Events
May/June Events at the Surrey Arts Centre
Do you love arts? Looking for some engaging and creative family activities? There’s tons of stuff happening for the whole family at your Surrey Arts Centre and Surrey Art Gallery this May/June. We’ve highlighted some of them below. See the May/June 2012 calendar of events for more!
Bbboyizm Dance Company Presents: IZM, Part of Surrey’s Youth Week events
May 2, 7:30pm
“As an art form dance can be impressive but expression is its fundamental nature.” —Crazy Smooth
Dance to express! Not to impress. Bbboyizm Dance Company takes this motto to heart with IZM, a street dance performance featuring some of Canada’s most talented dancers. Choreographer and dancer Crazy Smooth pushes the envelope of street dance tradition with hiphop, rocking and b-boying, showing audiences that hip hop is a dynamic force in dance today. Reaching below the surface where emotions live, Crazy Smooth and his dancers hold nothing back! Part of Surrey’s Youth Week events, Surrey Arts Centre presents IZM on May 2 from 7:30pm to 8:30pm in the Main Stage.
Chime in at the post-show chat, hosted by Crazy Smooth and all the dancers. Who’s got the first question?
Dancers include Bourik, Chilly, Crazy Smooth, Melly Mel, Lost Child, Dirty D, N.O.S.B., Strife, Zepol Rock, and Soul Step.
Tickets: $20
Box Office: 604-501-5566 | https://tickets.surrey.ca | 13750–88 Avenue
Bboyizm Dance Company’s goal is to promote and preserve the foundation of all street dances. The company’s artistic philosophy is based on the idea that a dancer’s self-expression is paramount. If one is truly expressing oneself, their dance will most definitely be impressive.
Choreographer-dancer Yvon Soglo (B-boy Crazy Smooth) is one of Canada’s top street dancers. Mostly self-taught, Smooth’s passion and respect for the history of the art form has led him to study with some of New York’s foremost street dancers. He has been an instructor for acrobats from Cirque du Soleil, performed at the Nancy Jazz Festival in France, and was awarded Most Valuable B-boy at the annual Kings of NY Competition in 2006. Smooth’s ongoing involvement in dance led to him being a keynote speaker at the United Nations Youth Conference in Edmonton in 2007. Founder of Bboyizm Dance Company, Smooth’s never-ending mission is to elevate and carry on the tradition of street dance culture in the world of performing arts.
Lighting design by Valerie Gomes; Stage management by Julie Benoit; Music mixed by Dp One; Technical direction by Yves Soglo.
The Different Worlds of Cao Fei: Critics Talk with Alice Ming Wai Jim
May 12, 2pm
How has China’s astoundingly rapid modernization affected the lives, experiences, and imaginations of artists in China? Are the issues that Cao Fei – one of China’s acclaimed 21st century generation of artists – addresses and the way in which she addresses them, representative of young artists in China today? Montreal-based art critic and curator, Alice Ming Wai Jim will discuss the work of Cao Fei in the context of contemporary new media art from China on Saturday, May 12 at 2pm at the Surrey Art Gallery. The Different Worlds of Cao Fei is presented in conjunction with the Gallery’s exhibition Cao Fei: Simulus. Admission is free; donations gratefully accepted.
Our computer age has produced many online, interactive parallel worlds. This talk examines Cao Fei’s RMB City Planning and Apocalypse Tomorrow in relation to the numerous artworks, interactive exhibitions, and events that her art in the simulated online environment known as Second Life has spawned over the last three years. Officially opened to the public in 2009, RMB City (2008-2011) is arguably the most widely acclaimed Second Life art project, in both the Second Life and Real Life art worlds. From platform to surfing game, Cao Fei’s project speaks to an expanding cultural brokerage between the art world and virtual economies as well as the role gaming and social media play in questioning these developments.
