Caledon Creative Arts Festival is coming soon

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Caledon is home to many talented artists.

On September 23, the Town of Caledon and Caledon Public Library (CPL) are collaborating to celebrate these artists by hosting the second annual Caledon Creative Arts Festival. The festival was first held last year and was called the Caledon Art Crawl. 

The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Caledon East Park (6101 Old Church Road). It will feature live music, interactive workshops for people of all ages, local artisan vendors, a visual art showcase and more. 

Jason Schildroth, Caledon's Manager of Community and Cultural Development, said the art crawl was very well-received last year and the Town is very excited for this year's festival.

Schildroth explained this year's festival is expanding on last year's. In addition to partnering with the CPL, the Town has also made the festival a part of Ontario's Culture Days.

Culture Days is a Province-wide tourism initiative that happens each Fall.

“Our creative arts festival is our signature moment for our participation in that initiative,” said Schildroth. “It's a way for us to elevate our tourism identity by using an event we're already looking to grow.”

Laura Nolloth, a Coordinator of Communications and Community Development for the CPL, said this year, the festival is a great chance for the library to showcase artists who are a part of the library's Artful Caledon platform. 

Nolloth explained the CPL is using a donation from the Friends of the Caledon Public Library to rent a 20 by 40 foot tent to use at the festival. Under the tent, authors, artists, musicians and studios that are a part of Artful Caledon will be showcased. Any local artist is welcome to be a part of the platform and can learn more about it at artfulcaledon.ca.

The CPL is going to host an “old-fashioned selfie” contest during the festival with Mayor Annette Groves and Caledon Councillors. They'll be given a mirror, a canvas and a paintbrush and will compete to see who can paint the best representation of themselves.

Nolloth said it's a show that's sure to bring some laughs, and the audience will get to pick their favourite “selfie” and determine the winner. 

Schildroth said Caledon's Tourism and Economic Development Strategies both talk about the Town taking a leadership role in promoting local arts and culture. He said co-hosting the Caledon Creative Arts Festival is a way for Caledon to do just that.

One of the main goals of the festival is to attract artists of all mediums. Last year's festival featured authors, musicians, painters, sculptors, photographers and woodcarvers, to name a few. This year the Town and CPL would like to have representation from even more art disciplines.

“Caledon's art scene… is a huge part of our tourism identity,” said Schildroth.

Nolloth echoed Schildroth in saying the festival is a way for the CPL to live up to its goal of promoting local artists. 

“There's just so much talent in our community,” said Nolloth. She added she hopes the event will give artists an opportunity to sell some of their work and receive commissions to make custom art for people.

The Caledon Creative Arts Festival is a pet-friendly event, and while there will be no food on-site, the Town and CPL are encouraging people to stop in Caledon East and grab some local eats after they're finished at the festival.

Artists interested in participating in the festival or being a vendor can send an email to culture@caledon.ca. Artists are encouraged to indicate their interest in participating by September 1.

Updates on the Caledon Creative Arts Festival, such as a list of attending artists and vendors, and a schedule of workshops, will be posted to artfulcaledon.ca as they become available.