Next week several hundred regional artists unite in St. Albert for the inaugural ArtiCulture, an eclectic spring festival celebrating the arts, culture and creativity.
Swinging into high gear at St. Albert Place from April 7 to 10, it salutes music, filmmaking, visual arts, photography, literature and heritage.
And without a doubt, the four-day festival’s crown jewel is the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Awards Gala on Saturday. Artists showcasing their skills are an eclectic mix ranging from Firefly Theatre, Cantilon Children’s Choir, Allez Ouest and MĂ©tis Child and Family Jiggers backed by Alfie Myhres and Morinville son and champion fiddler Calvin Vollrath.
“It is grander in scope than last September’s StArts Fest. We wanted to engage different artists from the entire region. We want to promote our best, but we didn’t want to limit ourselves,” says ArtiCulture chair Tracey Aisenstat.
She adds that each day has an artistic theme: Thursday salutes the visual arts; Friday celebrates music; Saturday focuses on literature; and Sunday looks at heritage.
Kicking off the festival on Thursday is Live, Work, Play, a juried art exhibit featuring paintings, sculptures, photography and pottery. “We’re very proud of it. This is the first time the City of St. Albert, [the St. Albert Place Visual Arts Council], [Visual Arts Studio Association] and the Art Gallery of St. Albert have concentrated their efforts on working on an exhibit.”
Following in the evening is Prairie Tales 12, a cinematic experience of shorts that pools sci-fi, documentary, sketch comedy, family drama, experimental works and hand-drawn animation. Hosting the evening is Edmonton filmmaker Trevor Anderson, who recently screened his film The High Level Bridge at the Sundance Film Festival.
On Friday, former St. Albert drummer Sandro Dominelli and Latin band Bomba! conduct a series of student workshops during the day before heating up the evening with a sizzling concert at the Arden.
The seven-piece band that first formed 10 years ago has now scattered. Frontman Mario Allende moved to Toronto, pianist Chris Head still lives in Edmonton and the rest live in Calgary.
“It’s more rare than ever for Bomba! to play together and this is going to be a special reunion for us. It’s a chance to play with friends and include the audience in our reunion,” says Allende in a telephone interview from Toronto.
But far from being rusty and out of sync, Allende believes their solo projects have added a new layer to Bomba!’s groove. “Our sound has a shared knowledge, but we can throw in what we’ve learned and there’s still a group sound.”
On Saturday, ArtiCulture brings in writers Anna Marie Sewell, Pierrette Requier, Thomas Trofimuk and Alice Major for a series of readings. The Edmonton-based Trofimuk has had solid success with his novel Waiting for Columbus.
A three-country consortium snapped up the film rights and Jose Rivera, screenwriter for Francis Ford Coppola’s On the Road, is tapped to write the script.
And this week, the novel received approval for sales in China. “I’m not quitting my day job, but I’m not complaining,” Trofimuk laughs.
Despite the international appeal, Trofimuk feels a special pull to St. Albert. “Did you know I used to work for the St. Albert Gazette and I know Poet’s Ink? And it was such a wonderful offer. I’ll never be too big to do a festival or public readings.”
Sunday is a celebration of heritage with a grain elevator lecture at Musée Heritage Museum. For more information visit www.stalbertarticulture.ca.
