The third Selkirk & District Arts Festival to take place in April
If you’re someone who creates visual art, or does musical or performing art in the region, you’re going to want to mark Feb. 1 in your calendar as registration for the Selkirk & District Arts Festival is quickly approaching.
Last year’s Selkirk & District Arts Festival celebrated all kinds of art in our community. Register on Feb. 1 to make sure that you get a spot in this celebration of arts
“The Selkirk & District Arts Festival is a celebration of art, music, and dance, allowing students the opportunity to perform and be adjudicated on a local and possibly a provincial level,” explained Jessica Bullen, President of the Selkirk & District Arts Festival.
The festival is a celebration of all art, so there are a lot of categories that people should look out for.
“We have visual arts. We have choir. We have bands. We have solos, duos, trios. We have dance, piano, guitar, and any kind of vocal arrangements,” said Bullen.
The Festival will take place in April this year and will take place over many days. This allows people interested in a lot of differing art forms to have the opportunity to perform and showcase their talent. As we have a very diverse and talented artistic community in our region, it’s a pretty busy place.
Bullen welcomes anyone of any age who would like to perform at the festival to register.
“Anyone can participate. There’s no age restriction on it,” she said.
Bullen says that it’s important for people in our region to not just have a venue to perform in but also to have a way to compete so that they can get feedback about their craft.
“We would really like to see our students have the opportunity to progress to different levels and to different skills. And some, not even just kids, some people, they happen to just love to perform, and to have the opportunity to do that for a captive audience is always exciting. It’s also really important for those who are looking to improve their skills in examinations, or any other capacity, that they can be adjudicated and learn how to improve, just get another perspective on their art form,” said Bullen.
Additionally, the festival isn’t just a place for feedback but also brings out the best of the best in our region because it’s also a competition.
“We do provide awards. We provide bursaries. I think last year, we gave out over $1,100 in awards, and those were very well received,” said Bullen.
The funds may not be paying for a new piano, but they can absolutely help students get to the next step in their arts education.
“It gives them that extra opportunity to fund their passion, and we’re happy to do that,” said Bullen.
As for now, the competition will be taking place as it has been, but Bullen has left room for expansion possible if they get enough people registered.
“This year, we’re looking at April 13 to 18. Depending on how many applicants we have, we right now have Selkirk United Church booked, but if we need to expand to additional venues, we will do that,” she said.
In addition to hoping that registrants will step up, now is a great time for individuals or businesses to consider making a donation to support this festival, as it’s a community-run event.
“We are really looking for support for the festival, whether it’s in a volunteer capacity or a financial capacity. We’re just trying to see if we can get additional sponsors, and maybe a title sponsor. So, if anyone is interested in either volunteering or supporting our cause, they can send us an email,” she said.
Bullen says that her favourite part of the festival every year is seeing the kids perform.
“Last year, we had the choirs from the schools come and perform, and seeing how excited they were to have an audience, and just hearing the applause for them. It was so fun. I really love seeing the kids, but then I also love it, because this is our third year now, I’ve been so fortunate to see our kids improve over the years. I see when they first start, and now three years later, they blow you out of the water with their talents,” she said.
Bullen hopes to see more performances and improvements from past performers this year.
“Just come out and have fun and see what we’re about, see what the performances are like, and really appreciate what the community has to offer,” she said.
You can register yourself or your group at www.selkirkartsfest.com starting on Feb. 1 until Feb. 28, and if you would like to volunteer or sponsor the event, you can contact Bullen at selkirkartsfest@gmail.com.
