Back by (Vox) Popular Demand

Multimedia Arts Festival Returns Online

“E Everyone in the artist community has suffered over the past year with the pandemic,” laments Adrien Harpelle, the festival director for the Vox Popular Media Arts Festival. “We decided it was time and we were just going to do it. It was so difficult organizing through COVID but we needed something to bring everyone together again in the community.”

Starting in September, the Vox Popular website (voxpopular.ca) will host a series of films, music, art, and other media from local artists. The theme of “Local Love” and support for the local art community is the focus.

The festival begins on

September 16 and runs online for 10 days. Every day there will be new discoveries to delight the senses. Along with the film portion, of which there is a record number of submissions, there is the addition of panel discussions with the filmmakers and other interactive components. There is a jury to critique films, although the spirit of the whole endeavour is that everyone involved is a winner merely by being involved and getting to display and share their work again. There is a selection of criteria for the strongest films. “Local artists, filmmakers, musicians […] are all coming together to support one another,” says Harpelle.

Another aspect is #artforthepeople. All artists are encouraged to submit projects with this hashtag for the giveaways portion of the program. The idea is to “make something in honour of local art.” This could be anything that has been inspired by another local artist. This of course goes hand in hand with the theme of “Local Love.” All artists are inspired by their surroundings and by other artists, and this is the place to give a shout- out to those around them who have served as inspiration, especially during such a trying time. The giveaways are sponsored by Hooligan Fuel Hot Sauce, Heartbeat Hot Sauce, and Thai Kitchen.

Seven local live music acts have been filmed for the concert series and there will be a live concert on September 16 at Waverley Park. Join local bands and musicians getting back into the swing of things. Please check the website for times and other information.

Submissions for the virtual art gallery were open through August 24. This is the second year featuring this event. Join the local arts community this September and get back into celebrating #artforthepeople and #locallove.