Contemporary art taking over Charlottetown

Annual Art in the Open festival main event on Aug. 27

Art in the Open returns for its seventh year with an inspiring array of free, all-ages events and contemporary art works by locally and nationally renowned artists.

During the main event, Saturday, Aug. 26, from 4 p.m. until midnight, historic downtown Charlottetown will become an open-air gallery presenting ephemeral works of public art.

Each year sponsors, artists and volunteers come together to infuse creativity and beauty into the public spaces of the city. In total, there are about 40 artworks, installations and performances for people to discover and interact with.

Since its introduction in 2011, Art in the Open has become an inspiring festival that transforms many of downtown Charlottetown’s green spaces. Formed out of a partnership among the City of Charlottetown, this town is small, inc., and the Confederation Centre Art Gallery, the annual festival showcases a variety of contemporary art set within historic downtown Charlottetown.

Co-curator and festival organizer Becka Viau encourages festivalgoers to park their preconceptions of contemporary art and take their time strolling through the festival sites, exploring the diverse program.

“To truly Art in the Open, one must be open to making unexpected memories,” said Viau.

“You don’t need a set plan, but there will be some scheduled performances that should not be missed, like the Carnavale en Promenade at 4 p.m. on Victoria Row, and Lennie MacPherson at the Grafton St. loading dock of

Confederation Centre of the Arts. Pelly McGeogeghan – Spoutist will have you in stitches every hour on the hour from 6 to 10 p.m. But overall, my advice for festival goers is to plan for a journey of the imagination, that can take a few hours, and have fun.”

Again this year, Art in the Open has attracted some high-profile artists.

Artist in residence at “this town is small,” Rémi Belliveau, is a multi-disciplinary Acadian artist from Moncton, N.B. His project, “Passe-Pierre,” is an outdoor installation and performance that explores the notion of Acadian rurality through the culinary traditions of goose tongue greens and Island potatoes with the local Acadian community. Millefiore Clarkes’ “Soft Snow,” a projection and live performance, will present a contemporary classical score in an immersive experience that combines musical performance for three voices, flute, and piano, with a large-screen video projection. The music is composed by Gerard L. Clarkes. Alongside the new programming, festivalgoers can expect to see a few favourites this year such as the March of the Crows, an annual parade where hundreds of local residents dress up in handmade crow costumes. In preparation, a second Crow Costume Workshop will take place at the Schurman Family studio between 5 and 7 p.m. on Aug. 24. Material will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring sparkly treasures.

The Art in the Open festival highlights Charlottetown’s green spaces and is located around the focal points of Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Victoria Row, Rochford Square, and Victoria Park.