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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-CA link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b>Irwin and the Retro Girls: Fashion + Art + History = A Must-See Exhibit<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>Creston Museum, June 18-July 9, 10:00 – 5:00 Daily<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>Meet the Artists: Saturday, June 18, 1:00 – 3:00<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Creston Museum created an exhibit on a locally-born man who was one of the foremost fashion illustrators in Paris in the 1950s and 1960s, and an internationally-recognised artist in his own right.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A group of four talented local artists decided to get creative with vintage fashions gleaned from, well, Gleaners.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A family friend of the fashion illustrator was looking for an opportunity to exhibit some of the illustrator’s abstract paintings.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The local artists were looking for a place to show off some of their creations.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So what happens when all those things come together? You get a full-scale, head-on collision between art and history, that’s what.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>It’s called “Irwin and the Retro Girls,” and it’s coming to the Creston Museum on June 18.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Irwin” is Irwin Crosthwait, born on a farm near the Columbia Brewery in 1915. He went on to art school in Montreal, joined the Navy in World War II as the easiest way of getting to Paris, and soon began sketching clothing for some of the most famous fashion designers in Europe.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The “Retro Girls” are Alison Bjorkman, Alison Masters, Andrea Revoy, and Sandy Kunze. They are well-known for their creative ideas and eclectic styles, but rumour has it that they’ve got even more creative and eclectic with this one. As they say, it was “a little idea igniting like a firecracker and exploding in a million directions.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“it’s a fantastic meshing of a lot of things,” says museum manager Tammy Bradford. “One the one hand, we have a local man who created art for the fashion world. On the other, we have local people taking fashions and turning them into art. Add to that the local-history aspect of Irwin Crosthwait’s early life, and the fact that the Retro Girls are using vintage clothing for their work, and you get a show that is perfect for the Museum to host.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>As it turns out, the Museum being an ideal setting for this show is a very good thing, because “Irwin and the Retro Girls” will, quite literally, be taking over the Museum for the better part of a month.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“We were looking at some of the spaces at the Museum,” says Retro Girl Alison Masters, “and realised we had a lot more clothing to work with than would fit in any of those rooms. So we were thrilled when the idea of a show at the Museum morphed into the idea of a show throughout the Museum – our pieces will be installed everywhere in the exhibit galleries.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>It all starts on Saturday, June 18, with a chance to meet the artists. Irwin Hobden will be on hand with a collection of Crosthwait’s paintings; the “Art of Style” exhibit which features Crosthwait’s career fills one wall; the Retro Girls have a few surprises planned; and some of the clothing they found – and couldn’t bear to modify – will be on sale.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The meet-the-artists event runs from 1:00 – 3:00 PM on June 18. The whole exhibit, though, is open 10:00 – 5:00 daily from June 18 to July 9. Admission is included in regular Museum admission.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For more information, contact the Creston Museum at 250-428-9262 or <a href="mailto:crestonmuseum@telus.net">crestonmuseum@telus.net</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>---------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><span lang=EN-US><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Tammy Bradford, Manager</span><span lang=EN-US><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Creston & District Museum & Archives</span><span lang=EN-US><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>219 Devon Street, Creston, BC V0B 1G3</span><span lang=EN-US><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Phone 250-428-9262</span><span lang=EN-US><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><a href="www.crestonmuseum.ca">www.crestonmuseum.ca</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CrestonMuseum">Find us on Facebook!</a><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>