The Prairie Outdoor Exhibition is a sprawling outdoor gallery in Birds Hill Park held during the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
2008 Prairie Outdoor Exhibition
Exhibitors in 2008Random Acts of Dance by Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers is a spontaneous and ephemeral artistic combustion from Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers. Featuring an original musical score from Winnipeg’s very own Christine Fellows. WCD’s Random Acts of Dance series for the 2008 Folk Festival will consist of short excerpts from STRUCK, a new work that premiered in March of 2008 from WCD Artistic Director Brent Lott. Unexpected beauty for the eye, ear and heart. Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, now in it’s 43rd year, is one of Canada’s most respected modern dance companies. Led by Artistic Director Brent Lott, the Company remains committed to the development of contemporary dance locally and nationally.
Random Acts of Dance will be located near the Labyrinth in the west field.
Performance Times: 12:30, 3:00, 5:30 pm DAILY
 Random Acts of Dance by Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers. Photo by James Botaitis. |
The Secondhandpants Science-folktion Jukebox Sideshow by Wyll Maynard (aka Marlon Wiebe) & Francis Leonard (aka Curtis Wiebe) have returned! The self-proclaimed “science-folktion duo” made up of the Saskatchewan-bred Francis Leonard and the ever-mysterious man-from-space, Wyll Maynard, have once again taken it upon themselves to spread their down-home vision of the future to the masses. Through the spectacle that is The Science-folktion Jukebox Sideshow, the Secondhandpants invite you- yes you, festival goer- to be a part of the artistic process! Just pop in a coin, button or other mall object into the slot or simply give a little knock, then make your selection, honk the appropriate horn and prepare to be astounded! It’s a jukebox! It’s a live performance! It’s a living piece of science-folkology! It’s the Science-folktion Jukebox Sideshow!
The Secondhandpants are a revolutionary musical duo. Made up of the ever mysterious Wyll Maynard who hails from the far reaches of outer space and Francis Leonard, a good-natured Saskatchewan bred country boy; the Secondhandpants are the sole creators and performers of a unique musical style known as Science-folktion.
The Secondhandpants Science - folktion Jukebox Slideshow will be located on the west side of the Music Store tent.
Performance Times: 3:00 - 5:00 pm DAILY
 The Second-handpants Interactive Jukebox Sideshow by Wyll Maynard and Francis Leonard. Photo: Ravi Shukla. |
Pumpelstiltskin at the Puppet Palace by Teyana Neufeld. Catch the coolest of puppet theatre near the Family Area Reading Tent every day of the Festival! The story will be similar to a fairy tale we all know, but will feature the funny villain “Pumpelstiltskin” and as many “P” words that can comfortably fit into the script! Sure to be fun for the whole family!
Teyana Neufeld loves to be on the stage. She loves to act, sing, make music with a variety of instruments and she dips her toes into dance once in a while as well. Fabric is her favourite art medium and she loves to sew but new ideas excite her own creativity. Teyana is unabashedly in love with her rural home and the Prairies. She has only missed four Winnipeg Folk Festival in her entire nineteen years of existence.
Pumplestiltskin at the Puppet Palace is located by the Family Area Reading Tent.
Performance Times: 12 noon DAILY
Cycle by Brook Drabot is at once a magnified and deconstructed look at the living earth around us. Each panel is an expression of Brook’s explorations and collections of flora at a particular moment in each season. As the light changes throughout the day so to does the color, texture and appearance of the glass.
Brook Drabot is a Winnipeg based artist using a combination of cast, laminated, blown and solid working glass, to create. Her work is inspired by the local environment, history, maps and natural sciences.
 Festival-goers enjoying Labyrinth by James Culleton during the children’s parade. Photo: James Culleton. |
Labyrinth by James Culleton. Labyrinths are great meditation tools, and are sometimes used as a metaphor for expressing our need to find our true paths, despite obstacles. A labyrinth is not a maze, but rather a clear path to its center. At the center of this year’s labyrinth is a geodesic dome. A design made popular by Buckminster Fuller, the geodesic dome explores how an enclosure in the natural landscape can act as a hospitable place in a sometimes inhospitable environment. So as you walk into the labyrinth ask yourself a question. Concentrate on this problem as you walk the path and when you reach the center of the labyrinth you shall find resolve.
