Welcome to The Hub Nanaimo, your weekly insider guide to the best of community arts and culture. Did a friend forward this email to you? Subscribe to this newsletter.

Last week I stopped by the Nanaimo Art Gallery and curator Jesse Birch gave me a tour of the new exhibit, After Wrappers by Big Rock Candy Mountain. The exhibit is the result of a collaboration between artists Hannah Jickling, Reed H. Reed, guest artists and elementary school students.

It is the second exhibition at the gallery that asks the question, “How can we play together?”

You can read my full story about the exhibit below, and if you are interested in getting a tour of it yourself, there is one at noon every Friday or you can visit the exhibit on your own time until July 13.

Thank you for reading,

Mick Sweetman

After Wrappers exhibit showcases kid’s creative flavours at Nanaimo Art Gallery

“The kids owned that flavour, it’s not a flavour for adults, it’s for kids.”

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🔎 Watch for 🔍

A Simple Space brings their unique, stripped-down acrobatics show to The Port Theatre on Wednesday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. Compared to “Cirque du Soleil with a fistful of grit,” seven acrobats perform along with live percussion in an intimate performance that pushes them to their physical limits.

Got the inside scoop of an event you think should be shared? 

Let us know by sending Mick an email.

🎵 Listen 🎤

Thursday, May 22, 9 p.m.: Lori Goldston (Nirvana, Cat Power) with Ester Thunander (Sweden) and Murray, Cogan and Pittet will play at The Vault Cafe. Tickets are $20 in advance.

Friday, May 23, 6 p.m.: Renovation Blues Band will play at The Queen’s. Tickets cost $20. 

Friday, May 23, 7 p.m.: SoundWave in Concert at The Port Theatre. Tickets cost $35.50

Friday, May 23, 7 p.m.: The Corps will play an all-ages punk show with Out Alive, Lords Of Apathy, The Daisy Stranglers, and Razorvoice (acoustic) at The Globe Live Studio. Tickets cost $20. 

Friday, May 23, 8 p.m.: The Josh Warren Quartet will play at The Vault Cafe. Tickets cost $15 to $20, sliding scale. 

Friday, May 23, 9 p.m.: The Definitive and BADMNY will play at The Terminal. Tickets cost $15. 

Friday, May 23, 9 p.m.: Get your fix of Angelic darkness at Ascent, Nanaimo’s monthly goth and industrial dance night at LevelTwo Nightclub. Tickets cost $10. 

Saturday, May 24, 1 p.m.: The Mike Allen Trio will play at the Lighthouse Bistro and Pub. Tickets cost $20.  

Saturday, May 24, 6:30 p.m.: Rhythm Dance will perform their year-end show For the Love of Dance at The Port Theatre.Tickets cost $35. 

Saturday, May 24, 7 p.m.: Cellovista will play at St. Andrew’s United Church. Tickets cost $30.

Saturday, May 24, 7 p.m.: Bruce Coughlan will play Roots Celtic and Canadian Folk music at Unity Vancouver Island. Tickets cost $30

Saturday, May 24, 9 p.m.: Nanaimo's premier drag night, They Them Theirs, will Slay the Stage at The Vault Cafe. Tickets cost $20.

Saturday, May 24, 9:30 p.m.:  Shakamoraine will play a full-band electric show at The Nanaimo Bar. Tickets cost $12.  

Sunday, May 25, 2 p.m.: Lazy Mike and the Argyle Jets will play the weekly Blues Jam at The Queen’s. Tickets cost $10. 

Sunday, May 25, 3 p.m.: The Island Soul Choir’s spring concert at The Port Theatre. Tickets are $31.50 or $8.50 for youth under 18.

Monday, May 26, 6:30 p.m.: Heartwood Trio brings its three-person musical to St. Andrew’s United Church. Tickets cost $30.

🎭 View 🖼️

Wednesday, May 21, 7:30 p.m.: A Simple Space performs acrobatics at The Port Theatre. Tickets cost $39 or $24 for students.

Friday, May 23, Noon: Take a lunchtime tour of the exhibit After Wrappers by artist-run flavour incubator Big Rock Candy Mountain at the Nanaimo Art Gallery. Tickets cost $5 or are free for members. 

Saturday, May 24, 7 p.m.: See the personal artwork of Mainstay Tattoo artists Tyler Caron, Joel Martin, Amanda Ingalls and Tristen Cathcart at Primary Skateboards.

⛹️ Meet 🎲

Wednesday, May 21, 3:30 p.m.: Radio Canada will do a live broadcast of Panorama, featuring local francophone personalities including Joëlle Rabu and live music by two francophone artists from Nanaimo. 

Thursday, May 22, 8:30 a.m.: Qapthut Suw'wuy'qe': A Gathering for Indigenous Men will be held at the Coast Bastion Hotel. 

Thursday, May 22, 2:30 p.m.: Join fibre artists, knitters, crocheters, embroiderers and others for a fibre arts circle at the Gabriola Island library.

Friday, May 23, Noon:  The Strait Curbside Food Truck Festival is back at Maffeo Sutton Park. 

Saturday, May 24, 11 a.m.: The Nanaimo Area Land Trust will hold a Bring-Your-Own-Picnic at the Natural Abundance Native Plant Nursery. There will be a guided plant walk with Dr. Nancy Turner and Bill and Donna Konsorado will play some music. RSVP by emailing paul@nalt.bc.ca.

Saturday, May 24, 1 p.m.: Nanaimo United FC will play Unity FC at Q'unq'inuqwstuxw Field. Women’s game at 1 p.m., men’s game at 3:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults or $10 for youth aged 7-18. Children 6 and under are free. 

Saturday, May 24, 1 p.m.: The Nanaimo Climate Action Hub will hold a Climate Solutions Café at the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo. 

Sunday, May 25, 10 a.m.: The Nanaimo Area Land Trust is holding a restoration work party at Cat Stream meeting at 519 Pine St.

Sunday, May 25, 1 p.m.: Make Seed Bombs at the Nanaimo Art Gallery. Tickets cost $5 for non-members.

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