In the Soil puts spotlight on arts, history
ALLAN BENNER
POSTMEDIA NETWORK
Musicians and performers entertained the crowds, while artisans and vendors lined James Street in St. Catharines.
And nearby cafes, shops and venues were packed with people throughout the city’s downtown core, enjoying a weekend of entertainment during the annual In the Soil Arts Festival.
“It’s good to see St. Catharines come alive,” said Adrian Petry, visitor services co-ordinator for the St. Catharines museum, one of many community organizations that participated in the festival.
The event also brought together some unusual entertainment, as well as groups promoting arts and culture for the community.
One of the most popular attractions — among children at least — was a giant kid-eating cardboard monster created by Liz Hayden and Camilla Avendano from Summer Collective.
“It’s very satisfying. The kids are loving it,” Hayden said.
A year earlier, the artists created a cardboard forest for children to explore. But the popularity of the kid-eating cardboard monster posed a bit of a problem for Hayden, who usually tries to improve on past successes.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do next year to top this,” she said.
Tyler Hyde gave people an opportunity to add to a sculpture called My Maple Leaf, celebrating Canada’s sesquicentennial anniversary.
“We’re asking everyone in the community to make a leaf that represents them and what Canada means to them, in relation to Canada’s 150th,” he said. “We started with a bare tree, and we’re adding leaves to make it bloom.”
He said the tree had already had leaves added to it at the Niagara Folk Arts Centre and Start Me Up Niagara.
“Now we’re here at the festival to wrap it up,” he said. “At the moment, this is the finale, so to speak.”
But if needed, he said, he will return to the community for more leaves — as long as it’s complete prior to July 1, so it can be displayed during Canada Day celebrations.
Kasia Dupuis from 4cats Art Studio handed children brushes dipped in various colours of paint
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For more photos, visit niagarafallsreview.ca for the studio’s Splatter Paint and Celebrate activity.
They were creating two paintings on each day of the event, for a total of six.
When the paintings are complete, she said, they will be framed and donated to a charity for auction.
Devin Jones, meanwhile, said he cobbled together alien technology, giving him infinite wisdom — or at least writing upside down.
Staying in character, the top-hat wearing sage said “alien technology, discovered as a blinking light, consumed me, enlightened me, extruded me and instructed me to take it apart and bring it here.”
Jones, who said he has been involved in performing art “for a long time,” said he was impressive to see so much talent in the city.
“This is the best festival in St. Catharines right now. It’s still the most real,” he said.
“It’s still a grass-roots thing … It’s great.”
The event meant a busy weekend to area businesses, some of which had people lined up out the door while the events were underway.
St. Catharines Downtown Association executive director Tisha Polocko said the organization has supported In the Soil since it began.
“It is a great festival highlighting what Niagara has to offer and we are thrilled that it takes place in downtown St. Catharines,” she said in an email.
“I am also happy that our businesses downtown benefit, and that the In the Soil organizers work with them to ensure everyone is taking part in the festivities.”
In addition to the arts, culture, music and children’s activities, the festival included a historic component offered by the museum.
“There’s certainly something for everyone,” said Petry, who was at the festival leading tours of historic downtown buildings for the museum.
He said the overwhelming history of downtown St. Catharines made putting the tour together a challenge.
“We only have eight signs and tons of photos, so it was really hard to curate and figure out which pictures would be the most interesting to talk about today.”
Most people opted to visit the historic buildings using information booklets as a guide.
“It’s designed to do it however you want. You can do it by yourself, or you can do it with a pamphlet,” he said.
A few history buffs were touring the historic sites long before the guided tours began, he added.
“They were spending a ton of time wandering around and looking at it.”
Petry said it was the second year the museum offered the tour while participating in the event.
“It’s been really great. They love having us and we love being here.” ABenner@postmedia.com Twitter: @abenner1