Prairie Outdoor Exhibition

FOLKSONG 50 marries the intention of a banjo-playing dancing tree within the framework that guided the simplicity of the original artwork for the event in 1974 that set the foundation for all future folk fests to come. FOLKSONG 50 is a rug tapestry: tufted, punch-needled, and rug-hooked of weather-resistant materials in monochrome with inclusions.

Maureen Winnicki Lyons, founder of Wool Mountain, quietly subverts the whirlwind age in which we live with 20+ years of experience in handmade slow-living through the arts and crafts movement in Manitoba.

The Plead is on an old wooden door found in the back alley. On one side is a poem written by street artist, s.o.resident. On the other side is art painted by Zac Ironstand. The Plead is an attempt to inspire positive change in the world. It is a hopeful response to, "we're screwed." It accepts climate change as inevitable, and takes the next step, not how do we survive climate change, but our reaction to it.

s.o.resident is a gent of change and street artist who attempts to use word play to pull the neurons and visuals to thump the heart.

Zac Ironstand is a Métis/Ojibwe local that specializes in tattoo work but has recently stepped into the installation world with pieces made from a variety of materials. His use of humour and juxtaposition help highlight some of our city’s darker truths.

“Waterfall Light” is an immersive and interactive beaded installation, brings the beauty and tranquility of water to spaces that lack it, creating a multi-sensory experience that resonates with festival goers, encouraging interaction and reflection. This project inspires a sense of wonder and calm, while experiencing of soothing qualities of moving water in an unexpected and captivating form.

Shanelle St. Hilaire is a Red River Métis multi-disciplinary artist who specializes in painting and craft, currently focusing on beadwork, sound and digital programming. She finds inspiration in many areas of study such as plant science, gender identity, and the connection between human and nature, often marrying these concepts with feminist ideals. St. Hilaire’s work is rooted in research and process, prioritizing materials and techniques.

Festival Echoes is a multi-piece art installation celebrating music, magic, natural beauty, and community spirit of the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Using natural materials and a mix of handcrafted and machine-aided techniques, the artwork features layered wood veneer compositions inspired by music and festival life.

Emilie is a multidisciplinary artist with a long history of exhibiting her work locally and abroad. Andrew is a mechanic and teacher who can build just about anything. Originally from Alberta, he now calls Winnipeg home and attends the WFF annually. Together Emilie and Andrew are a powerhouse creative team and would also bring their two young children to the Festival, so the next generation of Folkies can keep the magic going for another 50 years!

“Fates Archway” is a whimsical woven structure inspired by the past, present and hopeful futures we weave together. A welcoming archway with three entries made of woven willows and grasses form a place of reflection and celebration where prairie folks rest, play, story tell and dream as they gaze and walk through a portal connecting person, place and the time we have spent together. “Fates Archway” inspires and strengthens our connection to each other and its three arches will let us remember memories from the past 50 years, the present festival, and towards the future.

Grace Boyd is a land-based artist currently based on the prairies of central Canada. The natural beauty of the outdoors surrounded her shaped her identity and art practice, drawing her to handmade objects and how they are made. The places she has lived inspire her work and inform her constant need to connect; person, place, and object. She is ever seeking a natural place to rest which drives her to create the world in which she wishes to belong and thrive within.

Sean McLachlan is a Winnipeg based artist who focuses on capturing the power of place through his sculptural public artworks throughout the East Exchange district of Winnipeg, and through letterpress based print based artworks in his traditional letterpress print studio, Printmonger Press.

The project is a visual dialogue between generations, weaving together the stories, memories, and cultural experiences of those who have shaped the festival and the land it celebrates. The planks themselves represent growth and the interconnectedness of all things, mirroring the growth of the festival and its profound impact on the community over the decades.

Amanda and Valorie are Indigenous sisters and an independent, multi-disciplinary filmmaker duo born and raised in Manitoba. Amanda, (the older sister), began her Folk Festival journey in 2009. She started showing the ropes to her younger sister, Valorie, in 2012. The camaraderie and kindness of the festival is what led Amanda to share it with her sister. The music and shows were amazing but first came that feeling of pure inclusion and human connection. The with a special spot for do-it-yourself, grassroots creations that bring people together. Physical installations and interactive art displays are a special focus of ours that is best seen at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.  They usually put their energy into films; Amanda has made over 30 short films and worked on feature films. You may have seen their previous Winnipeg Folk Festival art installation, a giant interactive sundial in the campground for seven years between 2013 and 2020.

