by Michelle Sproule | The main objective of this website is to scout out and promote the things that make Vancouver such a sweet place to be. We do this with an emphasis on the city’s independent spirit to foster a sense of connectedness within and between our communities, and to introduce our readers to the people who grow and cook our food, play the raddest tunes in our better venues, create our most interesting art, and design everything from what we wear to the spaces we inhabit. The Scout List is our carefully considered, first rate agenda of super awesome things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. From our calendar to yours…

BEER HUNTER | Beer lovers should get themselves to The Rio Theatre on Wednesday night for a screening of a documentary film called The Beer Hunter. It’s about a craft beer-obsessed englishman (Michael Jackson) who made his way around world “seeking the best beers and investigating the countries and cultures that spawned them”. Bonus: the good folks at the Vancouver chapter of the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) have organized the screening of this film and they’ve lined up a few local breweries (Storm, Parallel 49, R&B and 33 Acres) to be on site with some tasty suds to properly support the movie content for the win.
Wed, Sept. 4 | Doors 7pm, Movie 8pm | Rio (1660 East Broadway) | $10/$12 at the door | DETAILS

ENGAGE | There’s no question that a strong creative class contributes to the character and cultural vibrancy of any city. In Vancouver, we owe much of our international reputation for being ‘one of the most liveable cities on the planet’ to our creative scene. Architects, actors, artists, clothing, jewellery and furniture designers, photographers, musicians, chefs – these are the people that make being here exciting. A city without creatives – especially those just starting out – is a dull but very real prospect when the lack of affordable housing is factored in. The Laboratory of Housing Alternatives (LOHA) is a non-profit organization that aims to engage Vancouverites in exploring ways to make it easier for these people to live and thrive in this city. This week, LoHA is facilitating a conversation about the future of artist/design collectives in Chinatown. To get involved and keep our city interesting, head down to down to the ASIR Studio in Chinatown (on Carrall between Pender and Keefer).
Thur, Sept. 5 | 6-7:30pm | ASIR Studio (529 Carrall St) | Free | DETAILS

MID DOUBLE DAFFY | Vancouver artist Dan Siney is showing new photographs at Gallery 295 this month. You’ve maybe seen Siney’s work in Inventory Magazine, in the recently published Queen of Tsawwassen (along with fellow photographers Ali Bosworth, Seth Fluker, Jennilee Marigomen and Chris Taylor) and on gallery walls around town. This show brings together new photographs in diptychs. As Gallery 295 explains: “Photographs produce two experiences simultaneously: an indirect, representational experience in which we look from a distance through the mediated image; and a direct experience that manifests in us as an immediate encounter with the art object. For Dan Siney, the photographs that resonate are those in which he feels the presence of qualities, powers or intensities that change his relationship to both these experiences”. Slip in through the alley entrance at The Lab on East 2nd for the opening reception on Thursday night and see for yourself. The show continues until October 5th.
Thur, Sept. 5 | 7pm | Gallery 295 (295 East 2nd Ave) | DETAILS

GET UP | This Friday brings the monthly morning gathering for creative types known as Creative Mornings. Every month, the CM crew selects a theme for speakers to focus on. This month, it’s “Connect”, and Vancouverites are invited to grab a seat to listen to designer and creative director Matthew Clark (Subplot Design Inc.) speak about, well, connecting. Head down to Dodson House on East Hastings to catch Clark’s 20 minute lecture followed by a 20 minute group discussion. This event begins at 8:30am and ends with everyone splitting for work at 10am. Sign-up for tickets is well underway here (they get snapped up FAST). Add your name to the list and keep your fingers crossed. This might be your lucky week.
Fri, Aug. | 8:30-10am | Dodson House (25 E Hastings) | Free | DETAILS

DISCOVER | Grab a coffee on The Drive and join a leisurely walk around the Granview/Commercial area this Saturday morning.  The mix of industrial and residential buildings, the railway tracks, picket fences and murals next to barbed wire and rust — this is one of Vancouver’s most textured neighbourhoods. Lucky for us, the tour leader, Maurice Guibord,  is a founding board member at Heritage Vancouver and a bit of a heritage expert, so you’re guaranteed to leave this stroll with some intel that will impress your friends and relatives.
Sat, Sept. 7 | 10am | Meet at Mosaic Park (Charles Street & McLean Drive) | $15 | DETAILS 

