If you missed the first lecture, this is your chance to attend.
This illustrated presentation will give a brief overview of Mutton’s story (Mutton was the name of the only known woolly dog whose pelt is at the Smithsonian). Genetic research has been combined with Oral History from Elders, weavers and Knowledge Keepers to reveal the Coast Salish Woolly Dogs’ cultural significance.
Tickets: $5 for Historical Society members; $6 for general public. Advance tickets recommended. Tickets can be purchased over the phone by calling 250-334-0686 ext 2.

Intercultural Weaving Project @ 4 two 5 Studio
2025-08-30 13:00 - 15:00 | 4 Two 5 Studio, Courtenay, BC, Canada

Dead Soft w/ Electric Brains w/ KCAR
2025-08-30 18:00 - 22:00 | Comox Valley Curling Centre, 4835 Headquarters Road, Courtenay, BC, V9J1P2, Canada
CVGBs presents:A triple of bill of summer cool

from Vancouver/Gabriola Island, Arts & Crafts Recording ArtistsDEAD SOFT

from Powell River, featuring member of Ladyhawk/Baptists/HaggathaELECTRIC BRAINS

From Vancouver, featuring member of Pink Mountaintops/Radio BerlinKCAR

Licensed, all ages welcome.
* Monthly Roller Disco night at the CVCC will be in happening at the same time! Come see some great music, and skate your face off!

DEAD SOFTEmerging from British Columbia’s indie underground in the early 2010s, Dead Soft is a grunge-punk band known for their fuzzed-out, intense rock sound infused with melodic sensibility and introspective lyrics. Nathaniel Epp (vocals, guitar) and Keeley Rochon (bass, vocals) hail from the small northern town of Prince Rupert, where their early musical influences included ’90s indie rock and artists like Elliott Smith and the Replacements. After moving south to Victoria, they officially formed Dead Soft in 2011 before relocating to Vancouver. The band released a self-titled debut album in 2014 and built a reputation through relentless touring and a series of acclaimed EPs.
In 2018, Dead Soft signed with the prominent Toronto label Arts + Crafts, releasing the New Emotion EP and their widely visible second LP, Big Blue (2019), which showcased a heavier fuzz-pop sound and themes of personal transformation. Recently, the band wrapped up recording their third full-length album and are preparing for its upcoming release, promising to deliver another powerful chapter in their evolving grunge-punk journey.https://www.instagram.com/deadsofties/https://www.facebook.com/deadsofties/https://deadsoft.bandcamp.com/https://www.youtube.com/@DeadSoftMusichttps://www.arts-crafts.ca/artists/dead-soft.htmlhttps://www.westerlyrecords.com/dead-soft

ELECTRIC BRAINSPower pop, punk rock and roll from qathet BC! Anyone fortunate enough to catch the sold out Dead Bob show last year at the Waverly will recall the rawkus punk rock celebration that was the opening act 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/

KCARKCAR is Fiona, Jenni and Lyndsay from Vancouver! KCAR play catchy, art punky tunes, they’re all tuff moms who enjoy long walks on the beach, romantic dinners for three and ripping dinks!KCAR have played and toured in many bands over the years, including Hard Drugs, Radio Berlin, Pink Mountaintops and Le Petit Mort.Find KCAR’s albums THREE and UP TOP on Bandcamp and streaming services.https://kcar.bandcamp.com/https://www.instagram.com/kcarband/

