The streets, alleys and halls of Downtown Courtenay are on the brink of transformation as the final elements of the 4th annual Elevate Arts Festival converge for June 3-6. Over 250 artists and performers and hundreds more volunteers and community partners are putting the final touches on their contributions to this mash up of art, culture, ideas and urban reclamation!
The Elevate Arts Festival offers culture lovers a fringe-style menu of music, dance, puppetry, parades, films, literary events, projections, improv theatre, circus, live painting, street dining, pop up parks and so much more. A quick glance at the full schedule is enough to tickle the interest of the most fickle culture lover. There are options for participants of all ages including mural projects, writing and ‘zine workshops, puppet making, a giant collage event, kids shows, and hands on art, crafts and creations scattered across the 14 venues that come to life on Saturday June 6th.
“Our vision with this event is to shatter barriers between the people who create culture and the people who consume culture”. says Elevate Co-Producer Meaghan Cursons. “We want to celebrate the incredible creative spirit of our community, in a barrier free format, and show how culture is such a force in community building. We also want to learn from each other and the rich mix of local and visiting artists creates powerful chemistry that helps to stretch our creative edges.”
Events kick off Wednesday Night with “uniVERSE”, a poetry open stage at Union Street Grotto. Or head over to the Comox Valley Art Gallery for Pechu Kucha Comox Valley Volume 4. Then the rest of the week is a freight train of creative momentum! Visit www.elevatethearts.com for all the details including a downloadable schedule of events.
From 10 am till LATE on Saturday June 6th you can fully immerse yourself in a day and night filled with the bizarre and the beautiful all in the heart of Courtenay. The Elevation comes but once a year. You don’t want to miss out on this adventure! For everything you need to know – visit www.elevatethearts.com or follow them on facebook or twitter.
