Updated April 22, 7:30am
It is with sadness that the Board of Directors and staff of the Harrison Festival Society are announcing the cancellation of the 2020 Harrison Festival of the Arts, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Plans are to return with an exciting 2021 festival, from July 9-18, 2021. The following is a statement from Executive Director Andy Hillhouse:
For over 40 years, the mission of the Harrison Festival Society has been all about celebrating culture and community. We have furthered this mission primarily through the July Festival of the Arts, with live concerts on the beach and in the hall, art exhibits, theatre, literary readings, children’s programming, and a vibrant artisan market. Sadly, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be able to produce our cherished annual summer festival.
The health and safety of our beloved festival community is paramount. With the bulk of our volunteers in a vulnerable demographic, we feel it would be irresponsible to produce a live event that puts the safety of these folks at risk, and of course the safety of our audience, staff, and performers.
Indeed, the network of artists and festivals that constitutes the summer touring circuit has already been severely disrupted for this year. In addition, the provincial government has signaled that large events and gatherings will not be allowed this summer. At her April 18 COVID-19 update, provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry said that “Realistically, we will not be having those big events where people gather this summer…those types of large, mass gatherings where people gather, this is not the time for that.”
While we may not be able to gather and dance with our friends to a live band in the Memorial Hall, or gaze out on the lake as we meditate on the skills of a masterful musician, there are other ways that we can get our social and cultural buzz in this time of limited social intimacy. The festival staff are currently exploring such options, whether virtual or, if possible, at a safe social distance, and we will keep you informed as these activities develop. We see this as an opportunity, even while we admittedly feel broken hearted that we will not be able to have the July celebration that we look forward to all year.
So let’s keep in touch – drop us a line to say hi, stop by our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages, and we will keep you up to date on our latest news and goings on. We are committed to, providing the cultural heartbeat and human connection we know folks yearn for in these strange times.
We have temporarily closed the Ranger Station Art Gallery where our office is located, and the staff are all working from home. Should you have any questions, please email info@harrisonfestival.com
We’re a very creative bunch though, so look forward to some creative solutions coming your way.
In these stressful days of isolation ahead, we would like to encourage everyone to discover the artist in themselves. Go ahead and create something. Paint, sing, dance, learn a new song or learn a new instrument. The other side of this situation is going to look very different and we might not be able to control that, but what we CAN control is how we as a community of artists can come out of it with new skills, knowledge and passion for our creative selves. Henri Matisse once said, “An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success.” We’d like to revise that to include a ‘prisoner of isolation.’ Take that leap and just go for it!
We will keep this post active and update it when anything changes.