CIRCLE⭕️COMPLEX — The Forgotten Dreams
2025-08-30 18:00 - 22:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
A LIVE Art & Music Collaboration by Nate Schmold & Josh Klassen
Josh Klassen & Nate Schmold are lifelong creators whose work spans walls, waves, pixels, and emotional wavelengths. Josh brings a grassroots spirit—cutting his teeth on boxcars and murals, community projects and café shows—balancing fine art and poetry with hip-hop and hands-on hustle. Nate channels his energy through illustration, painting, music, video games, and live theatre, often orbiting themes of absurdity, inner states, and the weirdness of being alive.
Joined by a mutual love and respect for the same artforms, Josh and Nate have begun to create work in unison. Through their music project CIRCLE⭕️COMPLEX, they bend soundwaves through live improvisation into rhythmic, hyperdimensional transmissions; and their collaborative mural paintings combine organically mutating shapes with a crisp cartoon-pop street art style.
Together, their individual practices reflect a shared belief in art as a tool for abstract expression, community connection, and personal transformation—whether it’s spray paint on a door or a glitchy naked spaceman in a digital dream.
—
For their show “The Forgotten Dreams”, Nate & Josh bare their souls in an evening of live art-making and sound. The walls are lined with fragments from each artist’s past—paintings, drawings, and moments that spiral toward a shared portal-like center: a large blank canvas, waiting to be activated.
As the night begins, they take turns—one painting live, the other performing a solo music set—trading roles and building something layered, strange, and alive. By the end, the canvas becomes a shared artifact: a new piece grown from both of their histories.
To close the night, they join forces as CIRCLE⭕️COMPLEX, performing a final live music set to pull it all together. It’s a night of color, rhythm, improvisation, and deep creative trust. Hypnotic, a little chaotic, and very human.

Text: The Art of Language
2025-09-16 10:00 - 2025-10-12 16:00 | Pearl Ellis Gallery, 1729 Comox Ave, Comox, BC, V9M 3M2, Canada
The Pearl Ellis Gallery presents Text: The Art of Language from September 16 to October 11, 2025. This exhibition explores the powerful role that text plays in communication, expression, and meaning-making within the visual arts.
The public is warmly invited to meet the artists and enjoy light refreshments at the opening reception on Saturday, September 20, from 1–3 pm.
Text, in its many forms, serves as a bridge between the visual and the verbal. It can tell stories, convey ideas, or function as a graphic element that adds depth and complexity to an artwork. In this show, artists have taken up the challenge of integrating words and symbols into their creations, inviting viewers to consider how language shapes the way we see and interpret art.
The exhibition features a diverse range of mediums—including painting, photography, collage, glass, and mixed media—each offering a unique perspective on how text can be used as both image and message. Some works use language as their central subject, while others allow words to whisper quietly beneath the surface. Together, they demonstrate the versatility of text as a creative tool.

“Artist in a Ric Rac Dress” Barb Hutson Exhibition
2025-09-16 12:00 - 2025-10-04 17:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Visit Artful : The Gallery to enjoy Comox Valley artist Barb Hutson’s exhibition of paintings, drawings and sculpture. Her colourful paintings and her quirky sense of humour combine to create a delightful show. Gallery Hours weds-Sat 12-5pm.
Barb Hutson was born in California in 1945 and grew up in North Hollywood, the third of four children. Her father, who had been to art school himself, always encouraged her artistic endeavours.
Following High School, she attended Chouinard Art Institute (now part of California Institute of the Arts) from 1964 to 1966. Her next art school was Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California, where she studied sculpture in 1969.
After leaving Santa Barbara in 1971, her family immigrated to British Columbia where they made their home. After years of raising a young family and running a local travel agency she decided to go back to art school (“To relearn everything!”she said) and attended classes at North Island College from 1995 to 1998.
Barb maintained a studio in Tin Town from 2002 to 2017 where she participated in events including The Needle Show, The Shoe Show, Hats and Fascinators, and The Jar Show. She also participated in Tin Town’s Open Houses. She was a member of the Arts Council and served as a director of the Muir Gallery. She showed her work in the member shows at the Muir Gallery. Barb has received many awards for her work.

