Create
New festival aims to inspire curiosity and build a foundation for learning
There’s a new festival in town and it’s all about sparking a love of art in Calgary’s youngest citizens.
Create is Calgary’s new children’s festival, an interactive, multidisciplinary event for families that provides opportunities for the audience to engage with the arts, explore the process of creation, and experience special moments.
The inaugural festival features kid-friendly entertainment from Timepoint Ensemble, Rattle and Strum, Dan the One Man Band, the Kiddonauts, Zoostreet, and many more.
“It was my idea which was sparked into action as a result of the International Children’s Festival coming to a close,” explains Create Artistic Director Mandy Morris. “Calgary is a community of families and I believe that our children deserve to have a festival to call their own. It is my dream to develop a community where kids and their family can experience, create, and engage with art in a meaningful way.”
Families can expect three days full of music, dance, theatre, storytelling, literary arts, visual arts, clowns, and magic.
“Our entire line up is made up of Calgary-based artists of different styles,” explains Morris. “Every event has an element of interaction to help the children connect with art. Every child that visits the festival can contribute to an art project created by a visual arts class from the University of Calgary to help it grow with the festival.”
And Create not only engages kids during the performances, it has included children in every aspect of planning, organization, and execution of the event.
“Sharing art can inspire curiosity and build a foundation for learning,” she continues. “When we engage children with art, we are not only giving them opportunities to expand their knowledge base, we are inviting them to build relationships, take risks, and embrace their roles as active citizens in our society.”
Create runs May 24 to 26, 2019 at Doherty Hall (623 13th Ave. SE) and Shelf Life Books (1302 4th St. SW). Visit calgarychildrensfestival.ca for the full schedule.
