Art Beat Chemainus

Last Friday night was amazing - lots of canvas work completed!  Our community was wonderful and willing to bring their creative talents to our table.  Many young artists took part in telling us why they love Canada and how their shoes brought them to where they are!  With live music, good food and artists everywhere, this is the place to be!  Drop by and see our table at Art Beat every Friday night this August in Chemainus!

Chemainus brings feet forward!

Last Friday night, Gail was in Chemainus at Art Beat! With some wonderful success, she had some art goers up to the challenge to put their best foot forward!  Come and join us again in Chemainus this upcoming Friday!

Blank Canvas - we need your feet

Gail went shopping! We're ready!  Blank Canvas....the possibilities!
With paints, with markers, with glitter, with photography....we want your feet to tell us a story.  Footwear is part of our daily lives and for alot of us, there is that one pair of favourite shoes....mine are my Converse Chuck Taylor's...they are who I am.  I am complete when I tie up those laces.  I feel they are a way for me to express myself.  I wear them when I'm working at a photo shoot - my lucky shoes! They make me remember that here, in Canada, I can be me.   I am proud to be Canadian.  Drop by Station Street Gallery today and become part of this incredible project!

Julie

My Journey - Becoming Canadian

Becoming Canadian was a dream in my father's heart long before I was born.  My father was a electronics's repairman and was offered an opportunity of a lifetime in Canada.  Family was established here on Vancouver Island - my Great Aunt/Uncle and their children were residing in Duncan.  After my parents married, they waited for word that we would be immigrating to Canada.  I was not even two when my parents, myself and my Aunt boarded a plane to this unknown land, full of opportunities and a new start. 
We landed in Vancouver on a snowy late October day.  Family brought us home to Duncan where we lived until we found our own nest.  My mother found the move difficult.  Being from Liverpool, England, the Cowichan Valley was laid back compared to the hustle of the big city.  Over the first few years here in Canada, we made friends, found ourselves in the community and made our new home.  Without this move to Canada, our future for our family would have been uncertain and my sisters may have never been.  Canada gave our family employment, a future and happiness beyond words.  My grandparents (Mom) followed just a few years after us to this wonderful land and then my Mom's brother. 
My parents and I became Canadian citizens in the late 1980's and it was a very special day for us and for the many who took their oath.  To live in a country where everyone does matter, to be able to be yourself, to be able to express  your heritage and to be accepted is beyond words.
Canada has become a dream come true for my family.  The majority are still in Europe and are proud of what we have accomplished.
I am proud to be Canadian. 

Julie Nygaard