What's next? THE 10th Anniversary Show! 9-11 May 2025
Artfest 2025 Art Show theme:
'ART: THE POWER TO PROVOKE'
Max Wyman is “one of Canada’s foremost cultural commentators.” In his latest book, The Compassionate Imagination: How the arts are central to a functioning democracy (2023), he re-imagines the role of art and culture in “re-humanizing our way of living together” in a world that is becoming increasingly polarized politically, socially and economically. He states, “Institutions need to be reshaped. Inequities demand remediation. Justice systems must be recalibrated. We need a vision of a world beyond the balance sheet, beyond the creeping normalization of greed and mistrust.” Wyman further holds that art lets us understand our interconnectedness, our commonalities. It engenders empathy and compassion. Art is “the humanizing core of civil society,” essential to public policy and public service, and integral to real social change.
Whatever your preferred medium, we invite you to draw on your “compassionate imagination” to channel your inner activist, and to see this as an opportunity to think outside the proverbial box, to push the boundaries in order to help create a better and more just world. Some artists feel this is an obligation! Be a bit (or a lot) bold and edgy. Use your art to make an impact, to stimulate and provoke reflection and meaningful conversation. As artists, challenge us all to escape the chatter of our wired world, to think beyond our comfort zones about issues surrounding:
- Human Rights, Inequity, Oppression, Social justice…
- Homelessness, Affordable housing…
- Food insecurity, World hunger, Children and Youth…
- Displacement, Refugees, Migration, Immigration…
- Reconciliation (settler perspective if non-Indigenous), We are all treaty people…
- Discrimination, Racism…
- Gender, Identity, Diversity, Inclusion…
- Peace, Make art not war…
- Climate crisis, Environment (animals on the land, fishes of the sea, birds of the sky, everything that creeps on the earth, plant life), Clean water…
For examples, please check the Call to Artists' document.
We look forward, as always, to the thoughtfulness you continue to bring, to our themes, through your art. (please see the PDF below for further details.
Deadline for written application: 8 April, 2025.
| call-to-visual-artists__8_sept_2024.pdf |