Familiar Monsters of the Flood - Author reading Tia McLennan
2025-09-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Tia McLennan’s (she/her) poetry has appeared in various Canadian literary journals including Riddle Fence, Vallum, Arc, CV2, Room, and Prairie Fire. In 2022, she won the NLCU Fresh Fish Award for her unpublished poetry manuscript. She holds an interdisciplinary MFA in creative writing and visual art from UBC Okanagan, and a BFA from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University. Originally from so-called Vancouver Island, B.C., (territory of the K’ómoks people), she now gratefully resides in kalpilin (Pender Harbour), B.C. with her partner, their 5-year-old son and their very large gray and white gentleman cat named Basho.
The poems in Familiar Monsters of the Flood speak to each other through an invisible connective tissue that weaves together dream space, loss, childhood memory, motherhood, the domestic-gothic, medical-speak, and life’s inevitable bureaucracies. These poems share an uneasiness and a foreboding. In these pages it becomes impossible to distinguish between the grief in losing a father, in losing multiple pregnancies, and in losing the planet as we know it to our own destruction. Throughout the deluge of loss, Tia McLennan’s stunning debut collection of poetry is grounded in wonder, the surreal, and the hope gleaned from those peculiar moments that can stop us in our tracks and, for a moment, make us fully present.
“Tia McLennan’s poems are poised at the quick of existence, acutely haunted by both memory and dream, at once familiar and monstrous. The effect is an embodied wisdom-in-progress: startling, revelatory and essential reading.”
—DON MCKAY, author of Lurch
“Tia McLennan’s Familiar Monsters of the Flood is a visceral and wondrous collection that explores the fragility of existence. A spider caught and released. A heartbeat on an ultrasound. Micro-plastics choking the ocean. This is the poetry of the quotidian and the profound, exquisitely noticed and precisely rendered. McLennan’s words are a balm.”
—SHARON BALA, author of The Boat People
“These poems are by turns tender, surreal, disorienting, quietly devastating, and shot through with a ferocious wonder. They inhabit the shimmering logic of dreams and grief, reaching simultaneously towards the death of a father, the birth of an infant, and six miscarriages between. This writing challenges what we know of boundaries between the dead and living, mythical and medical, personal and ecological, between fetal cells and a birthing parent’s body. Visceral individual losses are held in the larger container of destabilizing ecological grief—pipeline hearings, polar vortexes, heat domes, shellfish cooked alive in healing oceans, sun the colour of salmon roe, smoke-filled air. A series of spare found poems, taken from the text of medical records, creates a recurring chorus of cumulative loss. This stunning first collection ‘monsters the familiar,’ and offers a path for being present with the world in times of great grief and wonder.”
—ANNA SWANSON, author of The Nights Also

Siobhán Humston Open Studio & Artist Talk
2025-09-29 12:00 - 14:00 | The Jeffrey Rubinoff Sculpture Park, 2750 Shingle Spit Road, Hornby Island, BC, V0R1Z0, Canada
Come by the Jeffrey Rubinoff Sculpture Park on Monday, September 29th for a complimentary cup of coffee and creative conversation amidst artist Siobhán Humston’s latest works-in-progress. Her completed works will be exhibited at the University of Victoria in October.
Humston is the inaugural Artist in Resident between UVIC and the JRSP.

Doors at 12pm, Talk and Presentation starts at 12:30pm. All Welcome.
Address: 2750 Shingle Spit Road Hornby Island, BC, Canada, V0R1Z0
*Please park in the lot and walk up to the Barn.

Artful : The Poets
2025-10-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Join host Dan Kirk on October 6th with our feature poet Lorraine Martinuik. Feature poet followed by open mic, sign up at the door (5 mins each spot).
Lorraine Martinuik’s poetry and experimental prose has appeared in literary journals such as Island, The Capilano Review, The Normal School and Truck, as well as several anthologies such as Kitchen Talk and Drift (edited by Ed Varney and Dan Kirk). In 1989, she was awarded a Canada Council grant, for an experimental fiction project that dealt in part with narrative structure.
Martinuik was born in northern Alberta; she grew up in B.C.’s Peace River district, and later in the Fraser Valley. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, a B.A. in English from the University of British Columbia, and an MFA in poetry from the University of New Orleans. Her MFA thesis, The Language of Trees was awarded the Cassin Prize for Poetry.
She has been based on Denman Island since 1980, when she bought a piece of raw land and built the studio cottage where she now lives and works.

Lecture: Exploring Spain’s Legacy in the Salish Sea
2025-10-07 19:00 - 20:30 | the Courtenay and District Museum, 207 4th St, Courtenay, BC, COURTENAY, BC, V9N 1G7, Canada
Santa Saturnina in Boundary Pass by Gordon Miller.