Headstocks represents the meeting place that the Winnipeg Folk Festival has provided for people to encounter music and each other in magical ways.

An interactive mural featuring several larger-than-life paintings of some of your favourite folky stringed instruments. Banjo, mandolin, fiddle & guitars are featured but they are all missing one thing: their headstocks!

People will be invited to stand behind the artwork with their heads above the panels to pose as the headstocks of these instruments. An opportunity for fun photography as groups or individuals to add to their festival memories.

Laura Lee Harasym and André Péloquin-Hopfner are creative partners and life partners. Laura Lee is an established visual artist based in Manitoba. Her paintings are inspired by the warmth of life, motherhood and by André's landscape photography. André Péloquin-Hopfner is a multidisciplinary artist working in the realms of photography, digital art, and music. Together they inspire one another in many collaborative artistic endeavours.

Forest Tapestry is made in commemoration of the ongoing collaboration between park caretakers, its visitors and the natural environment. Deadfall twigs from aspen, black spruce, cedar, dried grasses and flowers are stitched onto four leaves made of lace and wire.

Karen Wardle is a Winnipeg-based sculptor and painter. Her work has been exhibited in shows across Canada. Wardle maintains an interest in the complexities of human ecology and most importantly our impact upon the natural environment.

Wardle maintains an interest in the complexities of human ecology and challenges associated with gender politics and the semiotics of the feminine.

A single tree weaves together themes of music, community and tradition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Winnipeg Folk Fest. The Folk Fairy Tree is a magical gathering place for a community of music-loving fairies & a place for visitors to be part of the magical togetherness of the Folk Fest fairies and contribute their own wishes and dreams.

Inspired by the Trading Post that was once a cherished part of Folk Fest’s campground culture the Fairy Folk Tree includes a Fairy Trading Post where you can exchange handmade art, and trinkets, creating a space of creativity and shared connection.

Darci Madlung is a multidisciplinary visual artist. Born in the mountains, Darci was inspired by local artists and nature. Her work includes painting and sculpture in a variety of mediums, collaborative public art projects and teaching in-studio, off-site workshops and kids art camps.

Janelle Lagasse is a multidisciplinary artist from Manitoba whose work spans poetry, painting, photography, and spoken word. Rooted in her Indigenous heritage and inspired by the natural world, her art reflects themes of self-discovery, resilience, and connection. As a mother navigating personal transformation, Janelle creates to honor growth and invites others into spaces of healing and authenticity. Through her work, Janelle strives to empower others and inspire meaningful connections.

A quasi-faithful ‘reproduction’ of the old Festival Bulletin Board & Payphone structure, a fondly remembered meeting place and message board for many, with a fabricated ‘kite’ on top and in the spirit of the original structure, a replica (but non-working) wall mounted rotary dial ‘payphone.’

As long-time partners and collaborators in both life and art, Glen and Charlene engage in the act of creativity via whatever means and methods best communicate their vision, experiences, ideas, and observations of the world around them.

A large format patchwork quilt made from old, retired WFF tarps.  The iconic banjo is centered and surrounded with floral and arboreal designs incorporating design elements from Snowberry Field and Chickadee stages past folk fest projects of Foster that represent stage names, and images that symbolize festival memories. The title "Long May You Tarp Run" refers to Neil Young song and is about memories, but also looks to the future, wishing a long-running festival for generations to come.

Alison Foster is a multidisciplinary artist and art educator living in Winnipeg. She believes that art is for everyone!

Designed as a tool for healing, mediation and contemplation, the labyrinth is made up of one continuous path leading to its centre. The journey into the labyrinth can be a metaphor for a journey into oneself in the search for wholeness of body and mind. It is an ancient symbol of self-discovery. Culleton works with the land to integrate the design, creating a new design each year speaks to the renewal process that the prairie goes through every spring where the grass grows back, and the canvas is refreshed. Although the labyrinth is a physical undertaking, the reworking of the ground in that field has made it a sacred space for meditation and contemplation.

