For over ten years the In The Soils Arts Festival has livened up Downtown St. Catharines in an effort to engage the local Niagara community through music and art performances. But this year, because of the pandemic, Suitcase in Point, the multi-arts organization who organizes the festival, has had to pivot and rethink the event in a smaller capacity. The organization’s co-founder and artistic director, Deanna Jones, says, “It’s different than anything we’ve ever done. Just the ability to be working together with our staff and volunteers and artists to do this kind of thing feels good. It’s like exercising muscles that we’ve been dying to use again. It really does feel like a little bit of a celebration.”
Last year, when Covid-19 first hit, the festival was forced to put on a virtual event. Says Jones, “We did our best, we pivoted and put together three weeks of online programming, working together with different artists who put together original work that we shared online. It was interesting, sort of exciting to be at the beginning of this, to see what was possible.”
But this year the performances will take place in the outdoors with social distancing guidelines in place. Says Jones, “Having this opportunity to be able to engage people and bring community together in interesting and special little magical ways in an outdoors area, we’re really excited to get back in person.”
The arts festival, which this year is called In The Soil Multiple (p)arts Festival, will showcase a range of music and art performances in various outdoor spaces. Says Jones, “It ranges from short plays, like comedy duo Rob and Edwin who will be doing a performance in a backyard, to Passing Through Theatre who will be doing a short shadow puppet show, to a pop-up music performance created by Alex Ring. There’s all sorts of little bite sized moments that you can go check out and then do something else.”
Jones hopes the festival will bring the local community together and do more than just entertain. Says Jones, “Eve Atoms is doing a sound healing mediation in Buchanan Gardens. This is a little something special and out of the ordinary with a sunrise 6.30am session and a 10am session. I’m thinking about all the last seven(teen) to eighteen months and what we’ve been through. I think this experience will be really special for folks.”
Jones says the pandemic has brought creative renewal to the festival. “It’s interesting to think of, as we hopefully continue to come out of the pandemic, where does the performing arts fit after this, in terms of live performance or hybrid of a digital and live thing. Some of the things that we’ve learned through this, there’s lots to sort of keep and build on creatively.”
The In The Soil Multiple (p)Arts Festival runs this weekend from August 27 until August 29, and will have select performances until September 25 after that. For tickets and more information go to In The Soil.