The threat of “foreign” invasion into “their” seas in the wake of the tumultuous fur trade prompted Spain to explore in Northwest Pacific waters, at the farthest reaches of their American empire, from 1774 until 1796.
Following the Spaniards departure from the scene their explorations have gone largely unsung. Few people now know the stories behind the many Spanish place names still found on our coastal features.
This evening presentation will provide a short discussion illustrated by the work of three well known maritime artists and an exquisite new model of the Spanish schooner, Santa Saturnina produced by Comox master model builder Bruce Ellis.
Speaker Kim Davies has a passion for history and since retiring he has been able to pursue Pacific Northwest coastal history full time and meet with historians and artists on various maritime history projects.
Admission to the lecture is $5 per historical society member; $6 for non-members. Advance tickets are recommended.
For more information, or to purchase tickets over the phone, call 250-334-0686 ext. 2. The Courtenay and District Museum is located at 207 Fourth Street in downtown Courtenay.

Intro To Quilting- A Simple Sampler
2025-10-09 10:00 - 12:00 | #4-420 Fitzgerald Ave., Courtenay, BC, Canada
Oct 9 – Nov 13

Feeling intimidated about quilting? It can feel scary, but a calm and compassionate teacher with a plan will help you work through the step to succeed! Enter Lorraine! Please read the complete description before registration!

This multi-week class is a great primer, encompassing the basic skills you need for almost any future quilt.

Prerequisite: Students should have some experience on a sewing machine (within the last year or so), some comfort with straight line sewing.

You’ll learn about fabrics, colours, print and how many different ways you can make something look great!

You’ll gain confidence with measuring and cutting with the rotary cutter and learn chain-piecing and pressing.

You’ll learn the tips and tricks to make 4-squares look great, how to make log cabins and the essential- half square triangles!

The pattern we’ve created for this class is somewhat modular- if you want to play with the design, you may. However, if you know yourself to be indecisive or perfectionist, we invite you to make it as designed to take that pressure off you, and to spend your energy learning, not thinking!

Next, you’ll construct your whole quilt top, quilt and bind it.

Some people (like Nicole) love piecing quilts but don’t enjoy the actual quilting part- so you’ll have the option to have it long-arm quilted by Lorraine (for a fee), and then you’ll bind it!

The thing about quilts- they are infinite. One design can be made so personally and so uniquely time and again!

Batting and thread is included in the cost of the class, but fabric is not. We know many people have their own fabric they want to use, and using the collected stash is a great way to get started!

You can use as few as two fabrics for a very graphic look, or 50 for a scrappy look.

Spirits of the Forest ~ Stumps and Stitches
2025-10-22 12:00 - 2025-11-15 17:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Sue Muirhead is a lover of deep connection, the wild, windy world, and passionate, soulful creating of all kinds. Sue began an exploration into a variety of art forms in the early 2000’s. She found great pleasure in putting colour and form on paper. Over time, ‘process art’—art without an investment in the outcome—has become one of her most enlivening ways of expressing and processing her thoughts and feelings. Sue expresses creatively for the joy and the full bodied aliveness she feels when she engages her creative spirit.

Over the last year she has shifted mediums and now has become a ‘process stitcher’ where she stitches for the sheer pleasure of expressing. Sue is calling this show ‘Spirits of the Forest – Stumps and Stitches”. Sue shares, “When I walk in the woods, my soul, the essence of me, connects deeply to what surrounds me.” Stumps fascinate her, pull her in, capture her attention.

When in the forest and amongst the trees and stumps she often feels the presence of spirits. Most cultures in the world, at some time in their history to present day, have honoured, feared, and/or held in high esteem the many spirits of the forest and believe that they exist. Forest spirits are often thought of as protectors, keepers or guardians of the woodlands.

Sue thinks of stumps as teachers – often cut down, taken out, they sit benevolently in the forest, in clear cuts, sometimes looking bedraggled or barren; forever changed from what they once were. Given time, however, new life begins to form and they can become a haven for new growth, incomprehensible beauty. They teach that it is possible to be cut down in life by circumstances beyond our control, and over time there is the possibility of innovative beauty and renewed life.

For this show, Sue and her brother, Patrick Hill, went out into the forests around where they live and took over 200 pictures of stumps. Sue then took up what she now calls “Process Stitching” (an approach borrowed from Process Painting), where she stitched with no investment in a predetermined outcome , emphasizing exploration, experimentation and self expression. She called on the stitches to make visible, to
embody as much as possible the spirits of the forest. When stitching, Sue states she “feels the fabric and thread as living beings, alive.” Embroiderer Christi Johnson (2021) offers, “The creative process is not simply about what is being made; it is an entirely mystical process that teaches us how to move between the internal world of the soul and the physical world outside….Embroidery offers an opportunity to return to the natural order. Stitching by hand slows down the body and, over time slows down the mind.”

