Members of the community are being invited to join five participating artists and share their stories and images of Kamloops next Wednesday, January 9 at 7:00 pm, as part of the Making the Scene Exhibition at the Kamloops Museum.

Originally defined as a covered place, a tent or stage, the word “scene” has, over time, accumulated meaning and significance. Technically, in terms of stagecraft, a scene is a part of an act, a division of a play, a poem, or a section of a film; but we also speak more generally of the scene as a setting or locale, a place where any event, real or imagined, might occur: the music scene, the bar scene, the gay scene, the youth scene, the arts scene, the drug scene, the scene of the crime, and so on. To “make a scene” is to call attention to oneself, often in an embarrassing or emotional manner; while “making the scene” means appearing at the cool events and in all the right places.

The Making the Scene Exhibition, currently on display at the Kamloops Museum and Archives, invites reflection upon those places, those scenes, that give small cities like Kamloops their character and identity.

On Wednesday, January 9, at 7pm, the Museum will be hosting a public panel discussion featuring the five participating artists. The artists will explore the spaces and the activities that define our “places” within the community. Understanding the local scene requires intimate knowledge derived from personal experience; and it is a characteristic of scenes that they are always changing, dependent upon membership, interest, and fashion.

Together with the artists, the public is invited to make the scene by sharing their stories and images of Kamloops. What are the key places-the gathering places, stores, markets, bars, clubs, coffee shops, restaurants, institutions, places of refuge, parks, hidden areas, secret spaces, natural settings, etc. – that make Kamloops special to you? What stories do you associate with these key places? Where do you feel most comfortable or uncomfortable? How has “the Kamloops scene” changed over time?

Come and tell your story. Contributions are being sought for a book project sponsored by the Small Cities Community-University Research Alliance at TRU.

Contact:

• Dennis Oomen, Curator, Kamloops Museum at 250-828-3576
• Melinda Spooner, University Curator and Coordinator for the Artist-Researcher initiative, Thompson Rivers University at 250-377-6150
• For information regarding the Small Cities CURA and the community publication, please contact the Research Director Will Garrett-Petts at 250-828-5248