Alice Ming Wai Jim is Associate Professor of Contemporary Art at Concordia University, Montreal. She was Curator of the Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (Centre A) from 2003 to 2006. Her main fields of research are in contemporary Asian art and Asian Canadian art with a particular interest in recent media art, theories of representation, and the relationship between remix culture and place identity.
In the exhibition Cao Fei: Simulus, visitors are able to experience an interactive game environment, and two videos constructed from events that have taken place in Second Life. In these works, China’s dynamic new urban landscapes are re-imagined and used to inform a future threatened by uncertain ecological transformation.
Both the talk and exhibition are presented as part of Yellow Signal: New Media in China, which takes place in various venues throughout Metro Vancouver between now and September.
Call for Entries: ARTS 2012 – A Juried Exhibition of Visual Art
Deadline for entry forms: May 18, 4pm
Arts Council of Surrey invites established and emerging artists to enter its 28th annual juried exhibition of visual art. ARTS 2012, featuring new artworks ranging from traditional paintings to digital technology, takes place at the Surrey Art Gallery from June 23 to August 19. The submission deadline for entry forms is Friday, May 18 at 4pm. The entry form is available at www.surrey.ca/arts (Surrey Art Gallery/Opportunities). Questions and/or comments? Contact the Arts Council of Surrey at 604-594-2700 or info@artscouncilofsurrey.ca.
Artworks are recognized for awards in five categories: Painting–Works on Canvas; Painting–Works on Paper; Drawing, Mixed Media & Printmaking; 3-D Works and Fibre Arts; and Photography & New Media. Cash awards in each category range from $25 to $150. Additionally, a People’s Choice award is presented at the conclusion of the exhibition.
Arts Council of Surrey welcomes entries from residents of Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Delta and Richmond. Artists from outside these areas are also encouraged to enter; they need to be either a member of a club that belongs to the Arts Council of Surrey, or an individual member. To encourage applications by post-secondary art students, the membership requirement is waived with a copy of a valid student ID accompanying the entry form.
Alex Grünenfelder: Audio Migration
Continues to August 19
The hidden, the repressed, the lost, the invisible, and the inaudible are explored in Open Sound 2012, an exhibition at the Surrey Art Gallery. The newest installment is a sound installation by Alex Grünenfelder, situated in the enclosed, yet open air space of the Gallery’s courtyard. The artwork, Audio Migration, uses field recordings of local birds, human speech, and other activities on either side of the nature and culture divide to explore the formal and conceptual similarities, differences, and interactions between human and non-human life. Audio Migration continues to August 19. Admission is by donation.
Alex Grünenfelder weaves together multiple recordings of various natural and cultural spaces, including both meaningful and nonsensical human utterances and bird song (native to the lower mainland) to create a slowly changing soundscape that explores the complex ways in which nature and culture, human and non-human, intertwine. The listener is transported to a space where sounds lose their habitual meanings, become pure auditory events, and then come to mean something else.
Alex Grünenfelder pursues a creative practice that combines the project development methods of the graphic design industry with the critical discourse and dialogical goals of the liberal arts. His academic history includes studies in philosophy at McGill University, and fine art at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. He has been working in the field of graphic design since 2000 with a focus on the arts, environmental, and not-for-profit sectors. He is a co-founder and director of the Vancouver Design Nerds Society, an organization that facilitates discussion and collaboration between designers, artists and the public. His artwork explores the power of media to shape the perception of environments.
Audio Migration is part of a year-long exhibition that is guest curated by Ross Birdwise. In keeping with this year’s theme – On Air, Underground: Making The Inaudible Audible – each artwork will give expression to voiceless and sometimes intangible things. The artists (in order of appearance) are Kristen Roos, Alex Grünenfelder, and Christina Kubisch.
Open Sound is an exhibition program developed in 2008 to support the production and presentation of audio art forms as part of contemporary art practice. Open Sound seeks to feature the leading edge of audio art, and has included site specific installation, radio experiments, ecological practices, and other investigations into the limits of sound today.
