CVYS Youth Expressions 2021

On Sunday August 16th, 2020 at The HUB at Cowichan Station, 24 youth from the Cowichan Valley generously shared their creative gifts with the community by participating in an art show. As with all that Cowichan Valley Youth Services (CVYS) does, the CVYS Art Show was inspired by the amazing youth and their artistic expression, and wanting to celebrate and honour their talents. Also, several youth had come to us sharing that with COVID-19 there were not many, if any, opportunities to gather and feel engaged.

Each youth participant showed 1-4 pieces of their artwork. There were many mediums of expression, including painting, drawing, photography, a needle felt and driftwood sculpture, a doll made out of paper and clay, painted stones, garments with painted designs, and poetry. Two youth artists stood with their work to share about their artistic process and engage with those who came to view the show. Many of the other youth artists came to see the show and bring friends and family as well. There were also two youth musicians, who wowed the crowd with their incredible heart-moving vocals and instrumentation, performing mostly original songs they had written. One of the most beautiful things to witness was how the youth supported and encouraged each other, offering compliments and even purchasing each other’s work!

At least 60 members from the community attended on the day of the opening, and others came during the rest of the week while the art remained up for viewing. Visitors were invited to provide positive thoughts and encouraging affirmations about the artwork on comment cards, which at the end of the show were distributed to the artists. In total, the youth made $480! All the funds went directly back to the youth, and based on the outstanding positive feedback from the youth and the community we certainly will be hosting more youth art shows in the future!

Which brings us to the inspiration of putting together this calendar: CVYS Youth Expressions 2021. It is because of the creativity and generosity of these youth for sharing their incredible works that we felt inspired to create this calendar. All proceeds will go directly to the youth, with a portion going to the artists themselves, and the rest will go towards funding creative youth projects through CVYS.

In times like these, more than ever, we must celebrate each other, honour self-expression and creativity, and the ways in which we can lift each other up. Youth in this community are truly something special, their insights, wisdom, compassion, and deep capacity to feel and understand things is profoundly inspiring! They bring so much beauty to the world, and it is such a gift that they are willing to share that beauty and self-expression with us.

To see more about the art show, inquire about commissions and custom orders from the youth artists, get Instagram addresses, and to see a video of the art show and more pictures visit the CVYS Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cvys.cowichan
To learn more about CVYS programming and services please call (250)748-0232 or email of****@cv*****.ca

To purchase a Youth Expressions 2021 Calendar please email or call our office to arrange pickup or to have calendar mailed to you!

Calendars are $20.00

You can also visit one of these local businesses:

Island Gem and Bead Supply Ltd

#2- 378 Trunk Rd

Duncan, BC

Victory Barber & Brand North

191 Kenneth St

Duncan, BC 

Coffee On The Moon

501 Canada Ave

Duncan, BC

Thank you for supporting Cowichan Valley Youth!!

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