Quadra Village will radiate with colour, texture and interactive exhibitions at the end of August with the return of Alter Arts Society’s Out There Art Festival.
Participants can expect to see interactive art styles in the village ranging from performance and sculpture to projection, plant and fibre forms from Aug. 28 to Sep. 6 in the festival’s second year. They will also have access to an online art map that includes 100 temporary and pre-existing art displays around the neighbourhood.
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Five murals will be painted from scratch during the 10-day festival and pop-up performances will also appear on the weekends.
The roughly 50 pop-up acts at last year’s event included Theatre SKAM, Pacific Opera Victoria, Rollerskate Victoria, the Rising Circus, storyteller Jennifer Ferris and musician Autumn Moon. As well, about 70 pre-existing art installations were featured so that participants could rediscover and fully appreciate them.
“Quadra Village is coming into its own right now as an arts and culture destination in the city,” said Alter Arts Society founder and artistic director Jenn Neilson, adding that she is glad to see places besides Government Street and Butchart Gardens making a name for themselves in the local art scene.
Multiple digital audio walking tours are available for stream or download, courtesy of Vincent’s Victoria. Residents and businesses situated around Quadra Village can offer to host an art exhibit or performance somewhere on their own property that is visible from the street.
“It’s so great being able to create opportunities for artists to connect with the public and give people a chance to do some exploring without risk,” said Neilson. “Everyone’s missing that sense of community and this is a great way to rebuild that community.”
Neilson said the Out There Art Festival first ran last summer following the cancellation of another event that the Alter Arts Society had planned to host at Centennial Square in May 2020. The Hillside-Quadra Collective has collaborated with the Alter Arts Society on the festival and, to satisfy the need for more space, a new community art hub is expected for the Quadra Village Community Centre this fall.
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Regular admission is by donation. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit alterarts.ca/festival.
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