Massive event will feature 600 artists
The Works festival features more than 600 artists as well as hundreds of special events
The 32nd annual The Works Art and Design Festival could represent the very definition of overwhelming. With over 600 artists in 49 exhibits, including 700 works of art, plus more than 200 special events, performances and workshops, it would be easy to get blurry-eyed and wander home to mommy.
But the festival’s executive artistic director, Amber Rooke, hopes visitors will cast their gaze firmly upon all that’s offered and simply walk into the 13-day festival — the largest of its kind in North America — with arms extended, ready to embrace The Works in all its multidisciplinary glory.
“It’s not every day you get to walk downtown and be surrounded by spaces transformed into visual art galleries,” said Rooke, speaking at the launch of the festival Tuesday at the Matrix Hotel.
“There’s a lot of information available and a lot of talking points. It’s a real opportunity to engage directly with artwork, and talk about both the art itself, and how it affects our understanding.”
The heart of The Works is Churchill Square, where The Works Street Stage will be featuring local, national and international performers of all descriptions appearing daily from noon to 9:30 p.m. Francophone music will dominate on June 24, when for the first time, The Works celebrates St. Jean Baptiste Day with digital doorways set up in 12 cities across Canada to serve as connectors between communities.
July 1 will also feature a big push this year, with sesquicentennial celebrations at City Hall and on the square including art-making for the whole family, as well as art performances and female-fronted musical acts on the Street Stage. Churchill Square is home to an Art Market for shoppers, and on 99 Street, something called Food Street will be set up, with delicious flavours created by local favourites such as Langano Skies, La Shish, Island Girl Kitchen and, of course, Fat Franks.
A copy of Interplay, the 18-page program, is available at the information booth, is an essential tool for negotiating the festival.
There is no end of variety. The Works is known for its playful approach, which this year includes a humorous representation on June 28 and 29 called Fold A Fitted Sheet, by Alice Proudfoot. It’s described as “a visual dialogue between the individual and the familial collective, represented by a printed, fitted sheet.” On June 23, 24 and 25, artist Andy Davies makes casts of people shaking hands in an exhibit called Hand Bound/Tongue Tied — which plays with the theme of chance encounters.
Watch for learning opportunities on June 29 and 30 as artists from SNAP (Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists) demonstrate printmaking techniques.
But also feel free to just wander, and wonder.
“I hope that everybody leaves with a new understanding of visual art and possibly a new understanding of themselves,” says Rooke. “We want people to be open to experiences as they walk through the festival ...
“Shed your expectations ... Listen to the art and maybe even be changed by the art. Do no doubt that art can change your life,” says Rooke.
THREE WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE WORKS
Betty-Jo McCarville is the education facilitator at The Works. Here are her tips for tackling works of art at the festival, which can take many forms.
When you encounter a piece of art, look at the work literally and describe it, says McCarville. What colour is it? Can you identify shapes? Then, look for symbols and try to interpret what they mean. Why do the characters in a particular painting have no faces? Why is the focus of the work on their feet?
“Say it’s a woman and she seems to be wearing a bear suit and she’s in the forest,” she explains.
“Maybe the bearskin is a connection to nature, and a connection to power?”
Come with a friend and tackle the art together.
Talking about it leads to a better understanding. And remember, there is no right or wrong answer.
“Try to make the connections you can make and ask what’s really going on here,” says McCarville. “Different symbols will come out of interaction.”
Don’t hesitate to take a guided tour, held at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day during the festival.
“This can make it a less intimidating experience,” says McCarville, noting that tour leaders have been trained in artistic interpretation.
The length of the tours is determined by the group and depends how much they are up for.
Tours can go between 45 minutes and 90 minutes and leave from the information booth in Churchill Square.