Concurrent to the second installment of Open Sound 2012, Surrey Art Gallery is presenting Vision Machine: Marianne Nicolson and Etienne Zack, and Cao Fei: Simulus – both continue to June 10.
Looking for something to do? You’re in luck! From outdoor movies to a butterfly release, there is so much to do in Surrey this week.
Aug. 6: Movies Under the Stars
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You can head over to Holland Park for a free movie under the stars starting on Aug. 6. The fun starts at 6pm with plenty of games, singers, crafts, draws, and so much more. Be sure to bring a picnic blanket or lawn chair and some yummy snacks to enjoy. The movie schedule is as follows:
Aug. 6: Sing 2
Aug. 13: Encanto
Aug. 20: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Address: Holland Park, 13428 Old Yale Rd.
Aug. 6-7: Music and Meditation Festival
Need some relaxation? Visit Surrey City Hall on Aug. 6 and 7 for the Music and Meditation Festival. The event starts at noon, and on Aug. 6 there will be “meditative flute music by Edgar Muenala, Indigenous dance by the Wild Moccasin Dancers, meditation workshops with Rani Thompson of Raaga with Rani and multi-instrumentalists The Nair Brothers, activities for children and parents, and much more! On Aug. 7 you can enjoy free outdoor music from members of Sahaja Yoga BC from noon–2pm, and free meditation classes at the Surrey Central Library from 2-4pm.
Address: Surrey City Hall, 13450-104th Ave.
Aug. 6-7: Play Time: Heritage Board Games
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Tired of Monopoly? Learn about the board games that residents in Victorian Surrey would have played. This event is free and the only thing you need to supply is the players.
Address: Historic Stewart Farm, 13723 Crescent Rd.
Aug. 10: Sounds of Summer: Dalannah Gail Bowen
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Enjoy a free outdoor concert in Holland Park on Aug. 10 from 6:30–8pm. This week’s performance is Dalannah Gail Bowen who is a “76-year-old Afro-Canadian Cherokee singer, songwriter, actress, play writer, storyteller, event producer, social activist, International Memphis Blues Awards semi-finalist (2017) and a Blues Hall of Fame Master Blues Artist (2015).”
Address: Holland Park, 13428 Old Yale Rd.
Aug. 13: Habitat for Humanity 11th Annual Butterfly Release
Watch a live butterfly release at the Fleetwood Villa on Aug. 13 starting at 11:30am. This event is free to watch but you’re also able to purchase a butterfly to release, with all proceeds going towards Habitat for Humanity. Butterflies cost $20 each and include a butterfly cookie. There will also be live entertainment and a barbecue lunch. For more information on how to reserve your butterfly, check the City of Surrey website.
Address: Fleetwood Villa, 16028 83 Ave.
Aug. 13-14: Play Time: Old Fashioned Toys
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You can visit the Historic Stewart Farm to play with the toys that the Stewart children would have enjoyed in the early 1900s. You’ll also be able to play some outdoor games and make your own toy to take home! This free event is a part of the Historic Stewart Farm’s themed summer weekends.
Address: Historic Stewart Farm, 13723 Crescent Rd.
Looking for something to do? Well, you’re in luck! There is so much to do in Surrey this week.
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Canada Day 2022 is coming up quickly and the City of Surrey has plenty of plans to celebrate. You can check out an Indigenous Village, the Summer Market, or enjoy some live music from artists like Arkells! There will also be plenty of food trucks and amusement park rides to enjoy. You can check out our previous article for a full breakdown of everything happening.
Address: Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre, 176th St and 64th Avenue, Surrey
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From July 1 to 3 you can visit the Historic Stewart Farm to learn how to make your own homemade ice cream like Surrey residents from the 1900s. Not only that, but you’ll be able to take some home.
