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 list 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…

Don’t Miss Your Chance to…

…fondle a hand carved hockey puck

A Robert Chaplin pop up shop will grace Gastown for the next few weeks –  featuring books, pictures, objets d’art, and travel sized lego chess. Yes – you read correctly – the very travel sized lego chess set that Russian chess master Garry Kasparov himself has played with. A bit from the artist: “Be the envy of your generation and play like Garry Kasparov…On your very own Danish Modern travel chess set! Made from the finest quality Danish plastic bricks, these travel chess sets were designed and built by the artist Robert Chaplin. Each travel set is signed by Robert Chaplin’s hallmark and inlaid with real gold.”
Now | 46 Water Street | Worth a visit!

… check out the “Sorry, We’re Not Athletes” show

The “Sorry, we’re not athletes” exhibition at JewellerBau “…consists of 5 objects that fall somewhere between sculpture and jewellery…5 melted bronze medallions speak to the huge melt-down in social (where is the housing?), cultural (where is arts funding?) and even climatic expectations (where is the snow?) The work is a reflection upon the suffering that comes when mega-events are forced upon the city.” The exhibit runs through the end of March, but it will be best appreciated with the buzz of the Olympics all around you. Head over this week.
Now |  11am – 6pm | JewellerBau (2408 Main Street) | FREE

…Meet an Olympic Athlete

It’s Athlete Appreciation Weekend at the Vancouver Aquarium! Hit it up to meet Sylvia Kerfoot (Freestyle Skier), Jonathan Redman (Snowboarder) and Dominique Vallee (Freestyle Snowboarder). The trio will be hanging around to greet fans, have their photos taken, and sign autographs. Plus there are the belugas…
Feb 26 | 11am – 1pm

…slide in to the VAG for free

It doesn’t happen often – so don’t miss your chance to hit up the Vancouver Art Gallery for free entry. Currently showing: Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man. From the VAG: “Leonardo’s group of drawings, referred to as the Anatomical Manuscript A, concentrates on the structures of the body and the movements of musculature. Shown for the first time as a complete group in this exhibition, Manuscript A encompasses thirty-four of Leonardo’s pen and ink anatomical drawings on eighteen sheets of paper, rendered during the winter of 1510-1511. Included are the first known accurate depictions of the spinal column and two magisterial sheets depicting the musculature of the lower legs and feet. The works are graciously loaned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II from The Royal Collection, Windsor.”  The Mechanics of Man is one of many good reasons to hit the Vancouver Art Gallery before the end of the month. Also check out Visceral Bodies, A Modest Veil and Visions of British Columbia.
Now – Feb 28 | 10 am – 5pm | FREE

…catch a glimpse of a Ravishing Beast

This is the last week of the Ravishing Beasts exhibit at the Museum of Vancouver. Dig it: “Displaying the Museum of Vancouver’s extensive collection of taxidermy for the first time in decades, Ravishing Beasts investigates the provocative and strangely alluring world of taxidermy.  Whether a hoarding of exotic curiosities, a scientific archive, a hunting trophy, or a stuffed pet, taxidermy always exposes longings to capture animals and tell stories about their significance within human lives. The exhibition confronts viewers with the visual power of taxidermy. It invites us to examine taxidermy’s cultural aesthetic, scientific history, and revival in art and design, and to question the legacy, current value, and future relevance of the practice.”
Now – Feb 28 | MOV |$11

…read

Take some time and celebrate your freedom to read. Don’t take it for granted. Pick up The Handmaid’s Tale. Revisit Lolita. Read The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harry Potter or Lord of the Flies. All of these books have been challenged or banned at some point in their existence. And this is just a sampling –  the list is long –  take a look. “Freedom to Read week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed them under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”   For information and events details click here.
Now – until Feb 27 | Visit a Library near you | FREE

…Enjoy a Winterruption

Still some cool acts to catch at this year’s Winterruption on Granville Island. This week : “In an action-packed sixty minutes, Monster Theatre takes you on a hysterically historical joy ride through 50,000 years of Canada. Through physical comedy, puppetry, and an original live score, THE CANADA SHOW reveals parts of our history few knew existed!” Check out the full list of options at the Winterruption site.
Now – Feb 27 | | Various times | Performance Works (Granville Island) | Various $ – including FREE

…Grab locally produced grub

Head over to the Winter Farmers’ Market at WISE Hall to pick up some hearty root vegetables, home-baked bread, crafts, and plenty of other cool bits. Visit EatLocal.org to see the full list of vendors.
Feb 27| 10am – 2pm | WISE Hall | FREE

…Pick up a new skill

Lino Block It…learn to make your own relief prints using linoleum! You always knew there had to be another use for linoleum – here is your chance to get in on it. Blim is offering a beginner’s lino block pclass that will cover the basics of relief printing without a press. $80 beans is a lot to part with – but the materials fee includes all of the tools and materials needed for the class (and you get to keep them when you’re done).
Feb 28 | 1 – 4 PM | $80 (incl. all materials)

…Examine your life

Free lunchtime lecture – Socrates: the Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living. From VPL: “This dictum encapsulates the philosophy that Socrates was brought to trial for practicing. At the trial he claimed he should be treated as an Olympic victor for practicing it, but instead he was put to death. Alister Browne will discuss the whys of each.”
Mar 03 |12 – 1pm |  Vancouver Public Library | FREE

Also of note…

Clockwork Orange screens at The Rio
If you’ve never seen this dark, timeless piece of cinematic art by Stanley Kubrick (1971), check it at the Rio, if only because “Alex” is best introduced to the brain on the big screen.
Feb 26 | Midnight | Rio Theatre | $10

Artist Trading Cards scatter over the East side…
“Artist Trading Cards Vancouver 2010 is an artist trading card exhibition that encourages artists of all styles and abilities from all over the world to exchange miniature works of art. The goal of this project is to collect 2010 cards that encourage art that incorporates Olympic and Paralympic themes, such as peace, solidarity, and friendship.”
Mar 3 | 11am to 5pm | Galleries and Shops along the 600 block of East 15th | FREE

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended Bond University in Australia and the University of Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Library Sciences from The University of Toronto. She lives by the beach in Vancouver 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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