Rachel Bowen's If I'd Known: Selections for February in Palmerston North

Herb's Mobile Record Store, seen here in Wellington, is coming to Palmerston North on February 11. Photo / Supplied

I love the way Palmy eases into the business end of summer. We're back at work, heading back to school but, in our hearts, still on holiday. I'm wearing jandals and the vibrancy of my toenail polish is a reliable barometer of how holiday-ish I'm feeling. Coral, for the record.

And so it is with our arts sector. Some shows have continued, providing quiet, reflective spaces in the hectic Christmas season and now a bridge back into normal life. You can re/visit Keening by Jack Trolove at Te Manawa Art Gallery (and now available online on the Airbnb platform), or the interactive gizmos of Curious Contraptions that have moved downstairs in the main museum building.

Square Edge Community Arts is opening its Waitangi, WhyTangi, WhyWeTangi exhibition on Friday, February 4, in time for Waitangi weekend, providing an opportunity for rangitahi to express their views on Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Normal life is, courtesy of the Covid Protection Framework red setting, more restrained than I would have liked. I'm not going to list the huge number of events, performances, and tours that have been cancelled or postponed. If the event was for more than 100 people, it's not happening. The impact of these cancellations on our arts sector is huge, so where venues and performers are moving heaven and earth to run events, please support them by attending. You can be assured our venues have all the necessary protections in place to offer safe, well-managed events. And our city is well served by smaller venues that can operate safely and successfully in these trying times.

Rising to the challenge, the doors of Centrepoint will fling wide to start the year with Timberrr ...!, a father and son tale of identity, acceptance, and competitive woodchopping (smiling to myself as I write that – very Centrepoint), from February 12 to March 12.

Snails: Artist Run Spaces is capping numbers in the building at 50 and has a full programme of seated gigs. The Taonui St venue is hosting Herb's Mobile Record Store on Friday, February 11, 10am–3pm. The Catman exhibition opens on February 12 at 6pm. Catman is a subversive exhibition of painted cats ... bad, mad, sad ... purebred psychopaths, and passive-aggressive scowlers each accompanied by music that speaks about our times. The artist is Featherston's Campbell Kneale.

If there were an Olympic medal for rescheduling events, the team at Globe Theatre would probably win it. True to form, they're still putting touring shows on stage, on Friday, February 18, hosting folk act Butter Wouldn't Melt as part of their album release tour. The album 1931 features songs about New Zealand history and their performance is a unique blend of Americana and traditional folk influences.

On Saturday, February 19, the Comedy Hub kicks off its series of Big Monthly Stand-up Shows, with February's headliner the multi-award-winning 7 Days regular Nick Rado. On Monday, February 21, the Globe will finally, proudly, be the first venue in New Zealand to host the Better Cities Film Festival as part of the Creative Cities Conversations series, showcasing the most acclaimed films from the 2020 Better Cities Film Festival held at the World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi.

By March, there might be less jandal wearing, and more going out (hopefully in groups of more than 100). But in true Palmy style let's make the most of what we're still able to do, even in smaller, socially distanced groups. I hope to see you there.

• Rachel Bowen is an arts enthusiast, sometime actor and, as a Palmerston North city councillor, chairwoman of the council's arts, culture and heritage committee. The views expressed here are her own.