Address: 13723 Crescent Rd, Surrey
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If you’re 18 or younger and like to skateboard, bike, or scooter, then head over to South Surrey Youth Park on July 5 from 4 to 8 pm for Surrey Rides. There will be free snacks, good jams, and prize giveaways for everyone who attends. Helmets are mandatory and spectators are welcome. Be sure to visit the City of Surrey website for a full schedule of Surrey Rides.
Address: South Surrey Youth Park, 14601 20 Avenue, Surrey
Sounds of Summer: Sons of Granville
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Visit Glades Woodland Garden for a free summer concert with Sons of Granville on July 5. Be sure to bring a picnic blanket or chairs and you’re encouraged to bring a picnic dinner to enjoy. Sons of Granville started as a busking duo back in 2010 and have since gained popularity and brought on more band members. This is definitely a concert you won’t want to miss. Gates open at 5 pm and the concert starts at 6:30 pm.
Address: The Glades Woodland Garden, 457 170 Street, Surrey
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FVDED in the Park returns to Holland Park this year on July 8 and 9. Headlining the iconic Surrey festival are Illenium, Excision, Rick Ross, and Don Toliver. Tickets are on sale now and you can purchase them online.
Address: Holland Park, 13428 Old Yale Road, Surrey
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BC’s biggest Bollywood dance company is coming to the Bell Performing Arts Centre on July 8 at 7:30 pm to perform “spirit of India.” This is a celebration of India’s spirituality, mythology, colourful festivals, weddings, music, dances, Bollywood, and will include over 90 performers! Tickets start at $36 and can be purchased online. Address: Bell Performing Arts Centre, 6250 144th Street, Surrey
SHIAMAK is coming to Surrey on July 8 for the “spirit of India,” a celebration of the 75th year of India’s Independence with music and dance.
The performance will include India’s spirituality, mythology, colourful festivals, flamboyant weddings, magnificent music, exhilarating dances, and, of course, Bollywood — this production manifests the true spirit of India’s multiculturalism.
There will be over 90 different performers who come from all over the Lower Mainland and the performance will include a retelling of the Ramayana, one of the largest ancient epics in world literature.
Not only is this a must-attend event but this will be SHIAMAK’s return to the stage since their last performance in 2019.
You can buy tickets to “spirit of India” online starting at $28. The performance will take place at the Bell Performing Arts Centre on July 8 starting at 7:30 pm.
Address: Bell Performing Arts Centre, 6250 144th Street
Canada Day 2022 is coming up quickly and the City of Surrey has plenty of plans to celebrate. Here are some of the highlights of this year’s celebration.
There will be musical performances for the entire day with Arkells headlining the show. You can also expect performances from Shawnee Kish, Haviah Mighty, En Karma, Teon Gibbs, Ashley Pater, Glisha, Kung Jaadee, Pleasant Trees, and many more! Plus, all of these performances are free so you can enjoy as much music as you want.
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Plenty of local vendors will be making their way to the Canada Day celebration this year, and they’ll be set up in the Summer Market. Some of the vendors include Mysgreen, lil so&so handmades, The Refill Shop, Mountain Mornings, and So Fresh Air Fresheners.
No Canada Day celebration is complete without food, and there will be tons of food trucks available for you to choose from. Whether you’re feeling like some delicious sandwiches from Bread and Cheese, Bannock from the Bannock Queen, vegan delights from the Dirty Vegan, Japanese-inspired hotdogs from Japa Dog, or mini donuts from Mr. Ken’s Donuts, Surrey’s Canada Day will have it all! There will be over 30 different food trucks at the event.
For this year, the City of Surrey is putting a big emphasis on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. On the Surrey Canada Day Website, the City said “July 1st is a day to chart a new and better path forward. Together, we can work towards reconciliation and a more equitable society for all. We invite you to come together to experience diverse cultural expression, as well as the best of Canada and its hope for the future. Surrey Canada Day is committed to sharing music, education, entertainment, and the cultural practices of many Indigenous and multicultural artists. Event organizers are working with leaders from land-based Nations and an Indigenous consultant in the planning and programming of this event.”
