Walk on oobleck at the free 23rd annual BMO KidzArt Dayz at the Two Rivers Gallery, which will take place in the gallery and at the Civic Plaza right outside their doors, rain or shine, Friday, July 5 and Saturday, July 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
Oobleck is a cornstarch and water solution that is in a state of liquid, yet when pressure is put on it, it acts like a solid. It's called a non-newtonian fluid.
"There's going to be a five foot by two foot bin of it and people can come walk on it and see what it's like," Kristen Heyland, BMO KidzArt Dayz coordinator.
More than 5,000 people attend the event each year, with daycare groups and families taking to the arts projects and enjoying the entertainment.
Crazy hats are usually first on the must-make list at the artsy event where everyone is encouraged to come with up the most outlandish techniques to create their signature style.
"Definitely everyone stops to make their crazy hat, T-shirt painting is a big thing, and easel painting are all very popular," said Heyland. "There's going to be a giant paint-by-numbers that will be in a mural format, over 16 feet long, so people can pick a spot and paint it in. It's a forest theme - Prince George surrounded by wildlife."
There will be mask making and wood burning, closely supervised, of course.
"New this year is wire sculpture," said Heyland. "It'll be like drawing but in 3D and we'll also have print making and pendulum painting. There's a giant structure that's four feet high and three feet around and suspended from a string is a cup with a hole in it. You put paint in the cup and you swing it around and it makes these geometrical shapes, like a big spirograph."
This year there's going to be live entertainment, showcasing local talent during the family-friendly event.
"The musicians will be playing on the lower roof of the gallery, just like the Beatles, I've been saying," said Heyland. "Performers include Erin and Jeremy Stewart, a musical duo, Derek Joyce and Raghu Lokanathan.
