Centennial ArtsFest Celebration 

An arts celebration open to all – April 14-18

ArtsFest, Marianopolis College’s free week-long arts celebration held every spring, had a special theme this year – the College’s Centennial. The week included music recitals, public readings, journal launches, film screenings and art exhibitions. Lectures and panel discussions brought to campus prominent guests active in the arts to share their work with the College community of parents, friends, neighbours and alumni.

A joint initiative of the departments of English and Liberal and Creative Arts, ArtsFest is a destination for the public as well as an excellent opportunity for aspiring artists, filmmakers, musicians and writers to showcase their talents alongside those of Marianopolis faculty and staff.

Highlights

Monday April 14 to Friday April 18
  • Alumni photo competition
  • Student art shows. Students show off their two- and three- dimensional art works. 
  • UNICEF club art show. Student work on exhibit for a good cause in the Boardroom. 
  • Faculty, staff, alumni art exhibition. On display as part of Dirty Laundry, our faculty, staff and alumni event (see below, Thursday April 17). 
  • All-college art project. Join in the fun and make a sculpture of your own. Check out the photographs of previous work displayed in the Student Lounge.
  • Display of student chap books. In the Library.
Monday April 14 
  • Literary journal launch. The Marianopolis Literary Journal features students’ creative writing and art. Professionally printed and bound, the journal will be distributed throughout the week.
  • Arctic Banana ArtsFest edition. The student newspaper’s Centennial ArtsFest edition features a variety of student work, including creative writing, interviews and art, plus the ArtsFest schedule.
Tuesday April 15
  • Reading. Tony O'Neill, the New York-based musician, poet and novelist, will speak. His autobiographical novel Digging the Vein was published in 2006, as was Seizure Wet Dreams, a book of short stories and poetry. Songs From The Shooting Gallery: Poems 1999-2006 was published in 2007. In the Amphitheatre.
  • Cuba and the Americas on film. Documentaries examining issues relating to Latin America. Presented by the Third World Studies Certificate, this event of discussion and learning is open to all. In the Amphitheatre. Films include:

    Strawberry & Chocolate (104 minutes - Spanish with English subtitles). Follows the unlikely friendship between David, a conservative, and Diego, his gay neighbour, in Cuba.  .

    Fidel, the untold story (91 minutes - English). A unique opportunity to view Fidel Castro through exclusive interviews with Castro himself, his family and close friends. 

    Rebel Music Americas (79 minutes – Spanish with English subtitles). From Tierra del Fuego to the Rio Grande, the Americas are in turmoil. In the midst of the social and political movements rocking the region are some amazing rebel musicians.

  • Vernissage. For the Love of Art. Students from the Arts and Science and Creative Arts programs present their Integrative Projects. More that 20 works will be on display including:
    • A series of paintings that bring together philosophical questions and art historical movements
    • Sculpture that examines the effect of plastics on the environment
    • An installation that amasses doodle art from students’ exercise books
    • A large-scale photographic project that looks at changing roles for women during the last century
    • A manifesto that calls for the recognition of culinary works as fine art.
Wednesday April 16

Teacher/student day, no classes.

Thursday April 17 
  • Arts bazaar. Browse and purchase student-created work, including T-shirts and chapbooks. 
  • Poet’s cafe. Always popular, our Poet’s cafe features readings and performances of students’ creative writing. 
  • Student films/videos. Seven students from the Arts and Science and Creative Arts programs present their film and video projects on the big screen. Refreshments will be served. Films include:
    • Alice in Cornland: Are We Living in a Corn-Hazed Fantasy? Delve into a mystical world where corn drives everything: fuel source, feed source, income source. (Lara Reichman, Arts and Sciences)
    • The Talking Trash Can. A short documentary film chronicling the recycling habits of Marianopolis students with respect to plastic bags. By conducting interviews with students, it examines their role as agents of change. (Josh Rosenblatt, Arts and Sciences)
    • The Cheap Way Out. A Marianopolis student shows young adults how to travel and enjoy Quebec City on a budget. (Natasha Launi, Creative Arts)
    • Perception on Sound in Film. This movie demonstrates how music and dialogue influence the emotional perceptions of a scene. (Joelle Librowicz, Creative Arts).
  • Dirty Laundry cabaret. A well-established event, the Dirty Laundry cabaret allows faculty, staff and alumni to show off their creative prowess. An exhibition of art plus readings, music and good conversation are all on the agenda for this casual event. 
Friday April 18
ArtsFest Concert. The College's Art Deco Auditorium was the place to be as some of the Professional Music Program's most talented alumni and students played a diverse mix of music, from classical to jazz to klezmer. 7:30 p.m.


Professor Michael Sendbuehler helps an Arts student finalize the design details before screening last year’s limited-edition ArtsFest T-shirt.