Blog & News

BURNABY, BC — The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre is proud to announce the opening of "Beautifully Broken – Kintsugi by Naoko Fukumaru," an exquisite exhibition that explores the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi, or "golden joinery." The exhibit will run from October 14, 2025, to February 21, 2026, with an opening reception on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 3:00-5:00 PM.

Kintsugi is a 500-year-old tradition of repairing broken ceramics by mending them with Urushi lacquer and powdered gold. Instead of hiding the damage, this technique highlights it, celebrating the unique history of the object and the passage of time.

Vancouver-based artist Naoko Fukumaru uses this practice as both a craft and a meditative process. Her work offers a powerful metaphor for personal healing, suggesting that like broken pottery, our own cracks and imperfections can become a beautiful part of our story.

Fukumaru's art respects the traditional materials and methods of kintsugi while also pushing its boundaries with instinctive and innovative techniques. Her unique approach redefines what restoration can mean, connecting history and emotion in works that are both raw and radiant.

This exhibition invites viewers to reflect on what it means to be beautifully broken—and to find strength and beauty in the imperfect.

The exhibit opens on October 14th and runs until February 21st. Learn more here.

The Okanagan Historical Society (OHS) is thrilled to announce its Centennial Celebration, taking place on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at the Mary Irwin Theatre. This landmark event marks 100 years of preserving and sharing the stories of the Okanagan region.

Doors open at 6:00 pm, welcoming guests with a variety of dessert selections, a cash bar, book sales, a silent auction, and the opportunity to meet and mingle with history lovers from across the valley. The evening's formal program begins at 7:00 pm, featuring cowboy poetry by OHS member Ken Mather, special acknowledgements, and a compelling keynote address from Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band.

Chief Louie will present on the theme "From Cowboys and Indians to Reconciliation," offering timely reflections on regional history, Indigenous leadership, and the ongoing journey toward truth and reconciliation. "This event is both a celebration of our shared past and a call to continue working together toward a more inclusive historical understanding," said Lois Marshall, President of the Okanagan Historical Society. "We are honoured to welcome Chief Louie and our many friends and supporters as we mark this important milestone."

The OHS, incorporated in 1925, is one of British Columbia's oldest organizations dedicated to preserving local history. In addition to publishing an annual historical report since the end of the Second World War, the Society supports a wide variety of heritage-based projects, preservation initiatives, and public events. It frequently collaborates with museums, archives, and other heritage-focused organizations throughout the region. Today the Society operates through seven active branches located in Salmon Arm, Armstrong-Enderby, Vernon, Kelowna, Summerland, Penticton, and Oliver-Osoyoos.

Tickets for the Centennial Celebration are $25 for OHS members and $40 for non-members and are available now at www.theboxoffice.ca/upcoming-events/centennial-celebration. OHS members must obtain a coupon code from their local branch to access the member rate. To find your local branch contact, visit www.okanaganhistoricalsociety.org/branches.php.

In addition to the evening celebration, attendees are invited to the OHS Annual General Meeting, which will take place from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Okanagan Regional Library - Kelowna Branch. The AGM is free and open to the public.

The BC Archives is currently closed due to a labour action.

The union the represents BC Archives workers, the BC General Employers Union (BCGEU), has been on strike since September 2nd. Please check the BC Archives website for more information regarding closures.

The fall edition of British Columbia History is on its way to your mailbox and your inbox. Ken Mather is the guest editor this time. He’s the editor of Okanagan History, the annual report of the Okanagan Historical Society.

