Co-festivals this weekend in Kagawong
KAGAWONG—4elements Living Arts and the Billings Public Library have announced the NorthWords and Elemental Festival 2024 collaboration will be held September 20-21 at the Park Centre in Kagawong with the theme of ‘A Passion for Pollinators.’
NorthWords Festival of Words and Elemental Festival, a celebration of land-based arts, have come together to “offer events suitable for diverse interests and audiences.” To that end, all events, other than the ticketed Book & Brew being held at Split Rail Brewing in Gore Bay, are free to attend and open to all.
The festival is part of Ontario Culture Days, for which 4elements Living Arts is the hub organization on Manitoulin Island. Ontario Culture Days is a celebration of arts and culture in communities across Ontario.
The Book & Brew event at Split Rail Brewing in Gore Bay takes place on Friday, September 20 from 8 pm where attendees will hear readings from Coltrane Seesequasis, Mike Strobel and Vera Constantineau, along with live music by Elora Miller and Jon Best as well as partake in delicious autumn harvest snacks. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door or by contacting northwordsfest@gmail.com.
On Friday afternoon, from 1-4 pm, artist Gwen MacGregor will lead participants in learning how to crochet a three-dimensional tree, drawing on the inspiration of the fertile ground along the Kagawong River Trail. On Saturday morning, participants will photograph their trees in locations around the river then Ms. MacGregor will guide participants as they consider our relationship to the land and location. No experience is necessary for this amazing educational and fun experience as instruction and materials will be provided. This workshop is suitable for adults. Pre-registration is requested by contacting northwordsfest@gmail.com.
Although the preceding events are geared to adults, the festival also features plenty of events suitable for kids and families.
On Friday, after school from 4 pm to 5:30 pm, movers and makers of all ages are invited to join Jenn Mezei of Rainbow Farms North and Candice Irwin of Body Stories Dance in some dancing and art making inspired by flowers. Ms. Mezei will share knowledge about the symbiotic relationships between pollinators, plants and colour while Ms. Irwin will invite participants to reflect on the colours, shapes and textures of blooms and notice if any of these qualities impact their emotions.
On Saturday, September 21 at 10:30 am Sahar Golshan, author of the children’s picture book ‘So Loud!’ will bring children into appreciation of the sounds around them in a workshop. ‘So Loud! Stories from the sounds from my trip outside’ was just named by CBC Books as a children’s book to check out this spring. Ms. Golshan has facilitated arts-based programming for children and adults with the Regent Park Film Festival, the Toronto Public Library and the University of Guelph. A winner of the Marina Nemat Award for Creative Writing in Non-Fiction and a recipient of the Air Canada Short Film Award her workshop will be a must.
On Saturday, September 21, from 11:45 am to 1 pm, the all-ages fun continues with ‘Be Your Own Wild Robot.’ Artist-farmer Ms. Mezei will guide attendees as the build their own wild robot. The story of ‘The Wild Robot’ by Peter Brown provides inspiration and insight around the juxtaposition of tech and nature. Each participant will be invited to create a robot head utilizing upcycled cardboard and other found objects, combined with nature bits attendees can collect in the woods together. They will also plant some seeds for “growth and supporting the biodiversity that nature and humans need to thrive.”
The festival’s focus on pollinators takes flight at 1 pm on Saturday, with opening remarks, a welcome song by the M’Chigeeng Lady Drummers and the keynote talk ‘Drama in the Butterfly Garden—How discovering the creatures close to home will inspire you to save them.’
Through detailed macro photography and graphic videos, attendees will see insects hatching, eating each other, transforming, parasitizing, fighting for territory, courting and even farming! Butterfly expert and best-selling author Carol Pasternak will highlight the often-unseen wildlife around that surrounds us, emphasizing the importance and joy of our collective land stewardship. This event is suitable for all ages.
Those whose interests lie in writing, the creative process or insects can join one of three workshops on Saturday at 2:30 pm. Coltrane Seesequasis, author of ‘Secrets of Stone,’ hosts a writing workshop for aspiring writers on ‘Finding your recipe for success.’ Mr. Seesequasis is a young fantasy writer of Indigenous heritage who grew up in Gatineau, Quebec. His debut novel, ‘Secrets of Stone,’ is the first book of a planned series that follows a young wolf called Silversong in a fantasy world similar to our own. Inspired by a love of nature as well as myths and folklore that challenge the limits of creativity, Mr. Seesequasus adds his voice to the immersive genre of fantasy.
Mike Strobel, well-known Kagawong-based author and journalist, will explore ‘Writing the Rhu: Turning a Manitoulin tragedy into a book.’ “This is an incredible story of heartache, tragedy, struggle, sorrow, guilt, and redemption,” said Mr. Strobel, a former Toronto Sun columnist who discovered the story’s details and will engage participants in building the story of the wreck of the boat ‘Rhu’ in 1965.
Ms. Pasternak, aka the Monarch Crusader, will offer an interactive workshop: ‘Insects Up Close and Personal’ wherein participants can be among the select group that gets to participate in the tagging and release of a migrating monarch butterfly. “Feel its sharp feet, watch it extend its proboscis (feeding tube) to drink and learn how and why to apply a tag.” Participants will also likely cut open a cocoon with a live moth pupa inside, without causing it any harm. This is an event any insect lover will enjoy and provide an interaction they may never experience again—suitable for ages eight and up.
On Saturday, September 21 at 7 pm at the Kagawong Park Centre, Melody Johnson presents ‘Person of Interest,’ a topical tale about a good, law-abiding citizen who hoped to volunteer and so applied for a police background check. It was at that point when she discovered she was a ‘Person of Interest,’ courtesy of some bad neighbours next door. It was their final act of retaliation. Debuting in 2018, ‘Person of Interest’ has been delighting audiences across the country. Think an “edgy, comic tale” in the stand-alone storytelling tradition of CBC’s Vinyl Café.
Throughout Saturday, there will be exhibits of artwork by Gwen MacGregor and ‘Treelines’ workshop participants, and by The Expositor’s own Jacqueline St. Pierre and her silk painting workshop participants. These workshops are supported by 4elements Living Arts and the Ontario Trillium Foundation and provide an opportunity for artists to engage in land-based work together with community participants.
On Saturday throughout the lunch hour, Chef Angel Martinez from Xoctli Latino Street Food, will be offering delicious food for purchase.
The full schedule for NorthWords/Elemental Festival 2024 programming can be found on Facebook under NorthWords and the ad on Page 9 of this newspaper.
