Arts in Motion and Chautauqua festival returns to Summerside
Artists are filling the streets this week with music, performances, painting and much more during the annual Arts in Motion and Spirit of Chautauqua Festival in Summerside, P.E.I.
The festival runs until July 29 and is packed full of things to do and learn.
"It's a real opportunity to be close up with the arts community and learn about how important the arts are in building a vibrant, healthy community." said Marlene Campbell, the cultural programming co-ordinator with Culture Summerside.
Weekdays, roughly 20 artisans and performers are on the streets hosting demonstrations, playing music, painting and interacting with visitors.
Be a part of the art
"I think it's really important for people to see how something is created — to sit down with an artist and make a pair of earrings, to be able to talk to that artist or artisan and see the whole process and see what it means in their lives," Campbell said.
"A lot of the artists are telling me people are signing up for artist classes," she added.
From noon to 9 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, the Chautauqua tent at the historic Wyatt Heritage properties will host "a mixture of talks, performances and then concerts at night time," Campbell said.
'Perfect setting' for Chautauqua
For the past four years, the tent was hoisted in downtown Summerside, but, Campbell said, because Canada 150 shares the same birthday as the Wyatt Historic House and Museum and the Lefurgey Cultural Centre, they've decided to host it on the heritage property's grounds.
"This year, due to the big celebrations up here we wanted to bring Chautauqua to our own grounds so more people could discover these beautiful buildings," Campbell said.
"I think it's going to add a wonderful component to it ... everything that happens here is history, it's heritage, it's arts and culture. I think it's the perfect setting for it."
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