This is James Culleton’s fourth labyrinth for the festival. In 2007, his love for labyrinths led him to organize an exhibition in Portage La Prairie which included labyrinth artists from across Canada. At the centre of this year’s labyrinth is a geodesic dome created by Chris Pancoe, who recently received his MFA in Minneapolis. Chris & James met at the University of Manitoba in 2003 and have been collaborating, barbequing and listening to music at the folk festival ever since.
Oak Tree by Alison Froese & David Foster can be found at the Chickadee Palace stage. This backdrop depicts an oak tree with instruments hanging from it and surrounded by animals playing instruments and instrument-shaped creatures. The backdrop evokes important aspects of the festival: it allows music to be appreciated within nature, and inspires its participants to hear the music of the natural world. With its musician-animals and instrument-creatures, the backdrop reflects the whimsy of the festival, imagining plants and animals as nature’s musicians, performing with the musicians on stage.
Alison Froese & David Foster are artistic educators living in Winnipeg who love the Folk Fest! Alison’s previous backdrop installation from 2007, ‘Wildflowers’, can be viewed at Snowberry Stage.
 Wildflowers by Alison Froese. Photo: David McKnight. |
 Tarp Dance by Glen Knapp. Photo: Glen Knapp |
Tarp Dance by Glen Knapp. As a continuation of his light-hearted explorations of the Festival experience, this piece represents a playful expression of the positive energy, warmth and spirit of friends and family who gather on the tarp; a snapshot of the greater tarp community and the shared kinship that is shaped by the natural surroundings, the people and the music.
Glen Knapp studied at the University of Manitoba School of Fine Arts from 1985-1992. As a freelance artist, consultant, promoter and critic, he enjoys the act of creation- independently and collectively- in any media that permits him to illustrate his vision, experience and philosophy about life and the world around him.
Colourful Characters by Nicole Magne & Andrew Bart. These wooden figures capture the energy and spirit of the various colourful characters of the Winnipeg Folk Festival. “Try on” a new style of Festival fashion for a photo op and get into the magical Festival groove!
Nicole Magne and Andrew Bart have both earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba. Nicole is a videographer by trade but is known internationally for costume design. Andrew is an accomplished designer and illustrator.
 Colourful Characters of Folk Festival by Nicole Magne & Andy Bart. Photo: Ravi Shukla |
Sitting in sunhats up close in the grass by Dan Saidman can be found at Shady Grove stage. This backdrop is a perfect snapshot of the festival: several performers on a small stage with the audience in their sun hats sitting up close in the grass. Dan’s drawings are like photographs. They are about the same size and he tries to capture the same amount of detail. He uses loose lines that are a cross of representational and realistic to create drawings that are recognizable but not always obvious.
Dan Saidman is a local artist and curator. In 2002 he founded the Label Gallery and through “Label” he has participated in several local and national exhibitions. His work focuses on drawing and ways to expand those drawings into other mediums.
Box Car by Ian August & Temperance McDonald. Using a freight train as a back drop for the hard traveling musician, this installation can be found at Bur Oak stage. The freight train acts as an icon for the times when blues and folk music were developing, as a reference to the Hobo musician and as a visual accompaniment to the driving rhythm that these musicians are known for.
Ian August is a local artist and Temperance McDonald is a local fashion designer.
Legion of Birds by Erica Lowe is a three piece mural painting depicting the unseen creatures that surround us with their games. Meeting these acquaintances will perhaps reveal hidden aspects of your life, your feelings, and give you a new dimension to the flow of the day. Hopefully viewing the mural will fill the eyes with whimsy & laughter.
Erica Lowe is a mural painter from a small town called Harding, which she one day hopes to be mayor of. She has painted murals in Brandon and surrounding area with various accomplices, worked as an art instructor with children at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba and recently wrote a play/puppet show. She curated Spirited Energy Show” , which featured work by Manitoba artists who might have brought their dynamic local talent to the Spirited Energy campaign, which was designed instead by New York artists. Eric is a big Manitoba fan even though it is dry. She is fond of animals and dancing.
