Of Heaven and Earth

Italian culture and heritage make up a significant portion of Vancouver’s cultural scene and there are few neighborhoods where this is more pronounced than along Commercial Drive. That’s why it only makes sense that Italian Day is set to take over the Drive next Sunday, June 14. The theme of this year’s celebration is Italian art, including everything from paintings and sculptures to music and literature. And yes, culinary art too.

Coinciding with this celebration, the Vancouver Art Gallery will have a new exhibit called Of Heaven and Earth and it showcases “500 years of Italian painting from Glasgow museums.” And I’ve got a couple of tickets to give away (a $45 value) to one lucky Beyond the Rhetoric reader.

Easily one of the most memorable experiences from our time in Italy was visiting the different cathedrals and art galleries to really soak in the rich history of Italian art. You can do that too with Of Heaven and Earth and you don’t need to invest in a cross-Atlantic flight to do it. Michelangelo and Leonardo were more than just ninja turtles!

The Of Heaven and Earth exhibit displays an exclusive collection of Italian paintings dating as far back as the medieval times and going right up to more modern Italian art too. The exhibit, which runs from June 12 to October 4, was organized in collaboration with Italian Day. You can be among the first to see this amazing collection before Italian Day or you can go any time in the few months to follow.

There are two ways to enter the giveaway.

1. Post a comment below naming any Italian artist, past or present.

2. Tweet the following:

Enter to win @VanArtGallery Of Heaven and Earth tickets from @michaelkwan and @ItalianDay – http://ow.ly/NTsO9 Please RT.

Do both and double your chances of winning. 🙂

The context closes at noon on Friday, June 12, 2015. The winner will be selected at random and be contacted later that day. While the giveaway is theoretically open to anyone in the world, the Of Heaven and Earth exhibit is at the Vancouver Art Gallery, so you’ll naturally need to be here to see it.

Good luck!