Brock’s arts facilities are welcoming in the public for a series of activities and performances during the annual Culture Days celebration later this month.

Rodman Hall Arts Centre and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) will be giving area residents a chance to meet artists and exercise their creativity as part of the national three-day festival Sept. 28 to 30.

“We are so pleased to host another weekend of art and culture during Culture Days 2018,” says Rodman Hall Administrative Assistant Danny Custodio. “This year we’ve partnered with local artists and arts organizations to provide more activities, turning Rodman into a cultural hub.”

Rodman Hall Arts Centre is hosting free hands-on workshops by area artists in addition to tours of their current exhibition, Up Close and In Motion: Selected Works from the Permanent Collection.

Local artist Geoff Farnsworth, who specializes in portraiture, will be demonstrating drawing techniques and leading a drop-in workshop on expressive drawing Friday, Sept. 28 from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 29 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m..

For those who would like to try their hand at painting, artist Jana Simms-Bergsma will lead workshop participants through a colourful exploration of expressive landscapes. Visitors can also work with artist Diana Williamson to capture the historic façade of Rodman Hall in a collaborative mural.

Both Simms-Bergsma’s and Williamson’s offerings will take place Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Rodman Hall will also host two performances. The Drama Garden, by Carousel Players, is a promenade-style theatre experience with opportunities for audience participation on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.

DJ Marinko Jareb will be animating the Walker Botanical Gardens with an electro-acoustic soundscape performance Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m.

The MIWSFPA will be offering guided and self-guided tours all weekend. Visitors are invited to view current VISA Gallery exhibition “Three to Eight” by Associate Professor Murray Kropf. Proceeds from Kropf’s exhibition will support student scholarships.

The downtown St. Catharines arts school will also be bringing back a classic piece of Brock artwork. Michael Snow’s Frame Frame 3 was initially commissioned by Brock University for a site-specific photo and video installation in the Mackenzie Chown Complex in 1972-73.

In addition, the MIWSFPA will host the St. Catharines Poetry Slam workshop Spoken Word Poetry and You, which will teach participants the fundamentals of creating and delivering spoken word pieces.

Culture Days is an annual festival giving Canadians the opportunity to meet creative professionals in their community and to foster an appreciation of artistic and cultural life.

A full listing of St. Catharines events, including Rodman Hall workshops is available online.