Whether you pause before moving to the next piece or prefer to ponder each creation, art at its finest remains an in-person experience.
After two years of online attendance only due to the pandemic, the Sooke Fine Arts show returns to its traditional in-person format at SEAPARC Leisure Complex from July 22 to Aug.
The Sooke Fine Arts Festival, in its 36th year, showcases exceptional artworks in a variety of media by local artists from Vancouver Island and B.C.’s coastal islands.
The event’s popularity, the largest juried art show on Vancouver Island, is underlined by the more than 10,000 people who viewed the exhibits online last year, a sizeable increase from the roughly 9,000 who attended in person in 2019.
Sponsors are a critical element of the Sooke Fine Arts Show’s continued success, SFAS executive director Terrie Moore said in a media release.
“Many of our long-time sponsors are considered to be part of the SFAS family,” Moore noted. “Brian Butler and his son Travis Butler have made sponsorship of the local arts community a key part of their family business. Sponsors like the Butler family are an inspiration, and their commitment to local artists and the arts helps illuminate local talent, nurture emerging artists in the community, and inspire other sponsors and volunteers to support the show.”
Butler Brothers and Butler Concrete and Aggregate have sponsored the event for a combined 13 years.
Keycorp Development and Marketing in Langford has also made the SFAS part of its overall commitment to supporting local arts and culture.
Moore said the support from many local businesses in Sooke and on the West Shore is central to helping cover the event’s annual costs. Tom Lee Music provides the gallery’s piano, design services are provided by A Sea of Bloom and The Artisan’s Garden, and local hospitality sponsors include the Prestige Oceanfront Resort and Westcoast Grill.
The Sooke News Mirror, the Times Colonist, Island Social Trends, CFAX radio and CTV-VI television provide critical media support as well, Moore noted.
“From corporate sponsorship to individual donations, and from goods and services to the gift of time that all of our volunteers give, the Sooke Family Arts Show runs on the energy, gifts and contributions of local businesses, families and art lovers, for which we are so grateful,” Moore said.
The Sooke Fine Arts Festival gets underway on July 21 with a Purchaser’s Preview Night, an exclusive, ticketed event that allows seasoned and new art collectors and purchasers first access to view and buy their favourite unique art works.
The event includes beverages and assorted hors d’oeuvres prepared by 4 Beaches Catering and live music with Broke and Blue. Tickets cost $45 and are available online at sookefinearts.com.
The Sooke Fine Arts Society is a not-for-profit federally registered charity.
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