The Works Art & Design Festival
Encyclopedia
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The festival displays the work of artists and designers from across Canada as well as featured exhibits from international presenters.
Overview
The Works Mandate - To promote the visual arts and design among the public at large and the artistic community by developing, producing and marketing special projects, programs and events that elicit the continued financial support of sponsors in the public and private sectors and the professional support of the artistic community.The Works International Visual Arts Society (est.1981) produces The Works Art & Design Festival (est.1986) in Downtown Edmonton, a free event that draws an audience of over 280,000 people of all ages and interests, and offers over 250 exhibits and special events to the public every summer. The Society also provides executive directorship for The Art & Design in Public Places. The Places was launched in 1999 as a community based, multi-partner initiative designed to help revitalize Edmonton's downtown through placement of publicly funded works of art.
Each year The Works Art & Design Festival presents free exhibits in over 30 non-traditional venues, such as restaurants, vacant retail spaces, warehouses, city parks, and office building lobbies. Artworks that are displayed range from the traditional (ceramics, painting, sculpture) to the contemporary (furniture design, site installations, graffiti) to the cutting edge (interactive new media installations, sonic installations).
Exhibitors
The Festival exhibits the work of well-known and awarding-winning artists as well as the work of emerging and student artists. Any artist or designer may apply to participate in the Festival during its annual Call to Enter in August. Artists, designers, and curators are also invited directly to participate in the Festival or may be commissioned to do a special project. The Festival has presented artworks from every continent, but the majority of its content is Canadian.Atmosphere
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
's City Hall. The concrete plaza is filled with dozens of tents with Canadian artisans selling handmade crafts and artwork as well as local restaurants selling international foods. The Works Street Stage has a wide variety of live music performed by Canadian bands and solo artists. The Works Street Stage is well known for its exciting Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
performances which draw tens of thousands of people every year.Interactive family programs are also offered on the Square. Families make crafts, contribute to community public artworks, watch artist demonstrations, and participate in educational workshops.
Dates
- The 26th Anniversary of The Works Art & Design Festival is June 23 - July 5, 2011.
http://www.theworks.ab.ca/
2011 CALLS TO ENTER
http://www.theworks.ab.ca/festivalfolder/news/news.html
- The 25th Anniversary of The Works Art & Design Festival was from June 25 - July 7, 2010
http://www.theworks.ab.ca/festivalfolder/festival/Works2010.pdf
- The 24th annual The Works Art & Design Festival was from June 19 - July 1
- The 23rd Annual The Works Art & Design Festival was from 21 - July 2, 2008.
- The 22nd annual The Works Art & Design Festival was from June 22 - July 4, 2007.