81st Annual Pender Harbour May Day

2026 Theme: Mardi Gras Street Party.

The day kicks off with a 4KM Fun Run, Kids Fishing Derby and Pancake Breakfast, followed by a parade through Madeira Park at 11AM and a day filled with games, music and good times.

With the school field closed, we’re taking things to the streets—literally. This year’s celebration will be a full-on street party and a massive community gathering, honouring Pender Harbour’s longboarding legacy and celebrating the final chapter of an incredible 25-year run of Attack of Danger Bay.

GPAG: BOB EVERMON | We Are the Eyes of the Stars

Bob Evermon’s exhibition in the Main Gallery, We Are the Eyes of the Stars, speaks to what can be sensed beneath the layers of visual art; as well as to the little moments in life that catch one’s attention. Evermon’s work is anchored in natural forms, line, colour, structure, and beauty. He explores the depth and poetry of visual language, translating stories that we draw from nature into his works. We Are the Eyes of the Stars also explores the consciousness of the universe and our role as its timekeepers, as well as our attempts to make logical sense of our lives and our attempts to map or record them for posterity.

Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, May 2nd, 2pm – 4pm. All are welcome!

GPAG: YUAN WEN | Unbounding

Exploring the intersections of material agency, natural cycles, and spatial fluidity, Yuan Wen’s exhibition Unbounding in the Main Gallery features organic forms reflecting the artist’s scientific interests and addressing environmental concerns. It challenges the boundaries between solidity and transience and examines the interactions and degradation of natural and synthetic materials within this evolving context. Wen combines printmaking methods with painting, utilizing lithography and hand-drawn elements to create networks of organic forms, suspended fragments, and flowing gestures; emphasizing the patterns that emerge in nature, from cellular formations to vast environmental landscapes. Inspired by 17th-century scientific illustrations, these pieces investigate the intersection of observation, documentation, and the evolving human relationship with the natural world. Ultimately, Unbounding encourages viewers to rethink their connection with materiality and the environment, prompting reflection on the unseen forces that influence personal and collective experiences.

Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, May 2nd, 2pm – 4pm. All are welcome!

GPAG: MAUREEN SUGRUE | Pathways

Maureen Sugrue’s exhibition in the Eve Smart Gallery Pathways represents ideas that came from conversations about aging, paths taken or not taken, and the journey to “now” in our lives. These conversations led to seeing or imagining paths; not necessarily literal versions, but instead interpretative impressions of the mental pathways that intertwine throughout our lives. Each work begins with white cloth developed in stages through dyeing, stitching, painting, and printmaking techniques, with constant experimentation during the process; resulting in vibrant cloth banners that represent a diverse array of mediums and techniques. Sugrue’s creative process involves the full development of an idea to a resolution, a deeply satisfying process that is also inspired by both the nature and culture surrounding her.

Join us at the Opening Reception on Saturday, May 2nd, 2pm – 4pm. All are welcome!

GPAG: ROSE STARDUST | Art, Wit, and Other Coping Mechanisms

When the world starts to feel absurd, we have art to hold us. This exhibition by Rose Stardust in Joe’s Lounge moves through a familiar rhythm, from a symbolic morning of hope, to a night marked by doubt, and everything in between. It follows the ways we cope, make sense of things, and keep going, even when nothing quite adds up. Creativity runs through the work as both a lifeline and inquiry. Engaging with art – getting our hands dirty, our minds solving problems – is not just a way to get through. It’s a way of working with what’s unresolved, and looking a little closer, with intention. It’s therapy and escape, all at once. Stardust’s paintings carry a dream-like, contemporary relic quality. Strong shapes sit alongside distressed, shifting atmospheres, built layer upon layer, holding both clarity and erosion at once.

Join us at the Opening Reception on Saturday, May 2nd, 2pm – 4pm. All are welcome!

GPAG: Opening Reception | Bob Evermon, Yuan Wen, Maureen Sugrue, Rose Stardust

Join us for the Opening Reception of our four newest exhibitions on Saturday, May 2nd, 2pm – 4pm. All are welcome!

In the Main Gallery, Bob Evermon’s We Are the Eyes of the Stars features prints, paintings, and sculptures that speak to what can be sensed beneath the layers of visual art, as well as to the little moments in life that catch one’s attention. Yuan Wen’s Unbounding combines printmaking methods with painting, utilizing lithography and hand-drawn elements to create networks of organic forms, suspended fragments, and flowing gestures.

In the Eve Smart Gallery, Maureen Sugrue’s Pathways features mixed media textile banners that represent ideas that came from conversations about aging, paths taken or not taken, and the journey to “now” in our lives. In Joe’s Lounge, Rose Stardust’s Art, Wit, and Other Coping Mechanisms explores how creativity and wit help us make sense of things and keep going. It follows an arc from hope to doubt, from dawn to dusk, and back again.

