A good month to visit Peace Gallery North

June is Filipino Heritage Month across Canada, and one of the ways Fort St. John is marking the occasion is through the 8th Annual Filipino Canadian Art and Photography Exhibit currently on display at Peace Gallery North.

Curated by Ovvian Castrillo Hill and co-curated by Nixxio Castrillo, the exhibit brings together artists from Fort St. John's Filipino-Canadian community and offers visitors a chance to learn a little more about their neighbours through their work.

One of the things I enjoy most about community art exhibits is that every piece has a story behind it. Sometimes it's a story about family. Sometimes it's a story about culture, tradition, or a place somebody once called home. Other times, it's simply a reflection of how someone sees the world around them.

Living in Northern B.C., we're fortunate to be part of a community made up of people from all over the world. Many came here for work, many came here to raise families, and over the years they have helped shape Fort St. John into the community we know today. Exhibits like this give us an opportunity to celebrate that.

They remind us that behind every business, every volunteer group, every classroom and every neighbourhood are people with their own experiences, histories and traditions. Art just happens to be one of the ways those stories are shared.

If you've never stopped in before, there is still time, as the exhibit runs until June 27.

You don't need to know the first thing about art to enjoy it. All you really need is a little curiosity.