Participants of the CCCTA AGM taking in a one stop gallery tour of Wells.	Wells Hosts CCCTA AGM On April 11-13 the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association held their Annual General Meeting in beautiful Wells, BC.  As a part of promoting the arts in Wells, Island Mountain Arts was host to a one-stop Wells gallery tour.  Amazing Space Studio, Art Rush Gallery, Beck's Pottery, IMA and Marie Nagel's Gallery were all  included, with each presenting a display of their wares.  Community Art was also featured, including paintings by Lindsay Read as well as photos of local scenery by Norma Collins. ___________________________________
Wells/Barkerville School student Sophie talks about her piece entiled "Hamster House".	In the Gallery:  Wells/Barkerville School Exhibit This month's exhibit is a showcase of the very talented students of the Wells/Barkerville Elementary School.  There are 15 students in the school this year, and each has participated in putting together a great exhibit of their art.  In addition to the many paintings, drawings and collages up in the gallery, they have also worked together to create a beautiful underwater diorama.  The exhibit will be in the gallery until May 14, so  don't miss this chance to witness the talent of the budding young artists of Wells and Barkerville! _______________________________
Ken Flett's piece entitled "Belonging and Longing"	Summer Course Profile:   Mixed Media Bricolage  Saturday July 14 - Teusday July 17 Instructor: Ken Flett     Early Bird Fee: $385 (If paid by June 1) Regular Fee: $425   This inspirational mixed-media course focuses on creativity and self-expression while exploring a wide variety of media (fabric dolls, rusty tin figures, stitching with thread, mosaic, encaustic, and bricolage).  Introducing different approaches to the use of mixed media and non-traditional materials in composition, the instructor will share his working methods of integrating signs, symbols and mark-making to build and reveal layered surfaces of image.  Students will explore expression and emotion through their own personal narratives.   Ken Flett is a Vancouver Island based visual artist with an interest in the human condition.  A graduate of the Alberta College of Art with a major in photographic arts, Ken has exhibited extensively across British Columbia and other locations including Prague and the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse. He has participated in a residency in  Mexico City and a winter residency on a cattle farm in Rolla, BC. He was a mentor at the 1999 BC Festival of the Arts and is represented by the Fran Willis Gallery in Victoria.
BC Musician and IMA Instructor Sarah Metzner.	Youth Song Writing & Poetry in Motion Tuesday July 31st to Friday August 3rd Instructor: Kia Kadiri, Sarah Metzner and Corwin Fox   Early Bird Fee:  $177 (If paid by June 1, 2007) Regular Fee: $209   * Note:  The Kid's Music Day camp with Jenny Lester has been cancelled.  As a result, we are extending the age range of the Youth Song Writing & Poetry in Motion Course to include ages 6 - 18.  This four-day intensive program for youth involves four days of “Songwriting and Poetry in Rhythm” with three professional BC musicians who have all had extensive experience working with youth. Corwin Fox, Sarah Metzner and Kia Kadiri each bring their own unique perspectives and musical genres to the program, providing youth with a diverse learning experience aimed at facilitating self-expression through song and spoken word poetry.   The course focuses on both writing and performance and will teach students how to self-express and get comfortable in the rhythm of song and spoken word. It will combine elements of musical theory, improvisation techniques, writing lyrics and collaboration with their peers. A great course to help youth people break out of their shells and feel comfortable expressing themselves in a musical form. Students will perform their new songs, rhymes and spoken word poems during the final evening concert.    Another part of this component will include participants having the opportunity to record their new works on a mobile recording studio that will be run by Corwin Fox, who in addition to being a musician is also a recording engineer, producer and owner of the independent record label, Coqi Records.   ____________________________
From Sonia Cornwall's  Cariboo Ranch Series exhibited by the Kelowna Art Gallery in 2000.	Sonia Cornwall Scholarship  for Toni Onley Artists' Project  Island Mountain Arts is pleased to announce a new scholarship in memory of renowned Cariboo artist and Cowboy Hall of Fame inductee, Sonia Cornwall (1919 – 2006). The Sonia Cornwall Scholarship will provide the full eight-day tuition (value $800) to an emerging visual artist living in the Cariboo to attend the Toni Onley Artists’ Project for Professional and Emerging Artists (Formerly the Wells Artists’ Project) from July 21 – 29, 2007 in Wells, BC. Born in 1919 in Kamloops, BC, Sonia Cornwall spent most of her days raising cattle with her family at the Onward Ranch just outside of Williams Lake. Her art, which reflects her life, depicts scenes of nature like the cattle grazing in vast and beautiful Cariboo landscape. Sonia followed in the footsteps of her mother who was also a painter and who studied amongst the likes of Group of Seven painter, A.Y. Jackson, who would often visit the Onward Ranch for painting excursions. It was in this mix of nature and the hard working ranching life, along with the visiting painters and an artistic mother that Sonia developed her passion for painting and living in the rugged Cariboo hills. It is this pioneering spirit and love of the arts that Island Mountain Arts would like to honour Sonia Cornwall for, and in her memory provide an opportunity for an emerging Cariboo artist to be mentored in the visual arts at the Toni Onley Artists’ Project. Newly renamed the Toni Onley Artists’ Project to honour the spirit of internationally renowned BC painter, Toni Onley who passed away in 2004, this eight-day studio based artist mentorship program aims to provide a forum for emerging and professional visual artists to explore and develop their ideas in relation to visual arts practice. In 2007 the Toni Onley Artists’ Project will feature Canadian visual artists’ Chris Cran, RCA and Michelle Forsyth. Both of this summer’s mentors, in addition to their own successful careers as practicing artists, also teach visual arts; Chris Cran at the Alberta College of Art and Design and Michelle Forsyth at Washington State University.   For details on how to apply for this scholarship, as well as other scholarship opportunities please visit the Island Mountain Arts webpage at www.imarts.com. The deadline to apply is May 15. For more information you can also contact Artistic Director, Julie  Fowler at media@imarts.com or call 1-800-442-2787.   _______________________ Our New Hot Sauce Fundraiser Island Mountain Arts would like to extend a big thank you to the wonderful folks at Denzel's Gourmet Foods who have created an 'Island Mountain Arts  Neversweat'  Habanero Hot Sauce as a fundraiser for IMA.   The deliciously spicy sauce comes in 150ml bottles with our own beautiful label.  They are now available for purchase from the IMA gift shop. ______________________________