Guerrilla Gallery by Matthieu Bohémier. Since 2007, Matthieu has created a body of work that is an expression of his collective experiences made through the use of labour intensive drawing techniques. These drawings, normally intended to be viewed in a gallery setting, will instead be displayed in a Guerrilla Gallery: an art space that can be set up anywhere and anytime. The Guerrilla Gallery will roam the park grounds and will feature a different drawing each time it is relocated. The people of Folk Fest will not find the gallery, the gallery will find them.
Matthieu Bohémier is a Winnipeg based artist who works almost exclusively with coloured pencils and hand-cut paper. He graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours and is also affiliated with La Maison des artists visuels Francophones. His influences include visual and musical artists alike; from paintings by Hans Melming to the music of Lenny Breau.
13 Moons by Moneca Sinclaire & Kelly-Jo Dorvault. This exhibit is a humourous representation of the thirteen moon ceremony, celebrated by the Aboriginal peoples of Canada and 2008 is the year of the thirteen moons. Imbedded in this depiction of the moons are other connotations of the number ‘13′ and the term ‘moon’.
Moneca Sinclaire & Kelly-Jo Dorvault are both single parents and emerging artists who enjoy music, nature and festivals. They like to encourage art to be made available to everyone of all ages. Their inspirations are their sons, who they also involve in their art process.
Ezerine the Woodland Fairie by J.G. Sturko. Before becoming a woodland fairie, Ezerine managed a Starback’s. One day while serving someone a $15.00 Jumbo “Frappa Cappa”, Ezerine had an ethical crisis. This is like stealing, she thought. So, she walked out the door and into the forest where she now offers all woodland creatures delicious coffee treats at affordable prices.
J.G. Sturko is a carbon-based life form, 70% water content, more or less. The rest of me is made of…other stuff.
Rungerphone by Rick Unger. Combine a humble folk toy with an ancient musical instrument, then scale it in order of largest magnitude, and the result is the Rungerphone. Its seven sections have been woven together in the same way as the blocks of a wooden Jacob’s ladder toy. Like the bars of the xylophone, the rungs with each section have been tuned to play a particular note. When festival-goers engage the mechanism, the sections fall in succession and the rungs clap together playing a short tune made up of two-note chords.
Rick Unger considers himself a somewhat handy guy. He likes tinkering with things, getting them to work in new and unusual ways. A photographer, sculptor, and musician, Rick has a fascination for all things mechanical.
Band by Elizabeth Yonza is a backdrop that can be found at Bur Oak Stage. The image exemplifies Elizabeth’s fascination with the many interconnections between music and the visual art. Both rely on forms or patterns, rhythm and volume, juxtaposition and dynamic, colour and narrative. Emerging from the background like Michaelangelo’s Captivi, the images and shapes of the musicians provide a backdrop for the Festival performers on stage, while simultaneously evoking the often-unsung back-up role of the universal musician.
Elizabeth Yonza is a Polish-born Canadian artist and art restorer, with experience in all media. Raised by an artist mother and a pianist father, she has been creating for as long as she can remember, and is a 30-year resident of Winnipeg, where her full time career as an artist began when she settled here as a young mother of two small children. Countless commissioned portraits and landscapes encouraged her to continue producing, and further academic studies, art teaching and many more private and public commissions in various media have led steadily to a growing clientele in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
2007 Prairie Outdoor Exhibition
Here are the artists who exhibited in 2007:
Watering Holes by Dawn Chaput resonates with the annual massive gathering the Winnipeg Folk Festival generates each year. Tens of thousands collect nourishment from the yearly pilgrimage where within the prairies embrace they are given a kind of spiritual sustenance. From the local pub to the community well, watering holes have long been the place for exchange of experiences, ideas and energy.
| Festival-goers enjoying Labyrinth by James Culleton during the children’s parade. Photo: James Culleton |
Labyrinth by James Culleton is not a maze, but rather a clear path from beginning to end. Labyrinths have been around for centuries and can be used as a way of expressing our need to find our true paths despite obstacles. This year’s labyrinth will be in the shape of a banjo. The Labyrinth can be found on the festival map (first page of program book).