Crit Night at The Kube

Crit Night at The Kube is a community-driven deep dive into the creative process. Inspired by artist-led critiques in Vancouver, we are bringing this intentional space to the Coast to help artists move past “stuck” moments and help the community learn the language of art. Our goal is to create a supportive, professional, and high-energy environment. Whether you are a presenting artist, a fellow creator, or an art lover, you will leave with a sharper eye and new perspectives on composition, mood, and technique.

Raven’s Cry Theatre: The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes

Arts Documentary – two matinees only, April 11 & 12

Since his death in 2007, the renown of Canadian painter E.J. Hughes has only continued to grow. For decades, his extraordinary works highlighting the landscapes of British Columbia have captivated the public, but his personal life is less well known. A solitary man dedicated to his art, Hughes led a fascinating life, struggling to make ends meet until a discovery of his work led to its acclaim. Having attempted to work as a fisherman during the Depression, he became a war artist during the Second World War and never gave up his passion for painting, even when devotedly caring for his ailing wife.

Gibsons Public Market: Tidepools Art Show & Auction

Annual fundraiser that helps raise vital funds for the aquarium education programs, animal care, and more. Each year a shape is chosen – sea star this year! – that we cut into 100 wooden blanks.
May 14 – June 7: Online Auction is live – bid on your favourite pieces!
June 7: This will be the final day of the auction to celebrate World Ocean Day (June 8), put a last minute bid in, meet the artists, and more!

GPAG: Opening Reception | Carlyn Yandle, Marianne Hansen, Holly Lowe

Join us for the Opening Reception of exhibitions by Carlyn Yandle, Marianne Hansen, and Holly Lowe on Saturday, April 4th, 2pm – 4pm. All are welcome!

In the Main Gallery, Carlyn Yandle’s Joyful Making in Perilous Times features large scale fibre art pieces that connect domestic rote hand-making methods with abject materials, issues of personal wellness, and social engagement. Grappling with critical environmental, political, and social issues, and offering possibilities for different futures, Yandle creates her pieces over the course of months or years with materials that are thrown away but never gone.

Dedicated to the birds of prey on the Sunshine Coast, Marianne Hansen’s Birds of Prey in the Eve Smart Gallery features fibre sculpted birds alongside their prey in natural settings. Highlighting their delicate forms and powerful presences, Marianne Hansen’s fibre sculptures reflect these animal’s grace, power, and perception; and encourage the viewer to reflect on the raptors of the Sunshine Coast, our coexistence with them, and the impact that we have on their environments.

In Joe’s Lounge, Holly Lowe’s Inkscapes explores the fluidity and flow of colour and texture using alcohol ink. Colour itself serves as the primary inspiration; the way that hues blend, contrast, and transform drives each composition. The medium of alcohol ink on synthetic paper enhances the vividness and transparency of the colours, contributing to the flowing aesthetic of the works and demonstrating a spectrum of expression, from recognizable landscapes interpreted through an abstract lens to completely non-representational forms.

Art Exhibition: GPAG: MARIANNE HANSEN | Birds of Prey

Dedicated to the birds of prey on the Sunshine Coast, this exhibition in the Eve Smart Gallery features fibre sculpted birds alongside their prey in natural settings. Highlighting their delicate forms and powerful presences, Marianne Hansen’s fibre sculptures reflect these animal’s grace, power, and perception; and encourage the viewer to reflect on the raptors of the Sunshine Coast, our coexistence with them, and the impact that we have on their environments. The intention is to raise the level of awareness about how many different raptors live on our beautiful coast, what habitats they choose to live in, and what types of prey they seek out. Many of these birds have adapted to living within the human habitat. How do we consciously ensure the continuation of these natural wonders?

Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday April. 4th, 2pm – 4pm. All are welcome!

Art Exhibition: GPAG: HOLLY LOWE | Inkscapes

This exhibition in Joe’s Lounge explores the fluidity and flow of colour and texture using alcohol ink. Colour itself serves as the primary inspiration; the way that hues blend, contrast, and transform drives each composition. The medium of alcohol ink on synthetic paper enhances the vividness and transparency of the colours, contributing to the flowing aesthetic of the works and demonstrating a spectrum of expression, from recognizable landscapes interpreted through an abstract lens to completely non-representational forms. Lowe’s works invite the viewer to experience the energy and movement that naturally arise from the interaction of the inks. Her spontaneous approach results in dynamic, organic forms and textures unique to each piece, reflecting the natural energy of the medium.

Join us at the Opening Reception on Saturday April. 4th, 2pm – 4pm. All are welcome!

