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It鈥檚 a smooth blend of visual art and indie folk music manifested in the event鈥檚 featured act, Lowell Friesen.

The Vernon Community Arts Centre is gearing up for its annual Arts and Acoustics fundraiser April 20.

鈥淚 played one of the first fundraisers they had,鈥� Friesen said. 鈥淲hen they asked, I was like, 鈥榊eah, I鈥檇 love to do it.鈥欌��

Friesen, also an avid potter, will bring his folk tunes to the stage alongside local songstress Jayme McKillop in support of youth art programming.

鈥淲e used to play together a lot. It will be a reunion of sorts,鈥� Friesen said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to play with Jayme again. We have a lot of fun together.鈥�

McKillop and Friesen will draw from their respective repertoires, including Friesen鈥檚 2015 EP Home鈥� And Away.

鈥淚t will be pretty much all original music, indie folk tunes I鈥檝e written over the past few years,鈥� Friesen said.

Friesen draws from his two-decade history in the industry for his mellow jams, including everything from his history in heavy metal and punk to his current love of other artistic mediums.

鈥淚 quit playing all together for a couple years,鈥� Friesen said, adding that he instead delved deeper into the world of creative writing. 鈥淚 realized that these poems were actually music, and so I started writing music again.鈥�

And it鈥檚 a multi-disciplinary love that has been woven throughout his musical offerings.

鈥淔or me, that鈥檚 what it鈥檚 about. The poetry is front and centre,鈥� Friesen said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not a guitar virtuoso by any means. The guitar is the landscape that everything gets put onto.鈥�

Like the Vernon Community Arts Centre event itself, Friesen dabbles in various mediums.

鈥淚鈥檓 absolutely in love with clay,鈥� Friesen said. 鈥淭he second I centred a piece of clay on the wheel, I found this meditative space. I can鈥檛 stop myself.鈥�

And it鈥檚 a combination that has positively impacted Friesen鈥檚 creative process.

鈥淢usic is very extroverted. It feels like pottery is very much the centering aspect: literally your hands are in the earth,鈥� Friesen said. 鈥淲ith pottery you get a lot of time to sink into a relaxing trance-like state.鈥�

As Friesen and McKillop take the stage, the lobby of the Arts Centre will be full of handmade art pieces crafted and donated by local artists.

鈥淎rt and Acoustics is the Art Centre鈥檚 annual fundraiser, and this year鈥檚 proceeds will be going towards improving our youth art programming with the final goal of being able to purchase a child-friendly sink for our classroom space,鈥� said Rachel von Hahn, marketing and outreach coordinator.

鈥淎ll in all, it will be a fun and relaxed evening to appreciate and celebrate the immense local talent that comes through our doors every day while also helping to support the artists of tomorrow.鈥�

Tickets are $10 pre-sale or $15 at the doors. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The art sale will continue throughout the following week during regular Art Centre hours. The Centre is open Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is closed on Sundays.

Parker Crook | Reporter

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