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blog post Searchlight Profile: ArtsWells Festival of All Things Art - Best Music Festival In Canada

posted by John Paolozzi on Mar 05, 2010

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The final push is on to see who will take the prized for Searchlight, Canada's Best Music Festival. To give you a sense of our ten finalist, we sent out questionaires to the remaining festivals. We'll post them as we receive them, so please check them out, and don't forget to VOTE!

How long has the ArtsWells Festival of All Things Art been in operation?
This year will be our 7^th Annual

What is the mission statement of your festival?
The ArtsWells Festival Of All Things Art serves artists and stimulates and enhances artistic, cultural and economic development by striving for excellence in the arts through performances, workshops, exhibitions, kids activities and the International One Minute Play Festival.

What makes your festival site special?
Our site encompasses the two historic gold mining communities of Wells and Barkerville nestled in the junction of five valleys on edge of a vast meadow deep in the heart of the Cariboo Mountains. The festival site is the entire town featuring 8 indoor and outdoor stages from the oldest church in British Columbia, to the Historic Sunset Theater and Wells Community Hall and the lush grasses of the Wells/Barkerville School. Climate wise you couldn’t ask for more…rain, bugs, thunder, lightning, and all time with the risk of snow...but when the sun shines no greater place to be.

What is your favourite festival moment of the past?
At the time it wasn’t my favourite, but looking back it is the thing that legends are made of. After a night of a total sound melt down, including having the last operating speaker stack billowing white smoke and being 5 hours behind on the schedule, Mamaguroove came on at 4am, right after Toronto’s Mr. Something Something’s epic set, and rocked the house, still filled with plenty of die hards. That was in 2006, we have learned A LOT since then.

Name one artist that is playing this year?
Geoff Berner will be back again, this time with band, as well as many of the usual suspects... soon to be revealed… apologies to all those artists I haven’t gotten back to yet… we are still getting our act together!

Why should we vote for your festival?
ArtsWells is by far the smallest festival remaining and has not only survived in spite of its remote location, tiny budget, minimal, sponsorship, few grants, small annual attendance, unpredictable weather but continues to grow and flourish in spite of the devastating cuts in BC to arts and culture funding. Our entire performer budget would equal one headliner at most of the remaining festivals … at ArtsWells each act is given the same billing – every act is a headliner! This is a festival, which is about building community, not only during the festival weekend but all year long. This is a festival, which will far exceeded any expectations and may just change your life!

posted by John Paolozzi on Mar 05, 2010

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#1 posted by
agoodall
on Mar 05, 2010

I finally attended the ArtsWells Festival last year after having heard of the little festival in mountains for a number of years. I had been put off by the prospect of the nine hour drive to go to a festival at the end of the road but each year I kept hearing more and more musicians and artists talking of how amazing this festival I finally had to check it out for myself. My only regret was having taken so long to make up my mind and take a chance on this amazing festival. Everything about is grass roots and I echo my friends sentiments when I say it’s like summer camp for artists and musicians. The sense of community is profound and the whole town is the venue. Each stage is amazing in its own right and there is little separation between the performers, volunteers and festival goers. Spontaneous jams pop up anywhere one stops for a moment and the most amazing collaborations seem to blossom in as much abundance as the wild flowers which fill the town. On Sunday I participated in the International One Minute Play festival alongside David Francey and so many others, a fun and absolutely ridiculous and hilarious one of a kind event. I can see why so many artists have said this festival was a transformative experience as the magic in the air is palpable and the community is both true and honest. Take the chance and check this festival out, many of the acts you may have never heard of but each and everyone is amazing and I can’t believe just how many amazing CD’s I walked away with and still have on heavy rotation in my CD player almost a year hence. I will be certain to get back this year and will be spreading the gospel far and wide … Thanks for creating such a welcoming and amazing festival experience unlike anything else I have ever been to.

#2 posted by
clarkie
on Mar 05, 2010

Nice to see you don’t need the biggest budget, tons of sponsorship, large attendances, headlining acts and a whole lot of flash and sizzle to still create a unique and intimate festival experience. This festival heralds back to a much simpler time, one where the music and the experience far outweighed the need to have the biggest and the most expensive. Seeing they had the legendary poster designer Bob Masse design their poster is no surprise as this festival captures the spirit of the late 60’s happenings. Congratulations and hats off to ArtsWells and all those Small Festivals popping up across the country. I hope you win but having made it this far up against all these other amazing large budget festivals gives me hope that independent music still has a place, audience and the power to change and transform those who take the time to be active participants’ in the festival experience.

#3 posted by
cariboopete
on Mar 07, 2010

Congratulations to the folks who put on this festival and all the small budget festivals which dot our landscape, providing intrepid travelers of this great land with cultural oasis’s during the dog days of summer. While I love the big name, big budget festivals its festivals such as the ArtsWells Festival which really bring one back to the festival experience. If this contest achieves anything I hope it will bring greater recognition to all the small festivals and prompt more folks to take the chance and support these small festivals and the incredible diversity of talent and activities they have to offer. I hope this not a contest about big budgets but rather an honest look at what a festival experience is about and how that is reflected in both the performers and audience’s experience. Good luck to all those nominated and to all those festivals which while worthy didn’t make the cut. I hope this will encourage more people to seek out and check out a festival this summer and support all those who contribute to our cultural and creative economy. My vote is for the underdog and what in my estimation is a wonderful festival experience providing something the larger festivals wish they could capture but have somehow lost due to the size of their production and budget.

