Prairie Outdoor Exhibition
Art at Folk Fest comes in all shapes and forms – from the music on stage to the creative wardrobe of the crowd – we welcome it all! We are excited to share the wonderful art installations that are part of our Prairie Outdoor Exhibition.
Applications CLOSED
Prairie Outdoor Exhibition applications are closed.
2022 Artists
Our theme for 2022 is Trees. Trees are an integral part of our beautiful site in Birds Hill Park. Keep your eyes open for installations that will inspire and delight festivalgoers young and old.
Whimsically woven structures inspired by the soul of the prairies. A welcoming and magical space made of grasses, willows and branches for prairie folks to rest, play, story tell and dream. In Prairie Hives folks can sing songs, play games, build new traditions and celebrate the magic of Folk Fest.
Grace Boyd is a land artist based out of Winnipeg Manitoba. As a prairie person Boyd is in constant connection to the land and the natural forces of nature. Boyd uses the energy and the materials the prairies provide in her art practice to give life and soul to the objects and spaces created.
My work with labyrinths over the past decade has led me through several designs where I work with the land to integrate the design. Creating 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. And although the labyrinth is just a physical undertaking, the reworking of the ground in that field has made it a space for meditation and contemplation.
James Culleton is a Winnipeg based artist, designer, and musician. He studied at the University of Manitoba and is known for his drawings of musicians using blind contour drawing. Sculptures based on his drawings grace the front of the West End Cultural Centre.
Thousands of flowers laid upon sand beds in intricate designs create celebratory designs. These ephemeral works of art have become an annual favorite to happen upon throughout the festival site.
Alison is an artist and entrepreneur. She resides in Winnipeg and is the owner of the company Barletta Beeswax.
Instagram: @millefiorimandala
During the Festival, Ariel Gordon will write poems and hang them from a cottonwood on the festival site with paper and yarn. TreeTalk isn't just one poet and a tree: festival-goers can sit under the tree and contribute their ideas, poems, and secrets. It works because we take the time to think about our relationship with the more-than-human.
Photographer Mike Deal will be returning to document the process.
Ariel Gordon is a Winnipeg-based writer. Her most recent books are Treed: Walking in Canada‚ Urban Forests (Wolsak & Wynn, 2019) and TreeTalk: Winnipeg (At Bay Press, 2020).
A celebration of the animals living amongst the trees in Birds Hill Park. Each creature is designed and created using reclaimed wood from right here in Manitoba: Pine, Oak, and Cedar. These pieces feature rich grains that echo their origins from where they once grew. Each piece is brought back to their natural habitat in the form of woodland animals playing amongst the trees in the park.
Aspen the Fox, Snowberry the Bear, Nimowin the Deer and Blue the Racoon would be joined by their friends Shady the Skunk, Spruce the Squirrel, Chickadee the Bird, Bur the Rabbit and Ash the Owl.
Amber Green is a graphic designer and proud Métis woman with a great love for the outdoors. Green followed in her father's footsteps by learning wood working to use in her creative process.
A tongue-in-cheek commentary on humankind's often tenuous relationship with nature, represented here by a functional / non-functional unnatural depiction of an otherwise natural element of shelter, beauty and life: the tree.
Knapp and Beleyowski are long time creative partners and collaborators, both in art and in life. They strive to engage in the act of creativity, be it independently, collaboratively or collectively.
This piece was inspired by several aesthetics and styles: glazik embroidery (originating in Breton, France), the alebrijes of Pedro Linares and Lite-Brite. The beadwork represents absolute joy and whimsy that Festival visitors feel when discovering new artists and finding old friends. This modern beadwork is on black melton wool, using a variety of glass beads, both vintage and new. Beadwork is made to be not just looked at, but also touched; a variety of shapes ensure a pleasing experience for those who are visually impaired.
Olivier is an anthropologist by training, a fur trade historian by profession and a beadwork artist by accident. Olivier has been involved in interpretive and educational programming, and has been exposed and inspired by many incredible musical and visual artists. Olivier also plays the banjo.
Inspired by the Aspen tree. This hardy tree provides shelter and sustenance for many woodland creatures. A desire to use recycled materials led to recycling clothing into yarn knitted into a trunk. Vintage lace doilies make up the four leaves crowning the tree. This project is made entirely from recycled metal, fabric and lace.
Karen Wardle is a Winnipeg based sculptor and painter. Her work has exhibited in group shows and solo shows across Canada.