Stories include:


 • syilx Okanagan Nation Salmon Restoration: A case history of bringing back a species on the verge of extinction, by Okanagan Nation Alliance

• BC Tree Fruits Cooperative, by Susan McIver

• The Legend of Larry Kwong and His Legions, by Chad Soon

• Okanagan Women’s Voices: sylix and settler writing and relations, 1870s-1960s, by Jeanette Armstrong, Lally Grauer, and Janet MacArthur

• The Founding of the Okanagan Historical Society, by Ken Mather

• A History of Change: From the Dominion Experimental Farm to the Summerland Research and Development Centre, by Jessie L. MacDonald

• Too Many Apples: Sun-Rype Products Ltd., by Sharron J. Simpson

• Plankster Play to Tourist Industry: Skiing the Okanagan, 1920s-1960s, by Linda Peterat

Plus our regular columnists William A. White, Mark Forsythe, and Dalys Barneys!

Click here to order this issue or to subscribe.

In this new body of work, Raluchukwu (Ral) Ojah explores cross-cultural exchange and the immigrant experience through fashion and dance. Drawing on the traditional Ekpe masquerade from his hometown of Amaekpu, Ohafia, Nigeria, Ojah reimagines this spiritual ritual through life-size, wall-mounted dancing figures that reflect his roots and the ways ancestral practices are expressed in contemporary Nigerian and Western fashion. His figures capture the dynamic movements of Igbo, Enugu, and Ohafia dances, which have influenced contemporary dance, including hip-hop and club culture.

The Ekpe masquerade occurs alongside community events throughout the year, marking times of renewal and celebration. These include the Ota Omu Age Grade, a traditional retirement ceremony that passes knowledge from elders to younger generations, and seasonal planting rituals that celebrate growth and harvest. Ojah connects these rites to his own experience of leaving Nigeria and moving to Canada in 2021, where he recently completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Thompson Rivers University.

Ojah incorporates colourful Dutch wax fabric to reference its colonial history in Nigeria. Introduced by the Dutch in the 1880s, the fabric was adopted across Central and West Africa and adapted with local designs, proverbs, and symbolic codes to preserve cultural traditions. Today, it remains central to Nigerian regalia and contemporary fashion.

Through this work, Ojah considers how global exchanges of people and material culture influence art and fashion, while also telling a personal story of heritage and migration.

Visit the Kamloops Art Gallery website here.

Richmond Art Gallery presents a solo exhibition by Manuel Axel Strain, xʷən̓iwən ce:p kʷθəθ nəw̓eyəł ((((Remember your teachings)))), from Sept. 13–Nov. 9, 2025. The artist — of Musqueam, Simpcw, and Syilx descent — celebrates the cedar longhouse as an important architectural form and philosophical framework that reflects the collectivist and relational values of their ancestors and communities.

“Richmond Art Gallery first worked with Manuel Axel Strain for a public artwork featured in the Capture Photography Festival in 2020, and we are thrilled to continue supporting this talented artist,” says curator Zoë Chan. “The Musqueam shed-style longhouse is at the heart of their new exhibition. It is not only an important architectural structure, but also an important spiritual, philosophical, and cultural framework profoundly embedded with the collectivist, relational values of their family members and larger community. The artist also invites viewers to critically consider what dominant structures are being upheld in mainstream Canadian society, whether in terms of architecture or ideology.”

xʷən̓iwən ce:p kʷθəθ nəw̓eyəł (Remember your teachings) will feature new and recent works, including paintings, video, and sculpture. The central longhouse installation pays tribute to a style of home central to the collective life of the Musqueam people and used as a gathering place for culturally significant events, such as marriages and potlatches. The red cedar plank-built edifices are designed to be flexible and modular in order to accommodate multiple and extended families. Before their attempted erasure by colonial powers, longhouses were once found all along the coast.

Strain is a 2-Spirit artist from the lands and waters of the xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Simpcw and Syilx peoples, based in the sacred region of their q̓ic̓əy̓(Katzie) and qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen) relatives. Strain’s mother is Tracey Strain and father is Eric Strain, Tracey’s parents are Harold Eustache (from Chuchua) and Marie Louis (from nk̓maplqs), Eric’s Parents are Helen Point (from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) and John Strain (from Ireland). Although they attended Emily Carr University of Art + Design, they prioritize Indigenous epistemologies through the embodied knowledge of their mother, father, siblings, cousins, aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandparents and ancestors. They have contributed work to the Vancouver Art Gallery, Surrey Art Gallery, the UBCO FINA Gallery, were longlisted for the 2022 Sobey Award, and were a recipient of the 2022 Portfolio Prize.

