On October 21st at 4pm, The Huntsville Festival of the Arts and Algonquin Outfitters will present the first ever Canoe Mural Parade in downtown Huntsville. You can be part of this one-of-a-kind experience by helping to carry one of the canoes!
The Canoe Mural Parade invites community members and visitors to celebrate the art created in HFA’s annual canoe mural project, and the local artists that painted them. The event will act as the kickoff for the 2023 Algonquin Outfitters Paddle Art Auction: a bi-annual event raising funds that support local arts & culture organizations. At 3pm, the parade participants will begin to gather in River Mill Park. At 4pm, the parade will depart making its way up to Main St. via West St, and then proceed East along the sidewalk, making its way down to the town docks before eventually arriving at River Mill Park. The duration of the parade is an estimated 20-25 minutes.
Organizers are inviting volunteers from the community to join in the fun by helping to carry one of the canoe murals during the parade. Volunteers can register to carry the canoe as a pair, trio or foursome, or for those who feel they can manage it, to carry one solo. Anyone who wants to sign up as a solo, but who wants to carry it with a group will be paired up. Volunteers are encouraged to visit huntsvillefestival.ca or call 705-788-2787 to register.
“This is going to be an amazing event.” says Dan Watson, Executive Director of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts. “It’s a celebration of our local culture and artists, and what makes Huntsville so special. We encourage everyone to walk in the parade. For those who can’t, we hope they will line the streets to celebrate the canoe murals as they pass, and to support local arts & culture by participating in the Algonquin Outfitters Paddle Art Auction.”
Leading the parade will be local musicians along with some of the artists that have contributed to the Canoe Murals over the past 4 editions. Since 2020, for one week each summer, HfA has commissioned local artists to create interpretations of paintings by Tom Thomson and members of the Group of Seven Painters on the bottom of donated canoes.
These canoes are then displayed outdoors in both downtown Huntsville and the surrounding area to feature the area’s connection between these famous artists and the beautiful spaces they painted.
Bidding for the canoes and paddles in the 2023 Algonquin Outfitters Paddle Art Auction will go live on October 23rd and last until bids close on November 12th. For more information about the auction visit https://algonquinoutfitters.com/paddle-art-contest/
For more information, and to volunteer, please contact HFA’s Director ofPrograms, Outreach and Education, Hannah Naiman at hannah@huntsvillefestival.ca or call 705-788-2787
