Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition August 2018

CITY
VANCOUVER MURAL FEST
PAINTING THE CORNERS OF OUR COMMUNITY
JAMILA POMEROY
Andy Dixon’s mural was one of many featured in 2017. This year will see 40 new murals.
Vancouver Mural Festival is Vancouver’s
largest annual free public art celebration.
Through the creation of permanent public
murals, The Vancouver Mural Festival
hosts as a platform for Vancouver’s diverse
art scene. The festival takes place in the
Mount Pleasant neighbourhood and the
festival works throughout the year with
neighbourhoods around the Lower Mainland
to highlight the local culture and vibrance of
their area; with aims to connect all avenues
of the community together through art. “It’s
a celebration of creativity, so we really want
to be creative with how the festival takes
VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL GUITAR FESTIVAL
BUILDING COMMUNITY AROUND CRAFTSMANSHIP
CARLOS OEN
6
place and not just be a bunch of vendors
and shops on the side of the road like a strip
mall outside. We want there to be a surprise,
something interesting around every corner.
So it’s really fun to explore and roam around,”
says event coordinator David Vertesi.
With this year marking the third
Vancouver Mural Festival, organizers have
decided to take things in a slightly different
direction. “We have fewer murals (this year),
but we’ve given the artists a longer time to
do them. We still have close to 40 murals.
The mural fest is meant to be a celebration
of art and culture in Vancouver. So when you
Finally a festival where you can march to the beat of your own strum.
Whether you strum, fingerpick or slide
you’ll be excited to know the Vancouver
International Guitar Festival is back. On
August 11 and 12, the best guitar builders will
come together at the Creekside Community
Centre for a weekend dedicated to Eric
Clapton´s true love.
The festival, created by local luthier
Meredith Coloma and producer Shaw
Saltzberg, is a unique opportunity for guitar
builders, players, collectors and aficionados to
mingle alongside some of the world´s finest
string instruments.
“We are the only festival in Canada of
this size presenting handmade work in
combination with, concerts, live music,
master classes for guitar building, master
classes for guitarists and a live music bar with
eight of the world´s great guitar players,” says
Saltzberg.
According to Saltzberg there are close to
500 luthiers making wood string instruments
in B.C. The province also has two major
innovators of luthery in North America —
Jean Larrivée and Michael Dunn.
“One of (Coloma´s) ambitions was to
come to any of the events throughout the
week or the big street part on the Saturday,
which is expecting more than 125,000 people.
It’s just an amazing cross-section of so many
amazing groups and organizations,” says
Vertesi. Vancouver Mural Festival aims to be
an inclusive event intended for all classes,
cultures, genders, ages, abilities, and beyond;
strongly believing that it is crucial to the
art and general cultural health of the City
of Vancouver to create tangible, and lasting
visual evidence diversity. The even artist
roster speaks as an effort to reflect the varied
histories present in the city.
Outside of visual art, festivalgoers can
expect to see a wide variety of music
performances.
“Some big focuses we have are we have a
big finale concert in Jonathan Rogers park this
year, which is being put on by live nation. It’s
called the park show, and it has Tribe Called
Red, with Charlotte Day Wilson and Teen
Daze. On our own stage we have Hannah
Georgas, The Belle Game and Schwey, which
is an up and coming Vancouver funk band.
We also have a stage that is co-created by
Westward Festival with more local bands.”
Vancouver Mural Festival runs August 6 to 11.
more information visit www.vanmuralfest.ca.
expose the craft of luthery to a greater public
in British Columbia. That was something I
was able to do with my experience in creating
events,” says Saltzberg, who has worked
with Michael Bublé, Bryan Adams, Sarah
McLachlan, Pink Martini and Elvis Costello.
Vancouverite Michael Dunn will be
recognized with the Luthier Industry Builder
Award, for his more than 50 years of guitar
building and unconventional artistic designs.
There will be three concerts at the Sarah
McLachlan School of Music, showcasing
the talented hands of top players from
Canada, the U.S.A., Europe and Australia.
Canadian blues player Harry Manx will also be
performing on August 11.
Within the festival, the very first Luthiers
Association in Canada will be launched. “We
recognize the need to bring the independent
makers together,” says Saltzberg. “The
mandate is to provide some standardization
for the industry.” Congratulations to the
luthiers! You build them, we play them.
The Vancouver International Guitar Festival
takes place August 11 and 12 at the Creekside
Community Centre.
VINES ART FESTIVAL
ROOTED IN ACTIVISM, ACCESSIBILITY AND CONNECTION
YASMINE SHEMESH
With a mandate dedicated to environmental justice by way of
a wide range of inspired art and performance, the Vines Art
Festival is at once a display of public art and a platform for
awareness.
“Vines has grown from a small afternoon of art sharing at
Trout Lake Park in August of 2015 into a 10 day festival at seven
parks throughout Vancouver,” says artistic director Heather
Lamoureux.
The annual free all-ages festival, now in its fourth iteration,
brings together artists, environmentalists, and the general public
in an engaging way.
“The intention was and is to bring thought provoking art to
the people in public space for free, making public performance
more accessible in this city, and providing the opportunity for
audience to stumble upon creativity,” Lamoureux says. “We
focus on celebrating the Earth, centering Indigenous voices,
uncovering truths, telling stories, and connecting artists to
support one another in their work.”
Artivism — a term that refers to the union of art and activism
—is a central theme to Vines. “We support outspoken and
creative multidisciplinary artists with the ability to express
movements of social and environmental justice in their
performances and installations,” Lamoureux adds. “We present
work on the land on ‘earthstages’ with minimal carbon footprint
to take care of the earth while hosting the festival. Much of the
work is site specific.”
More than 70 performing and visual artists are featured
at the festival this year, presenting art installations, dance
performances, workshops, live music, and more. Artists of
note include Kimmortal, Missy D, Old Soul Rebel, Cease Wyss,
and Valeen Jules. One of the most anticipated events at the
festival this year, though, is Resilient Roots — a project that
pairs established and emerging Indigenous artists together in
a mentoring partnership to produce never-before-seen works
that will be performed at Trout Lake on August 17 and 18. One
of the participating pairs in this project include street musician
and slam poet Jaz Whitford and award-winning, multi-genre
composer, musician, and singer Sandy Scofield.
“Resilient Roots is the heart of Vines Art Festival,” says
Lamoureux. “Bringing together emerging Indigenous artists
who are also bearing their souls on the frontline grassroots
movements, speaking out against the Pipelines and resource
extraction, and combining art with activism.”
Vines Art Festival takes place at various parks throughout
Vancouver from August 8-19.
Vines artistic director Heather Lamoureux merges art and
August 2018