The essence of Spirits of the Forest – Stumps and Stitches is a full engagement of Sue’s creative energy and love. When engaged with her creative spirit and the wild world that surrounds her she shares, “I feel the wind, I feel the moonlight, I feel the spirits in the forest…and my hands stitch and stitch and stitch…”

Lecture: Out of the Darkness: Bats of the Comox Valley
2025-10-25 11:00 - 12:00 | the Courtenay and District Museum, 207 4th St, Courtenay, BC, COURTENAY, BC, V9N 1G7, Canada
Location: Rotary Gallery in the Courtenay and District Museum
Speaker: Tim Ennis, Coordinator, North Island Chapter, BC Community Bat Program

Learn about Comox Valley bats at this family-friendly presentation to be followed by a kids’ craft.
Bats are a fascinating and mysterious group of species that have been vilified as evil or as vermin, while also celebrated as heroes and critical to ecosystem health.
Come explore the fascinating world of bats with bat biologist, Tim Ennis, as we celebrate International Bat Week, leading up to Halloween.
Tickets: Admission by donation. Seating is limited – first-come, first-served.

Spirits of the Forest ~ Stumps and Stitches
2025-10-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Join artist Sue Muirhead at the artist reception to celebrate the opening of her exhibition.
Sue Muirhead is a lover of deep connection, the wild, windy world, and passionate, soulful creating of all kinds. Sue began an exploration into a variety of art forms in the early 2000’s. She found great pleasure in putting colour and form on paper. Over time, ‘process art’—art without an investment in the outcome—has become one of her most enlivening ways of expressing and processing her thoughts and feelings. Sue expresses creatively for the joy and the full bodied aliveness she feels when she engages her creative spirit.

Over the last year she has shifted mediums and now has become a ‘process stitcher’ where she stitches for the sheer pleasure of expressing. Sue is calling this show ‘Spirits of the Forest – Stumps and Stitches”. Sue shares, “When I walk in the woods, my soul, the essence of me, connects deeply to what surrounds me.” Stumps fascinate her, pull her in, capture her attention.

When in the forest and amongst the trees and stumps she often feels the presence of spirits. Most cultures in the world, at some time in their history to present day, have honoured, feared, and/or held in high esteem the many spirits of the forest and believe that they exist. Forest spirits are often thought of as protectors, keepers or guardians of the woodlands.

Sue thinks of stumps as teachers – often cut down, taken out, they sit benevolently in the forest, in clear cuts, sometimes looking bedraggled or barren; forever changed from what they once were. Given time, however, new life begins to form and they can become a haven for new growth, incomprehensible beauty. They teach that it is possible to be cut down in life by circumstances beyond our control, and over time there is the possibility of innovative beauty and renewed life.

For this show, Sue and her brother, Patrick Hill, went out into the forests around where they live and took over 200 pictures of stumps. Sue then took up what she now calls “Process Stitching” (an approach borrowed from Process Painting), where she stitched with no investment in a predetermined outcome , emphasizing exploration, experimentation and self expression. She called on the stitches to make visible, to
embody as much as possible the spirits of the forest. When stitching, Sue states she “feels the fabric and thread as living beings, alive.” Embroiderer Christi Johnson (2021) offers, “The creative process is not simply about what is being made; it is an entirely mystical process that teaches us how to move between the internal world of the soul and the physical world outside….Embroidery offers an opportunity to return to the natural order. Stitching by hand slows down the body and, over time slows down the mind.”

The essence of Spirits of the Forest – Stumps and Stitches is a full engagement of Sue’s creative energy and love. When engaged with her creative spirit and the wild world that surrounds her she shares, “I feel the wind, I feel the moonlight, I feel the spirits in the forest…and my hands stitch and stitch and stitch…”

