From August 13th to the 16th, Eastern Edge will host workshops for families and artists, a film screening at the Rooms, the new Art Sprint competition, a downtown Art Crawl, an art auction and exhibition, and several community barbecues as part of the HOLD FAST Festival of Contemporary Art.

Formerly known as the 24 Hour Art Marathon, the name change to Hold Fast marks a growth spurt for the festival, which is now an exciting, jam-packed, days-long festival of art making, art talks, art walks, and so much more for people of all ages and inclinations.

“HOLD FAST’s purpose is to connect artists and the public in the Newfoundland & Labrador contemporary art community” says Eastern Edge’s Director, Chloe Lewis.

“It’s a fun and engaging way for the Gallery to maintain its commitment to support visual artists while increasing public awareness, understanding, and access to contemporary modes of expression.”

Anyone looking to find out more about the Festival and its events can go to holdfastfestival.com.

The Festival features:

  • Five workshops, two for youth and three for the general public, with lessons from artists and curators on art writing and artistic practice. These take place August 13th and 14th.
  • 10 presenting artists, five local and five across Canada. The downtown Art Crawl features their work, running from 7pm–11pm on Saturday, August 15th. Festival-goers who get their Festival Passport stamped at each Art Crawl project get $5 off at Shed Island’s concert that evening, taking place at The Ship. These projects include:
    • Projected video installations on the George Street stage, in Gallery 24, and in the artist studios at 177 Water St. (“Wallpaper” by local artist Jason Penney, “A study of gravity” by Toronto-based Alex Beriault, and “Pretty Young Thing” by Kathy Oke and Joe Fowler from St. John’s)
    • A woven curtain of 12,000 drinking straws in City Hall (“Freedom Tube” by Jes Sachse)
    • The installation of a diamond underneath an artists’ skin in the Rocket Room (“Diamonds under my skin” by Montreal-based Raphaële Frigon)
    • A hydraulic can crusher that creates cubes from pop cans at Fogtown Barber Shop (“Can Crusher” by Robert Hengeveld from Toronto)
    • A build-anything-you-dream-of “Cardboard Party” at Eastern Edge Gallery (Sherwin Sullivan Tjia of Montreal)
    • A curated art exhibition and zine publication (“Maybe, Probably” by Amery Sandford and Allison Graves from St. John’s)
  • For 2015, a brand new and improved art “marathon”: the Art Sprint. The Sprint is a seven-hour live event featuring artists of all ages, levels of experience, and backgrounds as they participate in seven lively art challenges.
  • A members’ exhibition and art auction to bring the Festival to a close, hosted at Eastern Edge Gallery, welcoming the public to view and silently bid on artworks contributed by gallery members and created through the Art Sprint.