ARTS & CULTURAL HUB
THE ARTS STATION
A vibrant and engaging space for the creative community in Fernie featuring all disciplines of the arts for visitors and locals alike. The Arts Station has a varied program of entertainment and activities throughout the year including live concerts, film screenings, pottery workshops, community theatre, gallery shows, and creative classes for all ages.
LIVING HISTORY IN A HERITAGE BUILDING
From 1898 to 1964, the Canadian Pacific Railway( CPR) station was the economic and social hub of the community. The current station building was completed in the spring of 1909 after an earlier incarnation burned down in the Great Fire of 1908. The CPR donated the disused building to the City of Fernie and in 1987 the Fernie Arts Council began the four-year process of moving the building onto a new foundation and completely renovating the dilapidated structure. The former waiting room became the foyer gallery and every other space found new life as studios, event space, and even a restaurant. The Arts Station opened in 1990 as an indispensable base for artists in the Elk Valley.
PUBLIC ART
The Arts Station has been a hub for local artists to gather and share all forms of artistic expression for 30 years. Through exhibits and workshops, community artists have been able to share their work with the wider community and visitors. A dozen years ago, the banner project brought local art to the streets of Fernie and more recently, the dumpster project gave artists a new unique canvas, and brought colour and light to dark and ugly places. Building on these efforts, new large scale works of public art have been commissioned to add to Fernie’ s Historic Downtown Artscape.
On the grounds of The Arts Station, A Hardy Town is a sculpture commemorating the 1908 Great Fire. A collaborative effort by local artist Michael Hepher and Kootenay metalwork artist Paul Reimer, the piece
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