North Shore residents are being invited to celebrate the goodness of gardens while learning about some of our most important ecological workers.
This weekend (May 28-29), Arts in the Garden will return for its 23rd year, for a self-guided experience across 12 North Shore garden spaces.
Returning to an in-person format, the event will host more than 50 participating artists, musicians and other performers in two public and 10 private gardens.
One of the featured venues is Maplewood Flats Conservation Area, with a new Feathers and Fungi event. It invites visitors to learn about the interactions between birds and fungus, in partnership with Wild Bird Trust of British Columbia.
At Maplewood, you’ll be able to see a free Coash Salish plant exhibition that celebrates Indigenous ecosystems. There are crafting activities on Saturday, like building bird wings ($30) and making paper mâché mushroom puppets ($10). There’s also a fully booked naturalist walk, led by traditional knowledge keeper T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss alongside mycologist and artist Willoughby Arevalo. The end of the day will finish with a community parade.
Feathers and Fungi is inspired by an art and mycology youth program at Mountainside Secondary, which guides students’ exploration of the natural world through the intersection of art and ecology.
“We thought the themes of what we were trying to accomplish with community were very similar,” said Nancy Powell, executive director of North Van Arts, which is behind the weekend’s festivities.
“We're trying to use an arts-based lens to connect people to their environment around them and to artists in their community,” she continued.
For $2, you can attend one of the private gardens, which will host musicians like Jay Knutson, one of the founding members of Spirit of the West.
Despite being a feast for the senses, there will be no food or drink at the event – so bring your own if you’re parched or peckish.
Arts in the Garden
Where: 12 garden spaces across the North Shore.
When: Saturday and Sunday, May 28-29, 12-5 p.m.
Cost: Some events free. Private gardens with music: $2. Crafts: $10-$30