#4 posted by
Morlove
on Mar 08, 2010

Artswells holds a very special place in the hearts of Morlove. Our band was created there one summer and I can wholeheartedly say there is no festival I have ever participated in that feels like this one. People spill out through the town and in and out of various venues...the cross-pollination is tangible. Very friendly, this is a spontaneous temporary community we look forward to being a part of every summer. Viva Artswells!

#5 posted by
dw33b
on Mar 10, 2010

Last summer was a build up to this event with the band I was playing with. I had the small fortune of knowing everyone on the road up to the the festival thanks to music school and previous shmoozing efforts, as well as other festivals.

I went there and I was fantastically (for lack of better word) floored, sitting in a room with juno nominiees and a few artists who worked with my friends - and although everything I've said to this moment sounds terribly vain, this was by far the biggest learning experience of my career.

I had to play not once - but four times with two different bands and impress my very own peers.

It was a privelge to partake in such a festival where we all were part of the audience (theres a severe lack of Omething to do besides be, or play, or eat, or jump in the options of lakes, or just run away _ check last years line up if you doubt me) and it sealed the deal when it came to respect, awknoledgement, or even selling CD's, from the staff on hand, especially when it came to making it perfect.

I'm grateful for that moment when other bands came along to sing out loud to our random joke covers (there is currently more than five CBC favorites), to those who sat or dancend in attendance, to the staff who made every dream of ours a tangible reality (respect, effort, and rediculous whim), and even for the effort to promote other festivals in the area to make our tour a smooth and functional journey. No other festival helped us to get there and all the way back home then Arts Wells.

However, I'm slightly biased because I didn't have to pull in any personal favours to partake on the mainstage, or any of the side stage or DIY stages. This to me means that Arts Wells is more than just a festival or a bandcamp. It's a place that makes playing music and being a fan of music fun.

Go ahead and claim something as the best Canadian festival (like Winnipeg Folk Fest). As a REAL musician and someone who borrowed and pleaded for success, Arts Wells is a gift accessible to the real artist, with it's 60's San Fransisco spirit!

#6 posted by
zipbc
on Mar 10, 2010

When friends support friends who are talented but struggling to be heard... when people reach out to others to ask for & create common ground.... ...when people rally together to support the arts & creativity, then great legacies/memories will be born.

For some groups and communities, creating a festival is a planned, targeted, budgeted and well-marketed affair. With money, anything is possible (see: Vancouver's Olympics!). But most people don't have millions, or even hundreds extra to throw in at the start (or ever!)

But if you commit to the process of using CREATIVITY, COMMUNITY, FAITH & PERSEVERANCE as your biggest assets, then anything IS possible in the long term ("I have a dream"). Work with what you have and from where you are; expand the circles and plant the seeds. "If you build it They Will Come". That's how most festivals are born.

It started like this: "Wells? -- where?? who? Barkerville- what??

.. and we'd say: "Its a really cool and gorgeous area, and Wells is amazing. It's where BC's Gold Rush started & made this province come into existence. Come and see for yourself, come to our festival!"

And then we proceeded to do everything possible within our limited means to see that artists & audiences had a good time.

ArtsWells was born because a group of friends knew the potential for people to come together to celebrate, share and CREATE ART and COMMUNITY in the tiny, magical, beautiful town of Wells.

The size of the town is perfect, and there is so much to feed off of creatively:

...colourful homes & buildings; old churches converted into vibrant art galleries; gorgeous pine mountains with pine-beetle red tints glistening in the sun; a gorgeous 1930's community hall; a fun and fascinating 1860-90's historic town called Barkerville, filled with interesting stories and buidings.

Who doesn't get inspired by getting out of the city and into a world totally different?

So we created a reason for people to connect & share themselves & their talents with other like-minded, creativity-nurturing and inspiring people- artists or audiences- in Wells. We wanted to bring all of that good energy to the Cariboo- a region most touring musicians avoid due to LACK of VENUES and an established indie music scene (though its grown finally!).

Our festival grew each year as we found more spaces for people to perform, hang out, do workshops and just be an arts-lover for a weekend, to catch up with old friends and make tons of new ones. Word spread and each year the roster grew to accommodate all the talent. We had to turn away volunteers last year, proving that people want to participate and co-create this inspiring, creative community festival experience.

Creative people need SPACE and SUPPORT so they can perform, connect, share and inspire. Space is expensive, but if you have buildings that are sitting empty then the unused space fills up with warmth and sounds long forgotten: laughter, conversation, music.

Like life without art & music when it suddenly becomes inundated with it, your Heart Swells.

Small towns need festivals because 1) they have places they didn't even know could house people, music and art, 2) fresh creative energy is needed to keep small towns & isolated people healthy, and 3) artists in big-cities need a reason to get out and connect with people in other parts of our country, and they need the chance to spend time in areas where the pace is slower, the people are friendlier, the nature is more present, and the potential for creativity and inspiration is constant.

You'll find this magic in the air during the ArtsWells Festival. People coming together & being inspired.

It's more than a festival: its a community.

***

We are SO THRILLED to be recognized in this contest. THANK YOU CBC RADIO3... and congratulations to everyone on the list or not, who are making festivals and creating art & community all across this country :)

Support small town music festivals!

#7 posted by
ericadee
on Mar 10, 2010

I love love love ArtsWells. If you don't know now you will soon - it's a beautiful town and created /creative space, filled with all manner of shenanigans and meaningful moments - some which last all year! And what you get for what you pay...it's a small secret, now unleashed by the power of the CBC. May that bring only good and further blessings to a totally deserving bunch of townies, musicians, freaks hiding out in the woods, and those who travel from far away to partake in the glory of a few days spent loving it up... So excited to get back that way...down the twisty steep road, up the hill, and there it is, coming around the mountain! Thank you IMA people and thank you CBC..we're all in this thing together.

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