The Downtown Courtenay Business Improvement Association has teamed up with local artists to bring JOY Downtown through poetry.
The first-ever Poetry Walk showcases the work of 11 poets and one painter, displayed in some of your favourite businesses.
The installation will run for the month of April to celebrate National Poetry Month. The League of Canadian Poets has selected JOY as this year鈥檚 theme.
Artist Kelly Everill has hand-painted original poems by a local poetry group, Artful : The Poets, on 11 storefront windows throughout 4th, 5th and 6th streets. The installation features work by Adelia Macwilliam, Carys Owen, Corwin Fox, Diana Kolpak, Ed Varney, Lawrence J.W. Cooper, Louis Stevenson, Margaret McKenzie, Natalie Nickerson, Scott A. Hamilton and Senyu猫.
There is also a very special floral installation by Petals of Whimsy. JOY Bear, a handmade three-foot dried flower bear sculpture, holds court in the window of Hot Chocolates on 5th Street beside a haiku by Anne Dunnet.
There are a few ways to enjoy the Poetry walk. Whether you catch a poem or two during your day-to-day downtown errands, or make an event of enjoying the whole walk with family or friends, the intent is to bring joy to the community by uniting art and business.
Poems are displayed at Wildflower Mercantile, Gladstone Brewing Co., Sid Williams Theatre, Hitec Brazen Sportswear, Soulstar Metaphysics, Hot Chocolates, Laughing Oyster Books, Foundation Hair Salon, La Cache, Blue Spruce Ice Cream and Atlas Cafe.
To celebrate the event, you are welcomed to a live poetry showcase, Saturday, April 27, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Comox Valley Art Gallery. The event is free to attend.
More details can be found at
