Festival Inspire Back in Streets of Greater Moncton

Festival Inspire Back in Streets of Greater Moncton From the 15th to the 19th of June 2016, Festival Inspire will take over the streets of Greater Moncton for its second edition, offering five days of free events in the streets of Moncton, Dieppe, and Riverview. Festival Inspire is organized by “L’Art ici SVP”, an organization that was born out of the desire to integrate Contemporary Muralism in the local cityscape.

“We want to make Greater Moncton a more inspiring place to live, work, and visit, and give people a reason to return and stay,” explains Lisa Griffin, Executive Director of the Festival.

Lisa and her “artner” Matthew Williston co-founded the organization in 2014 with the mission statement Make Moncton cool enough for us to stay.

“We grew up here but each of us has spent over a decade travelling. On our return we felt a real need to revitalize the city, giving it colour, offering it a visible soul.”

Festival inspire gives focus to large, wow factor, street-enhancing murals. This June, 10 artists, both local and international, will hit the streets to paint the walls of Moncton, Riverview, and Dieppe. But the festival also hosts events to increase community creativity and celebration of the River that connects the tri-city.

“Inspire is unique in the Atlantic Provinces. Most festivals come and go over several days; Inspire gives life to the city for a week, and leaves behind a vibrant colour-trail of tangible cultural infrastructure,” says Matthew, Creative Director of the festival.

Theatre, outdoor screening, concerts, art bike tours, sculpture and yarnbombing, art and design Market, an NB Craft Beer Village, dance parties, circus, street art, buskers, interactive installations … the festival opens to all forms of urban art and more than a hundred artists will perform throughout the week.

“Inspire is an opportunity to prove that art is a wonderful way to enhance the city. This year’s Heritage Lighting Pilot Project will highlight the architectural beauty of several of Moncton’s Heritage buildings through a creative lighting project based on low consumption LED systems. This is a very exciting innovation of this year’s Festival which we hope to expand in the future in partnership with the Municipal Department of Heritage.”

This year Greater Moncton welcomes 10 renowned artists, including Dan Kitchener (UK), José di Gregorio (USA), Christopher Konecki (USA), Alegria del Prado (Spain), Philippe Baudelocque (FR), Jared Betts (CA), Fred Harrison (CA), Eelco (NL), Ruined Sundays (CA), Jeremy Shantz (CA).

Moncton remains at the heart of the festival and will be the scene of several huge projects like the Moncton Castle Manor Eelco, already known for its popular mural on the Edith Cavell School, is invited again this year to work on a wall of the century-old building. The festival has also programmed local artists Jared Betts from Moncton and Fred Harrison based in Sussex. From its second edition, Festival Inspire is already a major event in the cultural programming of the Maritimes.

“We expect a substantial crowd, the programming is rich, varied, and lasts for several days, everyone can find something they love. The festival boasts its part in the economic development of the region as much as its cultural influence.”

Festival Inspire Map Blue: existing murals -- Red: new murals 2016
Blue: existing murals — Red:  new murals 2016

 Festival Inspire Programming

Monday  June  13th

Start  of  the  murals  creation  by :

Wednesday  June  15th  (Riverfront Park, Moncton)

  • 6 pm: Colour Party  -­  Festival launching
    Colours throwing, fire spinning, circus, DJs, food trucks
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  • 9 pm: Outdoor screening of the documentary: Surviving the Fundy Footpath
    A city slicker attempts to walk the Fundy Trail without any experience of the outdoors
    fb.com/events/985776618142134

Thursday  June  16th

  • 5 pm: Capitol mural inauguration (Capitol Theatre Moncton)
    Following an international artist call out, a local artist will give his very own interpretation of the concept of mural on the North facing wall of Capitol Theatre building
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  • 7 pm: Theatre: It’s all the rage [Empress Theatre]
    An edgy comedy about our lives on social media
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  • Living Mural Project with the National Film Board of Canada and Moncton artist JEEP
    (Crowne Plaza, Main St. Moncton)

Friday  June  17th

  • 9 pm: Disco Bike Ride (Around Downtown Moncton)
    Bike ride with music and lights around Moncton downtown to discover murals in  progress
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  • Living Mural Project with the National Film Board of Canada and Moncton artist JEEP
    (Crowne Plaza, Main St. Moncton)
  • 10 pm: Soul’d Out: Live music night ($20) (Aberdeen Cultural Centre)
    With Vox Sambou, Haïtian band  -­  reggae/ hip hop/ afrobeat in French, English and creole + special guests
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Saturday  June  18th  (Riverfront Park)

  • 12 noon to  midnight  –  Live music all day, interactive installations, hip hop stage (Oak Lane), circus, street art, projections, workshops, fire spinning, food trucks, performers,  artists market, craft beer village, tidal bore celebration, Inspireland for kids (a mini Moncton turning kids into giant muralists, bubbles, face painting, live music, etc.)
    fb.com/events/1337924099556346
  • Living Mural Project with the National Film Board of Canada and Moncton artist JEEP
    (Crowne Plaza, Main St. Moncton)

Sunday  June  19th  (Riverfront  Park)

  • 12 pm:  JAM JAM!
    First free gathering based on the Montreal event Tam Tam. Drummers, musicians,  dancers and all kind of artists are invited to celebrate the arts and culture together. Jam Jam culture will begin on the Riverfront this Sunday June 19th 2016
    fb.com/events/971424979612328/

All  week  long

  • Heritage Lighting Project -­  A trial project designed as a series of creative lighting installations on heritage buildings downtown Moncton to highlight a few of our existing cultural assets
  • Maker in Residency -­ Like an artist in residency, using the ‘Maker Space’ at the Moncton  Public Library to highlight the amazing & powerful tools they provide to community. This installation will be the first of its kind, interactive with public, with sound and lights.
  • Yarn bombing -­ Our multi-generational street knitting gang will be back on the streets to  upgrade some urban elements.