Stir Cheat Sheet: 4 events to catch at West Coast Modern Week
A kickoff party, film screening, architecture lecture, and concert are all part of the annual celebration of West Coast Modernism
Isetta Café Bistro.
West Vancouver Art Museum presents West Coast Modern Week from July 9 to 14 at various venues
West Coast Modernism is at the heart of celebrations of West Coast Modern Week, the architectural style tracing its very roots to West Vancouver. There’s a whole host of events taking place throughout the festival; some are already sold out, like Walking Tours: The Modern Jewels of Dundarave and the 18th annual West Coast Modern Home Tour with Modern Tea Party. Here’s a glimpse at a few other hot happenings that still have spaces left.
West Coast Modern Week Launch Party
July 9 from 6 to 8 pm at Isetta Café Bistro
The 2024 event gets off to a festive start at this iconic West Vancouver building, which was originally designed in 1961 to house a diner, gas station, and car garage. It was renovated in 2022 and today, it’s home to Isetta Café Bistro, while it also holds certain automobiles from the property owner’s vintage car collection. The fundraising evening will feature architects, designers, and artists who will also be celebrating the West Vancouver Art Museum’s 30th anniversary.
Alan Hess.
Annual Barry Downs Lecture Series: From City to City Up the Coast, with Alan Hess
July 11 from 7 pm to 9 pm at Kay Meek Arts Centre
Alan Hess is an architect and historian who has written 21 books on Modern architecture, including titles on John Lautner, Oscar Niemeyer, and Frank Lloyd Wright. A commissioner on the California State Historical Resources Commission, he is on the boards of Preserve Orange County, Palm Springs Modernism Week, and Design Onscreen. He has been the architecture critic of San Jose’s Mercury News and a contributor to the Architect’s Newspaper who has won awards for conserving Modern architecture. His forthcoming book, The Palm Springs School 1930-1975, will be published next year by Rizzoli International Publications.
Hess will be leading a discussion on how Modern architecture emerged along the West Coast from San Diego to Vancouver in the 20th century.
Max Amerongen.
Film Screening: Arthur Erickson’s Dyde House, Q&A with Max Amerongen, Trevor Boddy, and Lee Foote
July 12 from 7 pm to 9 pm at Kay Meek Arts Centre
Arthur Erickson’s Dyde House is a new documentary about an early house by Arthur Erickson that didn’t get much publicity because of his clients’ private nature. Alexander “Sandy” and Dorothy “Bobby” Dyde purchased a piece of land just outside of Edmonton in 1959, most of which became the University of Alberta Botanic Garden but also was the setting for the couple’s summer home. The home stands as a young example of the “flying beams” that distinguish Erickson’s work and illustrates his grasp of incorporating the landscape into the design. The film tells the story of the house and context in which it was built.
The film screening features a Q&A with the film’s producer, Max Amerongen, an Edmonton designer; architecture critic Trevor Boddy; and Lee Foote, former director of the University of Alberta Botanic Garden.
Sharon Minemoto.
West Coast Modern Week Concert: Sharon Minemoto & James Danderfer Trio
July 14 from 1 pm to 2:15 pm at the West Vancouver Memorial Library
This concert takes place in the West Vancouver Memorial Library’s main hall and features Sharon Minemoto on grand piano, James Danderfer on bass clarinet, and Paul Rushka on bass.
Minemoto is also a composer; her latest album, Dark Night, Bright Stars (Cellar Music), includes 12 original works. Danderfer has performed with such leading musicians as Steve Nelson, Quincy Davis, Don Thompson, and Oliver Gannon. Rushka has been performing since 1997.
Together, the three artists will explore jazz classics of the 1950s and ’60s, and there will be some original compositions on the program as well. 
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