The 5th Annual Comox Valley Record Show
2025-10-26 11:00 - 16:00 | Comox Valley Curling Centre, 4835 Headquarters Road, Courtenay, BC, V9J1P2, Canada
Vinyl lovers, collectors, and music enthusiasts, mark your calendars! The 5th Annual Comox Valley Record Show is set to groove its way back into town on Sunday, October 26, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Comox Valley Curling Centre, located at 4835 Headquarters Road, Courtenay.
This beloved event brings together dealers from across Vancouver Island and the Mainland, offering thousands of records spanning every genre imaginable—from classic rock and jazz to punk, soul, and beyond. But it’s not just vinyl: attendees will also find posters, books, CDs, tapes, and other music memorabilia to explore.
What to Expect:
A spacious venue filled with vibrant energy and rare finds
Food and drinks available on-site, including
Elevator access and plenty of free parking
Friendly vendors and fellow music fans ready to share stories and swap treasures
Tips for Attendees:
Prefer a quieter browsing experience? Arrive later in the day (2 to 4 PM)
Bring cash—while vendors increasingly accept digital payments, vinyl culture still loves the old-school paper vibe.
Come prepared to dig deep—hidden gems await!
Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just starting your vinyl journey, the Comox Valley Record Show is a can’t-miss celebration of music, nostalgia, and community. As the organizers say, “It’s like Christmas—it comes but once a year!”
Admission is still only $2 and kids under 12 are free. Lots of parking and the kitchen and Extra End Lounge will be open, not to mention curling to watch alongside the record show.

Artful : The Poets
2025-11-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Join host Natalie Nickerson on November 3rd with our feature poet Toni Dunne. Feature poet followed by open mic, sign up at the door (5 mins each spot).
Toni Dunne is an earthen creatrix, eco-sensualist, social butterfly, silly goose. Her poetry is inspired by paradox, the stretchy, crunchy, achy beautiful journey of the human condition. She weaves her observations of the mundane with the miraculous and makes room for many truths.
Born of her love for the garden, forest, river, mountain and sea, her poetry emphasizes and explores relationship with the natural world. A long time yogini and embodied mindfulness practitioner, Toni infuses her craft with a certain quality of attention and attends to her life, garden and writing as an ongoing practice of noticing and being with.
Her most beloved muse is the clawfoot tub in the yard.
When she’s not writing poetry or in the bath, Toni can be found playing with her 10 year old son and ragdoll cat. She works as a teacher, group facilitator, somatic therapist and gardener in the Comox Valley, a place she has called home for over 20 years.
Please join Toni as she midwives you through the seasons of cycles of the Pacific Northwest, seduces you into the luscious world of petal, stamen, bloom and decay.
Come enliven your senses and remember the magic you are embedded in.

Poetry Reading at Artful : The Gallery
2025-11-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
Artful : The Gallery welcomes Damian John for an evening of poetry.

Poets Kelly Madden and Kristina Campbell will start the evening off, and Damian John will be the featured artist.

Poetry Reading and Book Launch
2025-11-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Artful the Gallery, 526 Cumberland Rd, Courtenay, BC, V9N 2C7
On Nov 13, Arleen Paré and Wendy Donawa are hosting a poetry reading as they launch their recently published poetry collections Encrypted (published by Caitlin Press) and The Time of Falling Apart (Harbour Publishing) respectively.
Arleen Paré is a Victoria writer with ten collections of poetry, one chapbook and one co-edited anthology. She’s been short-listed for the Dorothy Livesay BC Award, and has won the Victoria Butler Book Prize, a CBC Bookie Prize, the bpnichol Chapbook Award, the American Golden Crown Award for Lesbian Poetry, twice, and a Governor Generals’ Award for Poetry. She lives with her wife, Chris Fox, in Victoria on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish people.

Wendy Donawa was raised in Victoria, but spent 36 years of her adult life in Barbados, where she raised her family, studied at the university of the West Indies, taught at the college and was for a decade, a curator at the Barbados Museum.
Now retired from the academic life, she lives gratefully on the traditional unceded territories of the Lekwungen-speaking Songees and Esquimalt nations, in Victoria.

Here, her heart and mind have turned to poetry, and she is grateful for the gifted and generous teachings Patrick Lane, Lorna Crozier, and many others. Her poems appear in numerous chapbooks, anthologies and poetry magazines. Her first book, Thin Air of the Knowable, was long-listed for the Raymond Souster and a finalist for the Gerald Lambert Award. Her second book, Our Bodies’ Unanswered Questions, was one of the 2021 Frontenac quartet. The Time of Falling Apart is her third collection.
