arts editorial Note From the Editor O u n i m e r is a unique time for the arts and is the only time some members of the community enjoy the arts. While many theatre, music companies and even some galleries go on a hiatus for the summer, special arts events take advantage of the warm weather and liven up our communities at outdoor venues. The Harmony Arts Festival-in West Vancouver involves hundreds of North Shore artists and volunteers and over 110 local businesses. Community outreach is paramount in this ten-day festival with storefronts displaying artwork, banners decorating Park Royal and Argyle Avenue, concerts hosted in waterfront venues and crafts selling in tents at the foot of 15th Street (see story on page 8). The Under the Volcano Festival takes advantage of the summer outdoor fun in an all-day event on August 11 in North Vancouver's Cates Park. Organizers aim to celebrate what they call "our cultures of resistance" with hip hop, hardcore, folk and ethnic music, spoken word, craft markets, children's programming, speakers and workshops (see page 11). Concerts in the Cove run every Friday night this summer in Panorama Park. North Vancouver City and District invite people to bring a lawn chair, blanket and picnic and relax and enjoy the start of a summer weekend (see the Calendar of Events on page 12). Crafts du Soleil, sponsored by the North Vancouver Parks and Recreation, will take place during these concerts. Bard on the Beach takes advantage of the view of English Bay throughout the summer and will make two special appearances on Grouse Mountain (see page 6). These outdoor events reach out to and inspire many members of the community. Social change is often possible as. the arts cross many borders built up in other areas of our society. Tobacco sponsorship is a controversial area of the arts and while many festivals and events continue to rely on the funds from these companies, some artists are stepping forward to exact some social change. This past spring a group called Artists for Tobacco-Free Sponsorship published the names of 200 artists opposed to making art with nicotine. The list includes painter Alex Colville, singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt, pianist Anton Kuerti, guitarist Liona Boyd and actor Heath Lamberts. Singer-songwriter Andrew Cash urged other artists to kick their tobacco habit, saying, "The sponsorship is as addictive as the product being advertised." Music West '96 jumped on board this spring with their "Kick Butt" campaign. This annual conference and festival turned down a lucrative tobacco sponsorship and then went one step further and presented their Kick Butt slogan on all their literature, advertising and marketing materials. Their campaign was endorsed by B C M A Council on Health Promotion, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of B C & Yukon, the Lung Association, the B C Health Board and the B.C. Department of Health. Executive producer of the festival Maureen Jack stated, "The Kick Butt campaign is designed to bring all the aspects of the smoking issue to the foreground and provoke honest, personal and--above all--open discussion. It's always a risk taking a strong stand on major current social issues. But we've never been known to sit back and let others do the work." Finally, and sadly, Rosalind MacPhee of Lions Bay, who was promoting changes through her book Picasso's Woman, died this May. MacPhee was featured in the March/April issue of Arts Alive in an article on breast cancer. Her book has touched people across the country and around the world with her honest story of her struggle with breast cancer. After the article came out, MacPhee faxed me at the magazine and wrote, "Many, many thanks for your thought, energy and interest. The coverage you've given breast cancer will help make a difference." Making a difference was what MacPhee was all about. It has got a lot to do with what the arts are all about too. Gloria Loree I N T E R N A T I O N A L <P A. e £ A r e These people were the lucky winners of four tickets to the Vancouver International Children's Festival, courtesy of Arts Alive and the Children's Festival: Theresa Duggan, Vancouver; Phyllis Bottomer, Vancouver; and Katherine MacBean, West Vancouver. Congratulations! Look through this issue for the contest to win tickets to this summer's Vancouver International Comedy Festival Our Lucky Winners ri's ARTS