About the Okanagan Erotic Art Show

The Erotic Show came about because in 2007, Lauren Wilson, Angela Hansen and myself (Julia Trops) were talking about having an art show that was a bit more exciting than the usual fare of the run of the mill exhibitions. We wanted to have some FUN!

The first show at the Rotary Centre for the Arts in 2008 was a huge success. This was new for Kelowna, the calibre of submissions was very high, and the interest is definitely there. In 2009, the show was at A. Woodside Design Gallery and you can see for yourself how successful it was. See the videos on the video page.

For 2010, it’s been a rough go. The Okanagan Erotic Art Show was to be held Friday April 30, Saturday May 1 and Sunday May 2 as part of the event the Xtream Fantasy Sex Show, however because of problems with the show’s organization, this event did not happen. I have found a new venue for the Erotic Art Show – it has taken some time, because it was important to find the right atmosphere, and fit and attitude for the art show.

Luckily, a new winery with a new attitude opened, and was interested in hosting the show.  Enter Ex Nihilo Vineyards, and Decoa and Jeff Harder.  The Erotic show was at their winery for three years, from 2010 to 2012, and the relationship was mutually beneficial – the artists got a beautiful venue and the winery got a lot of attention and interest from people coming to see the artwork.  I worked really hard to get the word out about the art show, as I really think there is great potential here.  The show got so big, with 250 people attending Opening Night, that in 2012 a larger venue was searched out, and Sparkling Hill Resort, just outside of Predator Ridge Golf Resort came on the scene.  This will be our first year there, in 2013, and I am very excited at the possibilites.  I hope that the Opening Night will set a new standard for art shows.

I introduced awards for artworks in 2011 and again in 2012. Winners received a gift basket and also cash in 2010, and in 2011, there were two winners, Winery’s Choice and People’s Choice.  These two winners received 250$ cash, all funded by the artist entries. I hope to continue to do this practice, and I know those attendees on Opening Night really had fun voting for People’s Choice.

If you want to help with the show, either as a volunteer or financially, you would be putting efforts towards something that is very worthwhile…. from the artists to the patrons, everyone has a lot of fun.