The voice of the local arts scene just got a bit louder, with a slightly different accent.
That's in addition to the Community Arts Council's regular newsletter called Arts Notes, The Scene Magazine talking all about Prince George popular culture, the literary magazine Dreamland edited by Jeremy Stewart, radio stations CFUR and CFIS, and the mainstream media and social media reports from around the area, notably the recently enhanced arts and entertainment focus of The Citizen.
Now an online, grassroots arts e-zine has been launched called Understory. It was created by Naomi Kavka, well known as a pop and classical musician from Prince George, and Ryano Taylor, a musician and graphic designer recently arrived from Conception Bay South, Newfoundland and Labrador. Together they provide a veteran view from within and a newcomer view from outside, collaborating with each other and with the others in the local arts scene to reflect the city's creative culture.
"Our goal is to be by artists for artists, fostering a community where our work can be showcased, discussed and shared," said their introductory statement when they launched understory.ca and the complementary Facebook page on Sept. 27. "The focus of this project is to provide a ground level resource for artists and their fans to interact. Northern B.C. is a big wonderful place full of so many creative people. This website is here for everyone to experience more of what is available in our northern home. It is our job as a community to search out what's going on, and let each other know about it."
Their initial three articles were about musician-come-painter Jose Delgado-Guevara written by Kavka who plays with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra of which Delgado-Guevara is concertmaster; she wrote also about punk band Illicit Dissent; then there was an interview with folk duo Rube and Rake written by Britt Meierhofer who performed as one of the opening acts for their P.G. concert. The insiders doing the writing is part of the point of the e-zine.
"It gives artists an opportunity to promote themselves, but also promote the other people they like and respect in town," Kavka said. "It is about conversations and networks. Having mediums like this exist can actually draw out artists and attract artists. It is a resource for local people to see what's going on around here, but also a resource for people outside of P.G. to see what their opportunities are in this place - that we have concert venues and art galleries and other people who can work with them if they come here. The crux of this is community building."
Raine Gould writes much of the Arts Notes publication for the Community Arts Council where he is the artist liaison. He loves what Understory represents.
"We need magazines and online forums and media coverage and blogs and open discussion," he said. "The more of that we have, the better chance the arts community has of being seen for what it is. It tells part of the story. No story is every fully told, but the more times it gets public attention in these ways, the better chance our arts scene has of being better understood and appreciated. We have so much going on, so it's nice that some of these mediums are trying to show it."
Kavka said her natural bias was obviously music, but she was hopeful others would come forward to contribute articles about any and all arts, not just in Prince George-proper but the whole region.
"We have a lot of freedom to cover what we want, but also to speak freely. I don't want to feel censored," Kavka said. She said she and Taylor are seeking story ideas, articles, photography, all forms of art to display in Understory. They can be found at their website or on social media.
SIDEBAR
Arts Notes is the official publication of the Community Arts Council.
Written primarily by the CAC's staff liaison with artists Raine Gould, it is a summary of the organization's activities and programs and includes features on the many artists and arts groups within the Prince George region.
"We are trying to talk about not just what we are doing but what the entire community is doing," Gould said. "We want to use it as a macroscope on the arts, and show the broad perspectives of what individual artists and many artists together are doing in our city."
Arts Notes can be accessed on the CAC website, and by email for those who sign up for the distribution list. CAC members automatically receive it by email. It is published in cyber-form twice per month and in hardcopy form once per month.
"Partially my job is to write articles, but more than that Arts Notes is to link up with what the community is saying about our arts community," he said.
The most recent email edition of Arts Notes was in the city's in-box on Thursday (a followup will come out on Nov. 1) and the next hardcopy edition will come out on Nov. 1 available at:
Ohh...Chocolat!
SpeeDee Printers
Pine Centre mall
Two Rivers Gallery
Starbucks (Spruceland)
Second Cup
Tourism Prince George
College of New Caledonia
Prince George Public Library
Topaz Bead Gallery
Margo's Caf
Nechako Branch Library
Kathy's Quilt Shop
Books & Company
