Sooke Fine Arts Show Returns July 22, 2022-August 1, 2022 at SEAPARC
Vancouver Island’s longest-running juried Fine Art Show returns to a live format for its 36th anniversary. The Sooke Fine Arts Show provides the opportunity for the finest artists from Vancouver Island and BC’s coastal islands to showcase and sell their work.
Show Hours
The show opens at 10am daily, July 22- August 1.
The closes at 7pm daily, except:
- July 23 – closes at 5pm
- August 1 – closes at 5pm
- July 28 – open until 9pm for M-ART-ket night
History of the Sooke Fine Arts Show
The Sooke Fine Arts Show stems from humble beginnings when the Sooke Region Museum would feature artwork from local artists in their upper gallery. In 1986, spurred by the buzz of that year’s Expo, a committee of five local artists conceived of a show to bring attention to art and artists of the region, and thus the inaugural FINE ARTS ’86 was born.
The show was a spectacular success, and under the admirable coordination of Elida Peers, the sponsorship of the Sooke Region Museum, the Sooke Region Historical Society, and teams of hard-working volunteers, it flourished and grew each year. In 2006, coordination of the show moved from the hands of the Sooke Region Museum and into the newly-formed Sooke Fine Arts Society.
That first show displayed 200 pieces from 49 artists in SEAPARC’s ice arena and eventually grew to fill the entire 16,000-square-foot space, transforming it into the world-class exhibition that you see today. Today, the show features on average 375 pieces from approximately 260 artists from all over Vancouver Island and BC’s coastal islands.
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The District of Sooke is proud to support the Sooke Fine Arts Show with $7,000 in annual funding. Many thanks to the Sooke Fine Arts Show volunteers for their tremendous contributions to the community, including the favourable local economic of the show that attracts visitors who support our local businesses.