James Culleton is a multimedia artist, designer and musician living in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Woodland Animals continues a beloved tradition, bringing festival-goers closer to the natural beauty of Birds Hill Provincial Park and the animals that call it home. This interactive outdoor exhibit features a variety of animals native to the park, crafted in a way that celebrates both art and nature. Over the past few years, these woodland creatures have become a part of the festival experience, with attendees seeking them out and capturing photos as part of their Folk Fest memories.

Amber Green is a Winnipeg-based graphic designer and publishing manager at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre. With a passion for visual storytelling, she blends her design expertise with her love for handcrafted art. In her spare time, Amber creates wood art pieces under Stone and Colour. Beyond design, she enjoys travelling, camping, biking, and spending quality time with loved ones.

An installation of upwards of 300+ small paintings, done on pieces of reclaimed wood, in various locations throughout the festival site. A play on the idea of firsts, "50 First Festivals," captures the perspective of the wonder people experience with their first festival. Every year is someone's first festival, and within that, first experiences that eventually become tradition.

Cyrus Smith (b. 1976) is a Canadian visual artist residing in Winnipeg, MB. Having an extensive background in street art, Smith borrows from popular culture and addresses several themes throughout his work. He has been involved with numerous exhibitions, public art, and performance projects throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe. Smith has given lectures and workshops detailing the risk of alienation and suppression of Graffiti Art. His work is included in collections worldwide.

Rachael Hoogstraten Searle (aka Sour Pony) is a visual artist and writer, originally from rural Alberta, based now in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She works primarily in mixed media collage. She has spent her years in Winnipeg embedded in the culture of live music and art. Her work plays with elements of the rural experience, natural artifacts, the naked form and our deepest connections to what grounds us to the natural world.

A play on the abstract shapes of a banjo demonstrates the multiplicity of performances that have taken place at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and also points out the pluralistic essence of our community.

The overall land art is made of the found material (twigs, branches, stone, leaves) which not only stays in harmony with the surrounding natural setting but also makes an imperfect (due to the shape of organic material) shape that ought to be perfect (geometrical perfection) celebrating our imperfect ideal human nature.

Alireza is a Winnipeg-based freelance curator and educator, currently teaching at the department of history at the University of Winnipeg. Ali mainly works on the geometrical shapes ass conceptual materials that are shared among so many different cultures and their relation to the land and nature.

“Celebration” seeks to merge the festival’s vibrant musical legacy with the wisdom of the land. The piece reimagines the iconic banjo, a symbol of the festival’s deep connection to folk music, while integrating elements of Indigenous teachings and the natural world that have shaped this place for thousands of years.

The crowd-favourite ceramic turtle shells return, each sculpted with care and inspiration drawn from the vast prairie land and sky. The shells carry deep significance, serving as a physical representation of Indigenous land knowledge passed down by elders. The teachings, embedded in the shells, emphasize living in harmony with the environment, reminding us of the interconnectedness between all living things. The banjo represents the festival’s roots in music, community, and the shared stories passed down through generations. However, this isn’t just a celebration of the past; it’s an invitation to look forward and reflect on how we continue to weave our collective narrative.

KC Adams is Anishinaabe, Niheyew and British, and a registered member of Fisher River Cree Nation. She considers herself a relational maker, a creator whose work connects to Indigenous axiology and epistemology––recognizing her role as an educator, activist, community member and mentor. Adams creates work that explores technology and its relationship to her Indigenous identity and knowledge systems.

A visual integrated with each stage area to show how the event has developed and changed over the past 50 years. Made from reclaimed wood, and hand-painted to capture the unique personality and essence of that particular stage.

Chris Pancoe is a multimedia artist, with a penchant for working with clay, wood, snow and ice. Because of his diverse art background and eclectic skill set, he is often contracted to fabricate and/or design various projects that your average builder would be afraid to take on. After a 10+ year tenure at The University of Manitoba as the Sculpture and Ceramic Technician, Chris is the now the Artistic Director and Co-owner of Anvil Tree, Winnipeg’s newest design, build and art fabrication company. When he’s not at work, he can be found in his studio feeding Gronk his woodstove, fixing broken items, making art and drinking coffee or a malt beverage out of a handmade mug.