The North Shore's Arts in the Garden: 13 urban oases filled with artists, performers, and musicians

Art meets nature at North Van Arts’ 24th annual cultural event, taking place in distinct outdoor settings

By gail johnson

Garden #7 - Ethereal.

North Van Arts presents Arts in the Garden 2023 on May 27 and 28 at various North Vancouver and West Vancouver venues

IT’S THE MOST blooming wonderful time of the year for local green thumbs and culture vultures: Arts in the Garden is back for its 24th edition.

The annual community event brings together visual artists, musicians, and performers at 13 beautiful outdoor spaces across the North Shore. Presented by North Van Arts, it’s designed to spark a sense of play, connection, delight, creativity, reflection, and dedication to the natural world, with the arts on display in fresh new ways.

Here’s the dirt: An interactive map gives information on participating gardeners and artists, while a performance schedule can help you plan your route. Each garden has an entry fee of $2 cash, though three gardens have entrance by donation: Harmony Garden in West Vancouver (Garden #4); Loutet Farm in North Vancouver (Garden #10); and Feathers and Fungi at Maplewood Flats (Garden #13). A $15 fee gets you an all-access garden pass, which also comes with a 15-percent discount at a few locals’ favourite hangouts: Delaney’s in Dundarave, Bean on 5 in Lower Lonsdale, and Bjorn Bar Bakery in Edgemont Village.

Almost all of the gardens are open from 12 to 5 pm, with the exception of Maplewood Flats in partnership with Wild Bird Trust of BC. There, you’ll find a workshop series called Feathers and Fungi from 9:30 am  to 3 pm on Saturday and from 10:30 am to 6:30 pm on Sunday. (Registration is recommended.)

The gardens run the gamut from “Colourful” (Garden #6, in North Vancouver’s Grousewoods Forest, with a babbling stream) to “Grounding” (Garden #11, also in North Van—complete with a formal “still” section with various varieties of azaleas; a predominantly native woodland zone; a tropical/exotic zone featuring plants like bananas, ginger, and lilies; and more).

Here’s a look at three other al fresco arts experiences that are happening throughout the weekend.

Garden #1 - Organic.

#1

Garden 1 - Organic:

Sally McDermott, 4486 Picadilly North, North Vancouver

This West Vancouver greenspace dates back to the 1950s, complete with steps that artfully lead down a granite rock into the lush garden itself. Two streams meander through the woods and under old-growth Douglas-fir trees, with numerous native plants, shrubs, and perennial beds along the way.

Ken Clarke.

Adding to the experience: Visual artist Monica Gewurz will be doing demos involving upcycled materials with natural pigments and binders and will also show works of acrylic mixed media and natural pigments. Ken Clarke, who specializes in hook knife carving, will be showcasing his sculptures in wood, concrete and clay. Suzan Marczak will offer a plein-air painting demo and workshop on sketching from nature.

J Knutson.

Then there’s the music. People might recognize J Knutson, a North Shore-based singer-songwriter who also happens to be a founding member of Spirit of The West. Knutson, who has seven CDs under his name, has played on more than 50 albums and has been involved in five Juno-winning albums.  He’ll be performing original folk both days from 2:30 to 4:30 pm, while Colin Sankey, a Vancouver-based bass player, composer, and arranger, will also be taking part. The first place winner in the 2022 Phil Jones Solo Bass Competition in New York City, Sankey has been known to use extended techniques such as tapping and harmonics to create orchestral-like harmonies and grooves.

Kat Tzinkgounakis.

#2

Garden 7 – Ethereal (pictured at top)

Susan Bath, 954 Forest Hills Drive, North Vancouver

“I would describe my garden as whimsical,” Bath says. “I have created it myself over 25 years for the love of flowers and trees. I don’t use any chemicals. My knowledge is hands on rather than book learned. Oh…..and there is that small detail of over 75 chandeliers.”

Clara MacLeod.

In this charming and eclectic space, illustrator Kat Tzinkgounakis will be creating mini gouache paintings, while Emily Picard will demonstrate ink painting and mixed media. Multi-instrumentalist “fairy songstress” Clara MacLeod will perform her blend of dream pop and folk with elements of Celtic and alternative music (from 12 to 2 pm both days). Dia, an all-female vocal trio, will share soulful folk-pop songs of hope, empowerment, and resistance (from 2:30 to 4:30 pm both days).

Loutet Farm.

#3

Garden 10 - Transcendent

Loutet Farm and Gerry’s Garden, 1400 Rufus Avenue, North Vancouver

The first urban farm on public parkland in Canada, Loutet Farm is a small but mighty half acre in a residential area that’s home to tours, workshops, and field trips as well as a Farmer’s Market (Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm). The garden was designed as a way for the community to learn about food and where it comes from in a partnership with North Shore Neighbourhood House, the City of North Vancouver, and the University of British Columbia. Funds generated through the sale of produce go back into the operations of the farm, which provides valuable green-collar jobs for North Shore residents.

Gerry’s Garden is Gerry MacPherson’s decade-old, half-acre plot that he has tended to for the past decade, ever since the death of his son. What was once a derelict space adjacent to Brooksbank elementary school and Loutet Park is now a beautiful, abundant garden. For Arts in the Garden, the place of growth is being curated in collaboration with Andy Warner, one of six co-founders of the Transgender Expressions Haven. The Haven is a venue for transgender, non-binary, Two-Spirit, intersex artists and other artists transcending gender.

Nick Campney-Durrant.

Offering up live-clothing painting is Hollis Nelson, a graduate of Emily Carr University of Art + Design and a queer interdisciplinary artist living and working in the Downtown Eastside who is best known for her hand-painted wearable leather-art pieces. Nonbinary multidisciplinary artist and craftsperson Nick Campney-Durrant will be on-site for a crochet demonstration as well as work in illustration and textiles.

Acoustic-pop singer-songwriter Jason Qiu will be performing Saturday from 12 to 2 pm. Classically trained on piano since he was four years old, Qiu began composing his own songs in his teens. He performs in Chinese and English.

Glow Motivate.

Musician-producer Oceaan Pendharkar and poet-songwriter-musician-loop pedallist Anjalica Solomon are the forces that form Glow Motivate, self-described as “Vancouver’s favourite new brown queer pop duo” . Born via email during the early pandemic days, the group has played many of the city’s most popular queer events, honing in on infectious melodies, emotive lyrics, and a heart-warming pop sound. They’re on both days from 2:30 to 4:30 pm.

Her Tribal Roots is a collective of interdisciplinary artists that performs on the Saturday from  3 to 3:30 pm. Fairything, performing on the Sunday from 2 to 2:30 pm, is the stage name of Alex Masse, who has performed spoken word poetry at Vancouver Pride and Vancouver Fringe Festival, among other events. They’re also one of the co-creators of We Were Here, We Were Queer, a literary arts zine highlighting queer SFU and FIC students and a member of the Flaming Balloon Collective, a local youth poetry group that’s collaborated with IGNITE! Youth Festival and The Roundhouse, among other organizations.

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