The Artist's Circle in West Vancouver

This is the final weekend of The Harmony Arts Festival in West Vancouver. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, it's well worth a visit.

The festival highlights the rich cultural life of West Vancouver, both past and present. The Museum has had a strong showing this year, organizing The Artist's Circle–a ten day exhibit of ten artists in a temporary gallery set up by the seaside.

The location is frankly spectacular and the artwork matches the locale, including works by Gordon Smith, B.C. Binning, Douglas Coupland, Ian Wallace, Attilla Richard Lukacs and Joan Balzar.

It's the brainchild of Curator Darrin Morrison who had a vision of art by the sea as a way to promote West Vancouver's artistic legacy. It also foreshadows a plan for a larger, dedicated space to house the municipality's significant cultural holdings and engaging exhibitions.

Morrison has shown through his resourceful and inspired use of the current tiny Museum building that a new purpose-built facility would be well used and an invaluable addition to the community.

One of the highlights of the festival was a talk by Gordon Smith, Douglas Coupland and Ian Wallace. Each artist has a deep connection to the local rugged landscape and it was a loose but engaging round table discussion.

Smith held court as elder statesman, while always singing the praises of other artists' work. I can't think of another venue where you might hear a story about the Smiths hosting PM Pierre Trudeau and his family along with the Binnings and a bathrobed Arthur Erickson.

Still, one of the most remarkable things about Smith is how current he remains in his knowledge of contemporary arts, culture and architecture, even at the age of 92. The man is an art machine.

Coupland and Wallace were gracious and offered insights into their methods and the influence that West Vancouver has had on their work.

Kudos to West Vancouver, the curators and the artists involved for bringing together a terrific event.

Untitled, B.C. Binning

Po-Mo Monument Coming Down

The Terry Fox Memorial at BC Place is slated for demolition.

As part of the revitalization of BC Place, PavCo will dismantle the memorial in order to redesign the plaza and to make way for construction cranes that are building the new stadium roof.

There is much debate around this move–the Franklin Allen-designed memorial has long perplexed Vancouverites who have found it difficult to reconcile the design with the spirit of the man it is meant to celebrate. Its post-modern aesthetics have not helped the cause.

And yet it is a design firmly rooted in its era and one chosen by a committee that included Arthur Erickson and Abraham Rogatnick. It would be interesting to hear their comments, however both passed away last year. Despite its unpopularity, some kind of preservation plan through relocation might be worthwhile, if only as a curious part of our history.

The upside is that, at the suggestion of the Fox family, Douglas Coupland has been commissioned to design a new monument. It's hard to think of someone better suited to memorialize one of our great Canadians.

Douglas Coupland

This profile of Douglas Coupland's renovated second home in West Vancouver appeared in the New York Times last year.

Coupland is a master with colours, materials and reinterpretation, so it's interesting to see what he's done with a post and beamer. The upstairs becomes a pure white gallery/backdrop for colourful artwork, while the downstairs retains the warmth of wood and a mid-century aesthetic. The house is a logical extension of his multidisciplinary work, integrating art and architecture.

West Vancouver has an astounding architectural heritage that is slowly being obliterated; it's nice to see someone as high-profile as Coupland lead by example on the restoration front.

Photo: Martin Tessler.