KAGAWONG—Fans of Kagawong’s annual homage to the creative arts were in for a special treat September 20 and 21 as two well-loved festivals joined forces to produce exciting and educational public programs.
This year, 4elements Living Arts’ Elemental Festival, a celebration of land-based arts presented each fall since 2017, and Billings Library’s NorthWords, a festival of all things literary now in its second year, partnered to present an engaging series of workshops and events on the theme of ‘A Passion for Pollinators.’
“Land art can take many forms,” explained Susan Snelling, chair of the 4elements board. “For example, music that responds to the landscape—essentially, it’s art that references the land, it’s anything that makes you think about where you are.”
Ms. Snelling and Jill Ferguson, CEO/Librarian of the Billings Library, were much in evidence during the festival, along with volunteers Willa Wilson, Phyllis Cacciotti and Candice Irwin. Says Ms Ferguson: “Partnering on the festival means we can pool resources and ideas and boost the sustainability of the festival, with the support of funding from the Trillium Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, Culture Days and the Township of Billings.”
A relaxed atmosphere prevailed at Friday evening’s Book & Brew at Split Rail Brewing on Gore Bay’s waterfront for the author readings, enhanced with the smooth vocal harmonies of Elora Miller and Jon Best on guitars.
While noshing on “autumnal treats” provided by the organizers and sipping on Split Rail’s craft beers and sodas, the evening began with Mike Strobel, former Toronto Sun columnist now living and writing in Kagawong. Sardonic and straight-faced, Mr. Strobel had everyone chuckling at his humorous tales from ‘Bad Girls and Other Perks’ (his implausible-yet-true investigation into porn filmmaking), and ‘Viking Cat: Saga of Tulip the Brave on Manitoulin Island,’ a tale of his formerly-urban rescue cat that comes complete with a map of the feline’s adventures around Kagawong.
Lighthearted word-delivery continued with Sudbury’s feisty former poet laureate Vera Constantineau, who giggled fetchingly throughout, sprinkling witty asides into her readings, including from her latest book of haiku poetry, ‘Laugh Lines and Other Wrinkles.’
Coltrane Seeseequasis was next, with a dramatic reading of his debut fantasy novel, ‘Secrets of Stone,’ featuring a young wolf named Silversong. A young Indigenous writer from Gatineau, Quebec, Coltrane’s suspenseful storyline kept the audience on the edge of their seats.
Saturday dawned sunny after the previous evening’s deluge of rain, thankfully, as the first workshop of the day took place outdoors at the Riverbend Stage in Kagawong.
Welcoming each new arrival into the forested amphitheatre was author Sahar Golshan with her children’s picture book, ‘So Loud! Stories from the sounds from my trip outside.’ An experienced arts facilitator, Sahar soon had children and adults howling, yawning, growling, shouting, sneezing, whispering and learning Persian words as she read the story of young Rudabeh’s city adventure to her rapt audience. “My voice matters!” rang through the trees as everyone gleefully joined in.
Workshops were all around, free to drop in: ‘Crochet a Tree’ with Toronto installation artist Gwen MacGregor, whose ‘Treelines’ project “imagines the land before it was clear cut,” placing strangely affecting small crocheted trees “in locations as stand-ins for the trees that would have grown in the area.” ‘Flower Feelings’ with Jenn Mezei and Candice Irwin employed dance, painting, flower arranging and seed planting to inspire participants about “pollinators, plants and colour.” A painting of bees, birds and butterflies on silk by Jacqueline St-Pierre fluttered in the light breeze amid the trees.
Artist-farmer Jenn Mezei also led ‘Be Your Own Wild Robot,’ for kids, creating a robot with found objects and bits of nature from the nearby woods. Writing workshops were given by Coltrane Seeseequasis on ‘Finding your recipe for success,’ and by Mike Strobel on ‘Writing the Rhu: Turning a Manitoulin tragedy into a book.’
At one o’clock the M’Chigeeng Lady Drummers took to the stage in the Park Centre, adding their hauntingly beautiful songs accompanied by hand drums to the festival’s diverse creative offerings.
Then, keynote speaker Carol Pasternak, looking for all the world like a comic-book explorer in sensible shorts, butterfly t-shirt and sneakers and a sun visor emblazoned with ‘Monarch Crusader’ in glitter, bounded onto the stage. Butterfly expert, author and former lawyer, Ms. Pasternak had the full house eating out of her hand as she spoke on ‘Drama in the Butterfly Garden – How discovering the creatures close to home will inspire you to save them,’ lushly illustrated with slides and videos. Billing herself as a “motivational nature speaker,’ Ms. Pasternak brings her speaking skills to events, conferences and clubs. If you weren’t passionate about protecting monarch butterflies before hearing her speak, it’s guaranteed you’ll be a convert when you leave.
On her flight to Sudbury from her home in Toronto, Ms. Pasternak brought monarchs with her in small envelopes sitting on a bag of frozen peas (“They’re dormant when they’re cold”). Once airport security realized these were hardly dangerous goods, they let her board without running her carry-on butterflies through x-ray.
Looking for a cause after her legal career, Ms. Pasternak settled on monarch butterfly preservation because, she says. “It’s happy, exciting and there’s never a dull moment! Also, it feels better to connect with nature.”
She conveys the love of her subject with infectious energy and much humour while teaching about the monarch life cycle, food, habitat and ways to help the populations that are dwindling worldwide. “Insects are declining,” she says. “We need to have a relationship with nature so we can know what we can do.”
Ms. Pasternak led everyone outside where audience members helped her free her bright orange charges. As the monarchs soared high above the trees, she gazed upwards, “They’re flying to Mexico!”
“People ask me what butterflies and insects are good for. They are valuable in themselves, like every living creature, because they were created.”
The festival drew to a close on Saturday evening with a performance by Melody Johnson, an award-winning, multi-talented actor, comedian and storyteller with wide experience writing and directing in Canadian theatre, including with the renowned Second City improv club in Toronto and Chicago. Ms. Johnson first worked on material for her latest show, ‘Person of Interest,’ in comedy clubs in Halifax and Toronto, presenting it as a theatrical reading to wrap up the Northwords/Elemental Festival.
The thoughtful and thought-provoking festival programming, bringing diverse and fresh voices to the Island, opening new avenues of discussion, educating on critical issues, infusing all in an electric celebration of arts and culture, is a gift that audiences received with enthusiasm. Long live these vital creative manifestations on Manitoulin.
by Isobel Harry