NIGHT MARKET | This is the last weekend of the 2013 Chinatown Night Market season. Closing ceremonies go down Saturday night at 8pm. Part market, part circus, part food truck extravaganza, the block of Keefer between Main and Columbia comes alive with that magical chaos that has made this city richer over the past few months. Highlights include 4 bras for $10 (hells yeah), Potato Tornadoes and Winner Winner Singaporean style chicken on rice (because “the sauce is boss”), The always smiling and exceedingly beautiful Pie Shoppe girls (and their tasty hand-held apple pies) and the cool-as-can-be artisan vendors. Big props to organizers for pulling together a stupendous line-up of events to support the revamped and super awesome market – it’s been a blast and we’re stoked to see what comes in 2014.
Sat, Sept. 7 | 6-11pm | Keefer St. between Main & Columbia in Chinatown | DETAILS

ART | Head down to The Vancouver Art Gallery to catch Grand Hotel: Redesigning Modern Life before the exhibition comes down September 15th. Grand Hotel, commissioned and produced by the VAG, “charts the evolution of the hotel from an isolated and utilitarian structure to a cultural phenomenon that figures prominently around the world.” On Tuesday, admission is by donation, but on Saturday, you can watch a screening of John Smith’s Hotel Diaries (1pm) and then stick around for a panel discussion of the cultural and social history of hotel travel (3pm). Follow up with a civilized cocktail in a hotel lounge. Best bets: Hotel Vancouver, Yew at The Four Seasons, Tableau at the Loden, or Hawksworth at The Hotel Georgia. Find our favourites here.
Now through Sept. 15 | Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby) | $19.50 (less on Tuesdays) | DETAILS

LEARN | Jump on the back-to-school bandwagon. If you’re pressed for time (and tuition), this weekend brings the perfect opportunity to pick up a new skill with limited commitment and still come out with having learned something new. Vancouver-based artist and costume designer Morgan Young will be at Chinatown’s craft central, Blim, on Saturday to teach a Level 1 Screenprint Workshop. Sign up and learn how to burn screens using photo emulsion, be taught the basics about water-based ink, and fiddle around with getting your chosen image on textiles. If you’ve been sitting on an original design or an image that you’d like to see on a t-shirt or tea towel, now is the time to make it happen!
Sat, Sept. 7 | 2–5pm | Blim (115 Pender St. E) | $65 | DETAILS

CLOSING | This weekend is the closing reception for Portrait in Residence II with Sarah Fougere at the Black & Yellow Gallery. Two weeks ago Fougere set out to paint 50 portraits in 15 days, starting with yours truly. This reception will display each of the completed 12×12 portraits. Stop by to meet the artist, check out the faces on the wall and hang with some generally awesome people.
Sat, Sept. 7 | 7pm | Black & Yellow Gallery Project (602 East Hastings) | DETAILS

FEAST | Pack up and head out to Krause Berry Farms in Langley for the 19th annual Feast of Fields this Sunday. Presented by Farm Folk City Folk, this super delicious annual fundraising event celebrates local food, by gathering armers, fishers, brewers, ranchers and chefs from across BC together in one ‘field’ to show us what they have grown, cooked, bottled and brewed for you to taste. It’s always seriously good times, plus the money raised goes to Farm Folk City Folk and their continued efforts to connect local farmers and food producers with our chefs – good for everyone! Added bonus: there will be a shuttle bus available from Vancouver ($15) so you don’t have to drive or think, just eat and drink. This event always sells out, so don’t get stuck without tickets. We recently took a trip out to the farm to check things out and even though it was raining the spread was pretty awesome. We’ll be seeing you there as always, rain or shine.
Sunday, September 8 | 1-5pm | Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery, Langley | $95 | DETAILS

Check the Globe & Mail every Thursday for our Special Weekend Edition of the Scout List

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended University in Australia and the University of Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Library Sciences from The University of Toronto. She lives in beautiful Strathcona and enjoys wandering aimlessly through the city’s shops and streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy, and uncooperative camera.

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