The Finer Things...Sooke Fine Arts

Amidst all the fishing and outdoor pursuits, Sooke also boast an appreciation the finer things in life, including a vibrant local art scene. For those who enjoy fine arts, in particular the unique styles of the Pacific North-West, there are two summer events not to be missed.

First is the Stinking Fish Studio Tour and Art Sale. A tour of 20 art studios in East Sooke and Metchosin, July 25th-August 5th, where you can find some spectacular home-grown treasures.

Second is the Sooke Fine Arts Show, July 25th-August 3rd.
"The 2009 Sooke Fine Arts Show provides the opportunity for both well-known and emerging artists from Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands to showcase their work. Along with the 7,500 annual visitors who attend the art show, the show draws hundreds of art patrons from British Columbia, and throughout western Canada and the United States.

Sooke is steeped in artistic talent and natural beauty, making it the perfect host for the premier juried art show on Vancouver Island. 2009 provides an opportunity to enjoy the twenty-third year of the Sooke Fine Arts Show, and its’ third year under the sponsorship of the Sooke Fine Arts Society."

Come join us at Salty Towers for a wild west coast Vancouver Island adventure...and get a taste of local culture while you're here!

Maggie & Neil

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PS...in case you're wondering, Why Stinking Fish?

How the Stinking Fish Studio Tour got its name!

In the 1840's, when explorer James Douglas asked the First Nations people of this region what they called the area now known as Metchosin, they answered
S-met-sho-sun, which literally means "stinking fish".

We have adopted this evocative and historic name for our annual juried studio tours.

Sooke also got its name from a fish. It was named for the local natives, the T'Sou-kes who took their name from a small fish, the "stickleback".

The T'Sou-kes reef-netted salmon around Becher Bay, and collected shellfish, berries and roots for winter months spent at Pedder Bay. Spanish Explorer Manuel Quimper was the first European to sail into the Sooke Inlet in 1790. Within 5 years the British and Spanish governments signed a treaty at Nootka by which all lands north of the Juan de Fuca Strait became British. 3 years later Vancouver Island was granted to the Hudson's Bay Company. Settlers began arriving in the Metchosin/Sooke area in the 1860's. Farmers, prospectors, miners, loggers and fisherman plied their trades. By the late 1800's the area had large sailing ships and dugout canoes running supplies to and from Fort Victoria as well as a steam-powered sawmill providing lumber for the community.