Skip to content

Time to 'engage the elevation'

Volunteering is a great way to get to know this grassroots community event.
95358comox09JohnnyWaffelzatElevate
Artist Johnny Waffelz displays his talents at the Elevate Arts Festival in Downtown Courtenay.

The third annual Elevate Arts Festival is coming up June 4 to 7 and organizers are getting the word out near and far about all the ways to ‘engage the elevation.’

The Elevate Arts Festival is a unique festival model that is built on the volunteer contributions of hundreds of participants as organizers, volunteers, sponsors and culture creators.

Together, these participants lend their resources, creativity and courage to stretch the edges of our local cultural experience. There are opportunities for creative spirits of all ages and backgrounds to get involved and find their own unique way to ‘elevate the arts.’

Volunteering is a great way to get to know this grassroots community event.

Volunteers are asked to contribute eight hours leading up to or during the event and can get involved in sign painting, poster hanging, cooking, photography, teaching workshops, helping performers, recycling and waste stream programs, site safety, decoration, technical support, kids stuff, paint throwing, construction and more. Families are encouraged to volunteer together.

There are still limited performance opportunities as well.

Street performers, performance artists, unusual collaborations and artists and musicians who have ‘outside the box’ material are encouraged to fill out an application on the elevate website.

Delicious hospitality is shared with all volunteers and performers in the Elevate Dining Hall during the event.

Join more than 150 other creative individuals who have confirmed their participation for Elevate 2014.

There are also some exciting opportunities to sell your creative creations at the Underground Art Show and Craftopia events on the Saturday (June 7 of the event).

Deadlines are coming up quickly (May 4) for these two juried arts and craft events.

Applications forms are online now at www.elevatethearts.com.

Community organizations, clubs, spiritual communities and school groups are also encouraged to get involved by sharing their stories and projects in unusual or creative ways.

Instead of handing out leaflets, community partners are invited to find creative ways to engage and attract new audiences.

One way is to get a team together for the “Portals and Thresholds Project”.

This project involves teams having just 24 hours to build a temporary installation art project in Downtown Courtenay. Check out all the details about this creative adventure at www.elevatethearts.com.

Check out the details about the annual Photopia Photo Contest as well and share the world through your lens with festival attendees.

Exciting categories make this contest a great fit for those who like to experiment with the technology and points of view.

Check back to the website for emergent opportunities to get involved.

Whether you write, sing, dance, photograph, build, rant, create or agitate you’re invited to be part of the third annual Elevate Arts Festival.

— Elevate Arts Festival