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ast month, hundreds of arts councils, schools and other arts organizations across B.C. participated in a week-long celebration of the arts known as BC Arts and Culture Week. Each year, over 20,000 artists, young people, educators and community members host and participate in performances, art walks, exhibitions, workshops, and public art projects. This past April marked its 11th year, and the Fort St. John Community Arts Council celebrated by releasing its limited edition ‘Art That Moves You’ bookmarks.

The images on these bookmarks are created from a visual arts program known as Art That Moves You. The Art That Moves You program places original paintings by local artists on the sides of city transit buses, where advertising panels are usually located. Last year’s theme was “Branching Out,” commemorating Fort St. John as the recipient of the 2009 Forest Capital of B.C. award.

As a legacy component of this program, bookmarks are produced from the previous year’s panel images which were launched during the B.C. Arts and Culture Week this past April. Though Arts and Culture Week has passed, last year’s Art That Moves You panels are currently on display at the Fort St. John Public Library and there are still book marks available at the library, so be sure to stop by and collect all eight.

This year’s collection of bookmarks features the work of Suzon Tremblay, Julia Roe, Sonja Butts, Aleisha Hendry, Eliza Stanford, Catherine Ruddell, Shannon Butler, and Wendy Wheat.

Arts and Culture Week highlights the vital contribution that arts and culture make in learning and in life. Music, films, media arts, dance, books, theatre and visual art are a part of daily life, and have a lasting impact. They inspire us, challenge us and broaden our horizons. I think most of our residents would agree that one week is hardly enough time to showcase the rich arts and culture scene we have in Fort St. John. With this in mind, let’s proudly celebrate Arts and Culture week all year long!