Cosmic Lanterns by Brook Drabot & Ryan Lacovetsky is meant to focus on the magical luminous qualities of a summer evening. This piece of art contains many facets and reflected points of light. As evening comes the piece will come alive with the festive energy of the night. Cosmic Lanterns will be at the entrance to the Family Area.
| Wildflowers by Alison Froese. Photo: David McKnight. |
 Celestial Stroll by Glenn W. Knapp. Photo: David McKnight. |
Wildflowers by Alison Froese. Alison’s work aims to create a sense of harmony with the music played on stage in that both are connected to movement. The piece is meant to interact with the performers and their music. Additionally, the backdrop reflects the prairie environment at the Folk Festival. Look for Alison’s art on Snowberry Field Stage.
Celestial Stroll by Glenn W. Knapp represents the earth, the sun, and the moon as they embark on a harmonic stroll across the festival grounds. These celestial entities are drawn to the music and the positive energy, warmth and spirit embodied by the festival and the people who gather here every year.
Colourful Characters of Folk Festival by Nicole Magne & Andy Bart. These site-specific pieces are an interactive way to celebrate the spirit of diversity at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. The cut-outs serve as a fun way to “try on” a different style of festival fashion, and have a good laugh. The people who are the colourful characters of Folk Fest serve as inspiration for these pieces.
| Colourful Characters of Folk Festival by Nicole Magne & Andy Bart. Photo: Ravi Shukla. |
| The Second-handpants Interactive Jukebox Sideshow by Wyll Maynard and Francis Leonard. Photo: Ravi Shukla. |
The Second-handpants Interactive Jukebox Sideshow by Wyll Maynard (aka Marlon Wiebe) & Francis Leonard (aka Curtis Wiebe). The Secondhandpants have seen the future! What if the world of tomorrow is not filled with the flying cars and domed cities of our scientific imaginations? How will the i-pod generation cope? Have no fear! The Secondhandpants Interactive Jukebox Sideshow is your mechanism for survival! It’s a live show! It’s a jukebox! It’s a piece of Techno-Folkology! Stop by between 3-5pm for the show, located near the Family area.
 Clarus Corpus by Teyana Neufeld and Rick Unger. Photo: Ravi Shukla. |
Clarus Corpus by Teyana Neufeld & Rick Unger. Clarus Corpus – Latin for “clear body”- is a series of sculptures inspired by people at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Since musicians, dancers, and yes, even Faeries can be seen enjoying the festival year after year, Teyana and Rick have created tape casts of them all! These ice-like figures have a beautiful luminescence in sunlight.
 Musicians on Stage by Dan Saidman. Photo: Ravi Shukla. |
Musicians on Stage by Dan Saidman. To Dan art is something that should be accessible but that should not to be confused with being obvious, and that will spark dialogue with its viewers. In his drawings, Dan tries to use loose lines that are a cross of representational and realistic to create images that are vibrant with energy. Look for Dan’s art on Shady Grove Stage.
 Prefab by Cyrus Smith. Photo by Ravi Shukla. |
Prefab by Cyrus Smith is a collection of small, original paintings temporarily installed around the Festival site. Often painted with mistints on rejected pieces of wood, this talented multi-media artist creates “prefabs”- anarchistic alternatives to run-of-the-mill graffiti art.
ART HIVE by Suzie Smith & Angela Forget. Making art more personal and approachable, ART HIVE is an old vending machine turned art gallery. It provides a forum for emerging and established artists to show and sell their work, limited only by the size of a cigarette box. ART HIVE attempts to reach a large diverse audience, and encourage easier access to original artwork at an affordable price. Come check out the ART HIVE at the Firefly/ Chickadee tent. There is something for everyone!
Jim The Dangler by Greg Sturko is one of four dangling gargoyles currently residing in the northern hemisphere. “I like dangling”, sez Jim, “my friends raz me about it sometimes, but I just tell them to go stick it!” When asked about the cape and mask, Jim laughs, “chicks dig the look, so what they hey.”
