Welcome to Elemental Festival 2023 - Layers of the Land

The annual Elemental Festival is back! Come celebrate the beauty, bounty and history of Mnidoo Mnising September 23 & 24, 2023 in Kagawong. This year’s festival highlights the invaluable work artists do to help deepen our connection to environment and community. Local and visiting creatives have been invited to reflect on how their work connects them with the Layers of the Land on this Island.

Join us at the Kagawong Park Centre to experience our local artisan market & gallery featuring food and goods from some of the Island’s top notch creators. Head over to the Old Church on the Hill to witness artists sing, dance and speak about their love for Island living. Or, get your hands dirty in our workshop series, where artists share how they interact with the land in their creative practice. And, if that isn’t enough, grab a ticket for our new dinner & performance event where chefs and performers will collaborate to highlight the delicious bounty grown on Mnidoo Mnising.

Artist Announcements and Festival Schedule coming soon.

Interested in getting involved? Contact info@4elementslivingarts.org to learn more.

Elemental Festival Schedule

Unless noted, events take place at the Kagawong Park Centre

All Weekend

Gallery Exhibitions

Stop by the park centre to see works by internationally renowned Wikwemikong artist James Simon Mishibinijima and 4elements Indigenous Artist in Residence Spencer Rice

Artisan & Food Vendor Market

Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 11am-3pm

Vendors from across Manitoulin will be setup inside and around the Park Centre all weekend to share their beautiful and delicious creations with you.

Children’s Pop-up Play Area

Saturday 12:30-4pm, Sunday 12:30-3pm

Mnidoo Mnising Sharing and Learning Centre for all with Kenjgewinteg Teg will be hosting a children’s outdoor free-play space with a wide variety of loose parts set up to catch their imagination. Children use their creativity to build, move, shape, dress up and create their own play environments. Parents are encouraged to stand back and watch their kids at play in this supervised area.

Saturday

Opening Talk with James Simon Mishibinijima

10am-11am

James is a prolific artist with a career spanning over 5 decades. The festival will open with a talk about James’ artistic journey followed by a Q&A.

Dancing the Cattail with Sophie Pheasant

11am-12pm dance workshop, 12pm-1pm doll making station

Sophie is guided by clanship and identity as a Bode’wadmi Kwe of the Three Fires Confederacy. A mother of three children, Sophie is rooted in honoring Anishinaabe ways of being and knowing. She shares enthusiastically, encourages lovingly and lives life vividly, just as her Ancestors would expect! She will be sharing what the cattail teaches us, from storytelling and movement to doll making.

Musical Performance with Joan Krygsman & Nettish

2pm-3pm, Old Church on the Hill

Joan is the founding member of Trout Lily, a southern Ontario five-piece band playing roots, jazz, swing, traditional, funk + original music. Joan recently bought the tiny house falling off the side of the cliff above Bridal Veil Falls. On Halloween. For the Elemental Festival, she will be joined by Nettish, and will be playing her originals as well as her own quirky take on a wide range of covers.

Ontario Dance Film Series

4pm-5pm, Old Church on the Hill

Come see dancers move and respond to Northern Ontario landscapes in a series of seven short films. Featuring the work of Mikaela Demers, Curtis Kagige & eeportal, Janie Pinard, Christine Friday, Mariana Lafrance, Candice Irwin & Polly Kulture.

Layers of the Land Dinner & Performance with James Simon Mishibinijima, Duncan Cameron & Mast Hospitality

Doors Open 6pm, Dinner 6:30pm

4elements Living Arts, in partnership with artist James Simon Mishibinijima, musician Duncan Cameron and chef Simon de Sousa are transforming the Kagawong Park Centre into a unique food and dining experience. James’ internationally renowned art will adorn the Park Centre’s walls. The Wikwemikong – born artist will be present at dinner to share stories about the lands which inspire his work. Duncan will serenade dinner guests with an eclectic collection of Celtic folk music, songs and stories. Chef Simon will nourish attendees with a flavourful three course meal, and optional wine pairings, highlighting Island-grown produce. Wine and Split Rail Brewing beer will be available for purchase by the glass during the evening. Vegetarian & Vegan meal options available.

Join us for an evening of food, art & music inspired by the lands of Mnidoo Mnising.

Tickets

Dinner $75

Dinner & Wine Pairings $100

Contact

Phone

Sharon: 705-282-7989

Barbara: 705-368-3114

Email

Festival@4elementslivingarts.org

Sunday

Land-based art station hosted by Gwekwaadziwin Miikan

11am-3pm

Pop by to create your own land-based art work. Various fibres and natural materials will be available to experiment with. The Gwek team will be on hand to offer support and ideas of how to bring your creations to life.

Outdoor Hula Hooping with Natalie

11am-12pm

Natalie fell in love with hula hooping and exposing others to the art over a decade ago. She brings enthusiasm for enjoyable movement, creativity in dance and play and a desire to help foster a healthful relationship with activity for all. Natalie has always called Georgian Bay home and is inspired by nature in many facets of her life. Join her for an outdoor hula hooping workshop. Open to all ages. Get there early to reserve your hula hoop!

Resistance as Storytelling & Art with Spencer Rice

12:30pm-2pm, Pavilion on Old Mill Rd

Spencer Rice is a Kanienke’ha:ka Dad, Visual Artist, Cultural Carrier, and Community Developer with ancestral, cultural, and professional ties with Haudenosaunee, Anishinabek, and Cree communities. His practice is firmly rooted in Indigenous worldview using principles of harm reduction, poverty interventions, community-based research, and historical narratives to inform every step of the process. In this workshop Spencer will lead participants in conversation and visual art creation inspired by their favourite stories of resistance.

Forest Therapy with Jody~Red Hawk Woman

2pm-3:30pm – Kagawong River Trail Old Mill Rd entrance

Jody is a student of the Global Institute of Forest Therapy and Nature Connection (GIFT). She is working towards a Certification as a Forest Therapy Guide and Eco Therapist. She invites you on an introduction to Forest Therapy guided and supportive walk in the Kagawong forest.Forest Therapy is a rediscovered ancient practice. It is the way of being, living & healing all our ancestors knew. Also referred to as Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing or Earthing. It is an evidence based practice that repairs connections; connections to the land, nature, each other and ourselves. It is used as a form of self care, health prevention and to treat many illnesses.

Max 10 participants. Registration opens 11am at the Festival info booth.

Call for Vendors: Elemental Festival "Layers of the Land" Market

Welcome summer 2023! We are designing and preparing for the Elemental Festival, held September 23 and 24. This year our theme focuses on and celebrates, “Layers of the Land”

Would you like to join us in celebrating? We are looking for local artisan and food vendors to participate in our Layers of the Land Market. Vendors will receive a booth at the Kagawong Park Centre where they can sell their goods.

Applications are now closed.

For accessibility support please contact Executive Director Sharon Hunter execdirector@4elementslivingarts.org or 819-855-5424