Visit the Gallery’s website and social media for the most up-to-date information on upcoming programs and registration.

Vancouver Heritage Foundation's Heritage Hour Lectures are back and the registration is now open for three fall sessions: Heritage Hour - Vancouver Heritage Foundation

Join us at University Women’s Club at Hycroft from 7pm to 8:30pm to enjoy fascinating pieces of Vancouver’s heritage with a selection of local speakers. You may purchase tickets here.

Uncovering a Lost Chapter of Canada’s History: An Evening with Catherine Clement

Tuesday, September 23rd, 7pm - 8:30pm

$20/15+tax

Many of us think we know Canadian history. But sometimes we can discover a dark story that has been silenced, buried and lost to time. Historian and award-winning author, Catherine Clement will share the story she uncovered of a monumental yet tragic and largely forgotten chapter in our nation’s and in Vancouver’s past: The quarter century of Chinese exclusion.

About the Speaker: 

Catherine Clement is an award-winning historian, curator and author whose work focuses on memory and excavating the stories of ordinary people in extraordinary times. She is renowned for her landmarks public history projects that crowdsource memories and materials to help reveal the forgotten stories of our country’s past.

Blood in the Boonies: Crime and Misadventure in Old South Van

Tuesday, October 28th, 7pm - 8:30pm

$20/15+tax

The southeast corner of the city has always had its perilous moments. The working class neighbourhoods that comprised the formerly independent municipality of South Vancouver spread across a steep hill, where one flank dove sharply to a river lined with sawmills. It was the perfect booming ground for harrowing accidents, tragic bridge mishaps, and fatal tram slams. Join local historian Rob Howatson for a chilling journey through South Vancouver, where every road seems to end at Mountain View Cemetery.

About the Speaker: 

Rob Howatson is a writer, local history buff and lifelong South Van’er. He caught the heritage bug in 2007 when he discovered a time capsule hidden in the old Sunset Community Centre. (It contained rare Bing Crosby footage!) Rob also works for the City of Richmond at Steveston’s heritage sites.

An Imaginary Line: the HBC, the US, and the Fight against the 49th Parallel

Tuesday, November 25th, 7pm - 8:30pm

$20/15+tax

How did the Pacific Northwest get divided between the U.S. and the British Empire? Where does British Columbia’s name come from? Why are there two Vancouvers? From 1821 to 1846 the Hudson’s Bay Company attempted to carve a British claim west of the mountains. The result is a gripping story involving Métis emigrants, legacy-hungry billionaires, and a wandering artist. A dive into the little-told tales of the Pacific Northwest.

About the Speaker

Tom Long has worked in museums and heritage spaces for 25 years, including Fort Edmonton Park, Mangawhai Museum (NZ/Aotearoa), and the Amelia Douglas Institute. He loves storytelling and history and combining the two. He is a Certified Interpretive Guide from the National Association of Interpretation with a particular interest in the 19th century Canadian fur trade. You can find him, his blogs, and his other offerings at northwindheritageconsulting.ca .

Doug Mayer, Vice-President of the Revelstoke Heritage Railway Society, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Railroad Historical Association.

The award is given to a person who has demonstrated "significant contribution over a period of years" to the preservation of Canadian railway history. Doug has written a series of books on the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Revelstoke area, and is the President of the Revelstoke Model Railway Club. 

Congratulations to Doug on this award!

For more information, contact your local host!

The Vancouver History Society tours the Chung/Lind Collections at the University of British Columbia.

The Chung collection comprises over 25,000 rare items highlighting the history of the Chinese community in North America. The Lind Klondike Collection documents the transformative events of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Presentations by Matthieu Caron and Denise Jacques.

Watch the full video here.