KAGAWONG—The Kagawong Park Centre will be humming with artistic activities Saturday, September 23 and Sunday, September 24 as 4elements Living Arts celebrates the return of its annual Elemental Festival for its eighth edition.
“This year highlights the invaluable work artists do to help deepen our connection to the environment and community,” said festival organizer Candice Irwin. “Local and visiting creatives have been invited to reflect on how their work connects them with layers of the land on this Island.”
“I’m really excited for this year,” she said. “There will be lots more artists and a lot more art forms and most of the programming is free.”
All weekend there will be gallery exhibits of the work of Wiikwemkoong’s James Simon Mishibinijima and the Spencer Rice Gallery.
A children’s popup play area will be available Saturday, from 12:30 to 4 m and Sunday from 12:30 to 3 pm.
Saturday’s itinerary includes an opening talk with Mr. Mishibinijima, 11 am will feature Sophie Pheasant and ‘Dancing the Cattail workshop and a doll making station’ from 12 noon to 1 pm. Joan Krygsman and Nettish will provide a musical performance at the Old Church on the Hill from 2 to 3 pm and Ontario Dance Film Series will also take place at the Old Church on the Hill from 4 to 5 pm.
A 6:30 pm dinner is one of the only things that has a cost attached, with a $75 dinner or $100 with wine pairings. Mr. Mishibinijima and Duncan Cameron and Mast will provide diversion during the meal. See 4elements.ticketspice.com/layers-of-the-land-dinner-performance to book tickets online.
Sunday, from 11 am to 3 pm, it’s land-based art hosted by Gwekwaadziwin Miikan, also starting at 11 am to 12 noon is Outdoor Hula Hooping with Natalie Corbiere. From 12:30 to 2 pm it’s Resistance as Storytelling and Art with Spencer Rice at the pavilion on Old Mill Road and from 2 to 3:30 pm it’s Forest Therapy with Jody Kennedy (Red Hawk Woman) at the Kagawong River Trail (at the Old Mill Road entrance). This last event has a maximum of 10 participants, so hustle down to the registration at the festival info booth at the park centre (opens at 11 am).
