Festival Inspire Launches Program To Fund Public Art Pieces In The Moncton Region
MONCTON – The Hub City’s popular summer art festival, Festival Inspire, is offering its programming differently this year due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The festival usually draws crowds not only to the murals being painted by local and international artists around Greater Moncton, but also for its art markets, and live music and other performance art shows.
But with gatherings now restricted, performances are likely not going to be a part of the festival at all, although a virtual colour party might be possible.
However, the Inspire team has come up with CreatorClass, a grant program for local artists who want to create permanent installation to beautify public spaces. The grants are valued at up to $3,000 each per project, and the deadline to apply is June 15.
In the past, only the murals were permanent installations, while other types of art were temporarily installed. However, this year will be different.
“This year we’re looking to put more of the art in the public space permanently,” said festival director Lisa Griffin, adding that the art could look like “poetry on a wall; maybe a paper mache giant mobile hanging from a ceiling in a hotel.”
Griffin says the program allows local artists to also think of ways to create art for public spaces.
“A lot of local artists are creating their art but not for public spaces. So that’s where we’re trying to get people to, in the direction of thinking,” she said.
A jury of “people who want to make Moncton cool enough to stay,” including local artists, will select the projects that will go ahead.
The artists will figure out the location of the installation, which have to be within Greater Moncton, in tandem with the festival’s team. All projects must be completed and installed before the end of the year. A map of all the installations will be revealed on Inspire’s website at the end of this year.
The selected artists will also have access to an online catalogue of courses and mentors from all over the world, including the likes of U.K.-based artists Louis Masai, who is known for his environmental activism through images of bees.
To keep the public engaged, the festival will publish online content like workshops, Q&As, talks and interactive live studio sessions with the selected local artists. The festival will also publish short promotional videos about them, their workspace, and their art practice.
“That makes [them] accessible not only to the people of Moncton…but it’s accessible all around the world,” Griffin said.
Aside from CreatorClass, this year’s Festival Inspire also offers a logo design contest for kids and youth between 6 and 18 years old. They’ll add their design on a basic version of the Inspire orb. The winner’s logo will then be used everywhere. They will also receive t-shirts, and eco-friendly cups and bottles with that logo for themselves and their families.