Brian Kalbfleisch was feeling a little overwhelmed.
The Blue Night founder was in the midst of his first-ever collaboration with MarketFest on Friday evening, overseeing a stage full of six live painters while hundreds of residents wandered Baker Street, when he realized he hadn’t gotten a chance to make the rounds of the 17 venues showcasing work from 40 Kootenay artists.
Having it on the same night as the market was part happenstance, part collaboration.
“When I approached the market manager I asked him if he thought the events could coexist, and he thought it was a great idea,” Kalbfleisch told the Star following the event.
“We’ve built some really strong partnerships over the years, and we have a lot of venues such as Craft Connection, Cantina and Booksmyth that have been really supportive while now we’re developing some new relationships with the arts council and Touchstones,” said Kalbfleisch.
“Seeing all those collaborations coming forward has been really rewarding.”
Touchstones curator Arin Fay led residents in a collaborative painting project, while the arts council helped promote Blue Night alongside its annual Art Walk. New participants in the event included the Kootenay Co-op, Backroads Brewing and Torchlight — all which will hang the work for approximately the next month and a half.
“We’ve got a wide range of artists, some I haven’t even met. We have everything from fairly young people to seasoned professionals,” he said, noting he was particularly pleased that two employees of Mountain Waters Spa, Younhee Jung and Amy Deale, opted to showcase their work for the first time alongside established artist Branda Avis.
“Their art is really fantastic, and for them it’s an opportunity to have their work alongside an established artist — Branda has been in several Blue Nights, and she just put up a fantastic installation in Loka.”
For him, that’s what it’s all about. The next Blue Night will be held on Friday, Sept. 15.