One of the highlights of this year’s celebration is the Indigenous Village with plenty of different sections to check out. The Siam Stage (which means “Respected Ones” in Coast Salish languages) will feature Indigenous cultural sharing, the Residential School Survivor Honouring Ceremony, and contemporary music performances. There will also be a sharing circle where “the public is invited to participate in discussions with Residential School Survivors to learn first-hand about the hardships they lived through while attending the schools. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet the children of the Residential School Survivors, who will share how their lives were impacted by the inter-generational trauma caused by the Residential School system.”
In addition, there will be traditional teachings, doll-making demonstrations, game playing from the Onyota’aka Nation with S^yowah (Son-Yo-Wah), ribbon skirt making, and a community mural painting with Brad Henry.
If you’re looking for some thrills then you’re in luck, there are plenty of amusement park rides available at Surrey’s Canada Day celebration. You can ride on the Ferris wheel, crash into some bumper cars, get turned around in the Zipper, or walk through the Kreepy Kastle. To get on these rides you must buy tickets, with one ticket costing $1.50. You can also buy 20 tickets for $30 or 40 Tickets for $50. There will be 16 different rides to choose from.
The celebrations will end with a fireworks display starting at 10:15 pm that you will not want to miss.
For more information on everything happening for Surrey’s Canada Day, be sure to visit https://www.surrey.ca/canadaday/
Address: Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre, 176th St and 64th Avenue, Surrey
Looking for something to do? Well, you’re in luck! There is so much to do in Surrey this week.
June 10: Seniors Week
Visit the Historic Stewart Farm on June 10 from 11 am to 2 pm for Seniors Week. There will be live music and performers, heritage activities and demonstrations, tours of the 1894 farmhouse, samples of delicious homemade treats, and activities in recognition of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Address: Historic Stewart Farm, 13723 Crescent Road
June 11: Magical QUIRK-E Tour
QUIRK-E (Queer Imaging and Riting Kollective for Elders) is hosting numerous spoken word and video performances at the Museum of Surrey on June 11 from 2 to 4 pm. There will be cartoons, videos, short films, songs, a scene from a play, stories, and poems. This event is 14+.
Address: Museum of Surrey, 17710 56a Ave
June 11: Car-Free Day
Car-Free Day is coming to Surrey Saturday, June 11. This event will turn 137 street into a car-free paradise with tons of local merchants, musicians, and family-friendly activities like balloon twisting, jugglers, and face painting. There will also be a beer garden (for the grown-ups) and plenty of food trucks.
Address: 7380 King George Blvd
June 16–19: Strawberry Tea on the Farm
If you missed Seniors Week, then you can visit the Historic Stewart Farm from June 16–19 for strawberry tea on the veranda. There will also be ice cream and other treats for you to enjoy. Tickets cost $18.20 and you can register for them online or by calling 604-501-5100.
Address: Historic Stewart Farm, 13723 Crescent Road
Youth ages 13 to 18 are welcome to attend the Youth Pride Dance, an inclusive and welcoming event to celebrate Pride. There will be dancing (of course), games, snacks, and prizes for the most creative outfits. LGBTQ2S+ and allies can attend this event. Registration for this free event is available online.
Address: Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre, 13458 107A Avenue
June 18: International Picnic Day
Visit Hazelgrove Park for International Picnic Day on June 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Bring a packed meal and your friends and family to enjoy an evening full of fun activities. There will be mini-golf, storytime, different fun park activities, and different vendors from the Cloverdale Farmers Market. This event is free and open to all ages.
Address: Hazelgrove Park 7080 190 Street
June 18: Surrey Fest
This year is the 22nd anniversary of Surrey Fest! Head over to Holland Park from 11 am to 4 pm to enjoy music, prizes, vendors, and more! This event is free but expect it to get busy.
Address: Holland Park, 13428 Old Yale Rd
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