StART Festival
The StART Festival takes place this week from Thursday
to Sunday in Halifax. The festival will showcase an eclectic array of creations
and performances from art students enrolled in postsecondary studies. The aim
is to have these emerging artists present their talent to a broader community
and build relationships to help forge sustainable careers. Arts East recently
caught up with Karen Gross and Alanna Griffin who founded the festival. These
passionate theatre students share what’s in store from March 20 to the 23rd
at the Bus Stop Theatre.
How did you get your start in the "artistic
world" and what types of art media are you most passionate about?
KG & AG: We are both theatre types. We have a lot of experience
behind the scenes (Alanna largely as a director, Karen as a stage manager and
producer) and are fourth year theatre studies students at Dal/King's. We've
both been heavily involved with the King's Theatrical Society (Karen was on the
executive last year, Alanna is the president this year) and that has been our
main connection to the student arts community in Halifax. We've noticed that
KTS shows tend to draw mainly King’s audiences. We started to wonder how we
could get artists working in other disciplines at other schools to connect with
each other and to expose their work to the broader community.
What inspired you to create the StART Festival?
KG & AG: Alanna came up with the concept of a student arts festival while
working at Dal’s Career Center. While assisting other students in their
professional pursuits she began wondering, and frantically researching, how she
could get her own career going. But the festival truly came into being when she
brought the idea up to Karen over beers at the Wardroom, the beloved campus bar
at King’s. We were both excited to take matters into our own hands, and launch
our own careers as producers while helping other arts students showcase their
work.
How did the preview event go in January where
established artists shared How they got their Start?
KG & AG: It was amazing. Shout outs to established artists Ben Stone, Sue
Leblanc, Sue Goyette, Anthony Black, Dustin Harvey, Mary Vingoe, Lisa Phinney,
Gay Hauser, Bethany Butterworth, Ilan Sandler, John Demont, Gianna Lauren,
Veronica Simmonds, and Rich Aucoin who spoke about their experiences as
emerging artists. We heard so many different perspectives- some had worked
years at crappy minimum wage jobs, some balanced their art with other passions,
and all of them came across challenges as they made their way towards careers
in the arts of their own making. We all left feeling inspired. One audience
member approached us at the end of the night saying he was feeling so pumped up
that he was going to go home and write a grant application. We hope that the
energy from that night will carry through to the festival and beyond as the
student artists who sat in the audience take to the stage.
What are some highlights that will take place during
the festival (March 20-23)?
KG & AG: There are no low lights in
this festival. We have a range of performances from dancing with swords, to
sketch comedy, to new music compositions, to projection art and all of it is
very exciting. People coming to our festival will be able to enjoy the artistic
medium they love alongside genres of performance they have never experienced
before. You can find the full line ups for Friday and Saturday on facebook here and here.
We’re
also doing a career fair called Fair Starts in the Arts on Thursday night. We’ll have a bunch of local arts
resource organizations on hand to answer questions as well as Donna from Lucid
Dreaming Photography taking headshots (by donation). To round out the evening
we will have snacks and drinks for sale as well as prints from the NSCAD Print
Club.
Will this become an annual event?
KG & AG: We hope so!
We would love to keep this up and will do so as long as we can and if we have
enough funding (shout out to the Department of Communities, Culture and
Heritage for their support this year). We are always looking for talented team
members and funding partners to help expand this festival in future years. If
you’d like to lend a hand, feel free to email us at startfesthalifax@gmail.com
How does it feel as you are launching your own art
careers? Is it exciting, scary, natural...?
KG & AG: All of the
above. Organizing this festival has been a crash course in working in the arts
in Halifax. We’ve been so fortunate to work with and be mentored by so many
amazing members of this community. Clare Waque has been especially helpful in
showing us the ropes and making us feel like we can make anything. While there
is definitely a lot of uncertainty as we jump into this world, we also feel
like the community has our backs.
How can the community, policy makers, business, etc be more supportive of sustainable arts careers?
KG & AG: This festival
is happening at a really interesting and challenging time for the arts in
Halifax. Recently with the eviction of the Khyber staff and the move of the
Roberts Street Collective from their home, space has become a central issue.
One of the aims of this festival is to provide emerging artists with the
infrastructure necessary in order to showcase their work. The Bus Stop Theatre
Co-op has been a generous partner and their theatre a welcome home for this
festival. Without their support and space this festival would not exist. Yet
the Bus Stop feels the pressure of prices and recently became a Co-op in order
to secure additional funding for this hub of indie creation.
"But we need to keep reminding our city, its private business and public officials that we care about art."We have to protect the houses of art if we are going to support the people that create it. We don’t want to detract from the exciting projects in the works (Platform Halifax, Arts Boat, Fountain Arts…) or the programs that continue to provide essential resources to artists. But we need to keep reminding our city, its private business and public officials that we care about art. We would encourage local business owners to think about how they can help artists get their work out there (Do they have walls that can display visual art? Spaces that can host performances?) We also love when different artistic disciplines support each other. The arts community as a whole is strongest when it is united. Right now there is $300,000 worth of arts and culture funding being discussed for HRM and will be voted on soon. So contact your councilor and let them know you care (www.halifax.ca/boardscom/documents/SACACReport.pdf).
What would life be like without art?
KG & AG: We would spend less time reflecting on our circumstances, listening to
others, letting ourselves think, feel, and love, and there would be few
occasions for the joy and awe that come when we create and witness creation. In
short, it would be pretty dismal.
Is there anything you would like to add?
KG & AG: Thank you for giving us the chance to spread the word about our
festival. We hope to see you all at the theatre!
StART Festival
March 20-23, 2014
Bus Stop Theatre, Halifax