Art Exhibition: GPAG – CARLYN YANDLE | Joyful Making in Perilous Times

In this exhibition in the Main Gallery, large scale fibre art pieces connect domestic rote hand-making methods with abject materials, issues of personal wellness, and social engagement. Grappling with critical environmental, political, and social issues, and offering possibilities for different futures, Yandle creates her pieces over the course of months or years, beginning as an impulse to engage the hands instead of wringing them and to gather up the lost and unwanted to achieve a new whole. Each project entangles traditional fibre art methods with stuff that is thrown away but is never gone. As each concept grows, connections are forged with others in the gathering of materials and often in the hand-making, making community engagement an essential part of Yandle’s art practice. It is there in the macramé tapestry composed of construction-site debris; in the sprawling, undulating field of braided throwaway jeans; in bound sculptures of plastic fragments plucked from foreshores and landfills; and in a crocheted mass of disintegrated tarp yarded out from a forest.

Join us for the Opening Reception on Sat. April 4th, 2pm – 4pm. All are welcome!

Gibsons Public Market: Tidepools Art Show & Auction

Tidepools Art Show & Auction is an annual fundraiser that helps raise vital funds for the aquarium education programs, animal care, and more. Each year a shape is chosen – sea star this year! – that we cut into 100 wooden blanks. Artists can purchase a blank for $20, transform it into a unique work of art, and then donate it back to be featured in our community auction.

March 27 – April 28: Pick up your sea star blank at Gibsons Public Market reception open from 10am-5pm
April 28 – May 3: Drop off your creation at Gibsons Public Market reception between 10am-5pm
May 14 – June 7: Online Auction is live – bid on your favourite pieces!
June 7: This will be the final day of the auction to celebrate World Ocean Day (June 8), put a last minute bid in, meet the artists, and more!

She’s Crafty @ The Kube: Explore Drawing with Georgina Brandon

Georgina uses drawing exercises to jump start the practice of drawing whilst dispelling hesitation and judgement. All skill levels welcome.

Drawing is a chance to observe and interpret the world around, and with that information, make individual decisions about line, shape and colour. This is how one’s unique visual language develops.

Georgina’s drawing exercises (recipes) are quick and exploratory for any level of participant. They are designed to touch upon various subject matter and use different approaches for one to further expand upon. Drawing is both accessible and the foundation to other mediums.

Supply List:
B or 2B pencil
Coloured pencils- a handful of different colours
Sketchbook- your choice of size

Gibsons Public Art Gallery: Free Community Stitch Session with Carlyn Yandle

Join exhibiting artist Carlyn Yandle for a free Community Stitch Session. Drawing on the scrap-quilt tradition of making something out of nothing, each participant is invited to hand stitch an improvisational 12 in. quilt block; a literal building block that can then be used as a personal artwork, use/gift object, or as a contribution to the ongoing ‘Hearth’ social engagement art project. All materials required are supplied, although participants are welcome to bring their own old clothes or fabrics to incorporate into their block if they wish. Learn a new life skill, create with other makers in our community, learn more from Carlyn Yandle about her artwork and her creative process, and find new ways to recycle old clothing and fabrics.

This event is free to attend and registration is not required. Find more information about Carlyn Yandle, her exhibition Joyful Making in Perilous Times, and her ongoing social-engagement art project ‘Hearth” online at www.gpag.ca.

Gibsons Public Art Gallery: Artist Talk with Carlyn Yandle and CBC’s Stephen Quinn

Join us for a free Artist Talk with exhibiting artist Carlyn Yandle and CBC’s Early Edition host Stephen Quinn. Yandle and Quinn will be discussing a variety of topics relating to Yandle’s exhibition Joyful Making in Perilous Times, including how making is connecting — a form of resistance to forces of individualism.

Carlyn Yandle is a Vancouver-based artist whose art practice interweaves a childhood steeped in West Coast counter-culture, a range of skills in traditional craft methods, and her previous profession as a city newspaper journalist. Her exhibition in the Main Gallery Joyful Making in Perilous Times features large scale fibre art pieces that connect domestic rote hand-making methods with abject materials, issues of personal wellness, and social engagement.

Stephen Quinn is the host of CBC Radio One’s popular morning show The Early Edition. Previously, he was the long-time host of afternoon radio show On The Coast, he spent eight-years as CBC’s civic affairs reporter, he guest-hosted several CBC shows, news specials and a series on the media for network radio, and he is also the creator and host of the very popular Quinn’s Quiz on CBC Radio One. A multiple RTNDA (The Radio Television Digital News Association) award winner, Quinn has covered a multitude of stories that affects British Columbians, in addition to interviewing prolific individuals.

Gibsons Public Art Gallery: Spring Hare Felting Workshop with Marianne Hansen

Join Marianne Hansen on Wed. April 8th, 1pm – 3pm, to learn needle felting and fibre sculpting techniques and to make a spring hare. Tickets are $65, with a 10% discount for GPAG members, and include a kit of the supplies needed to make one hare. There is a max of 15 participants, so register soon! Find more information and register online via EventBrite.