Elemental Festival and the Billings Connection Trail: Nature. Art. Heritage.

September 28 – October 1, 2017

Over the last many months, 4e and our community partners have been working to develop and install 32 historical interpretive plaques and 7 new permanent public sculptures around The Township of Billings to create the new Billings Connections Trail: Nature. Art. Heritage.

The trail attempts to integrate the local heritage and history of Anishinaabeg and non-Indigenous residents and represents the Township’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commision (2015) ‘Calls to Action’ for public education that integrates indigenous history into municipal programs.

The sculptures, selected by a community jury, respond to remarks Justice Sinclair has made that artists have a role to play in helping communities to imagine different kinds of relationships and communities. It is a small, first step, within the broader context of conversations and change that need to occur.

While our artists were busy designing and fabricating their sculptures, 4elements facilitated several months of community engagement to build understanding about the history of colonization through a film series focused on Indigenous issues, including a film screening and talk by
Shirley Cheechoo, guest talks by elders and historians like Alan Corbiere, and a community process to create one of the public sculptures with local students and community members.

We welcome you to Elemental Festival 2017, which this year marks 4e’s 15th anniversary, as well as the culmination of a massive community effort to build the Connections Trail. Festival engagements will encourage participants to consider the relationships between land, environment, environmental change and Truth & Reconciliation.

This year’s main events include:

• The official unveiling of the Billings Connections Trail: Nature. Art. Heritage.
• An evening dinner cruise with North Channel Cruise Line followed by a musical performance by Moe Clark
• An evening of music with performances by Melody McKiver and Nick Sherman
• A film screening by Paul Chaput
• Artist-led sculpture tours
• Workshops including:
  • spoken word with Moe Clark
  • experimental landscape painting with Sharon Hunter
  • community art workshop
  • landscape quilting with the Kagawong Fibre Arts Group
  • writing with Kate Thompson
• and more!

Follow our Facebook page to stay completely up to date, and for fuller descriptions fb/ www.facebook.com/4eelementalfestival/events or give our office a call at 705-282-0444

Hope to see you in September!

This festival is supported by: