What empowers you and how do you empower others?
Those are the two main questions at the centre of Kelowna artist Ana Luybensa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½™s The Empowered Project, which launches on Friday (Mar. 6) at the Rotary Centre for the Arts.
The project includes art from Luyben, and performances by the Westbank First Nationsa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½™s first female chief Roxanne Lindley, musician Leila Neverland, and poet Erin Scott. There will also be a discussion on womensa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½™s empowerment with Mandy Glinsbockel, a documentary photographer and womensa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½™s advocate who launched the Speak Out campaign to support sexual assault survivors with the Central Okanagan Elizabeth Fry Society (COEFS).
Event attendees will be able to participate in the exhibit by drawing a self-portrait or drawing someone who empowers them. The drawings will then be put together into a collage for Kelowna residents to enjoy.
Luyben said the goal of the project is to celebrate empowerment and how times have changed, especially in the context of being a woman.
The project is expected to continue in the next few months in partnership with the City of Kelowna.
For more information on tickets, visit the .
All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards supporting trauma counselling at COEFS.
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