Art Hub opens its doors as part of Summer Moon Festival (5 photos)

The Art Hub at Spring, located at 504 Queen St. E., is open until 8 p.m. for Sault art lovers and tourists to enjoy throughout this week as the Summer Moon Festival runs from June 21 to June 25.

The Hub has already had a soft launch with an official opening coming soon, said Marnie Stone, who, along with Adrian Vilaca, serves as Hub co-gallerist.

The Hub has 10 studio spaces for artists in which to get creative apart from the gallery space itself.

Stone said the Hub offers a new space for local artists to paint, sketch and sew and includes a coffee and lunch space where artists can mingle.

The art show at the Hub this week is part of Summer Moon Festival activities in Sault Ste. Marie that also includes local and national artists creating murals at various places in downtown.

The festival has created an artistic buzz within the community, its organizers say.

“I think it’s been phenomenal. We’ve been partnering with as many multicultural communities as we can. We’ve had support online on our social media platforms. People are looking at these murals like crazy, and I think it’s another piece to making our community beautiful,” said Josh Ingram of Tourism Sault Ste. Marie, speaking to SooToday as the festival began on Tuesday.

The festival stems from the Community Art Project, which began with murals popping up around town, but now - with the COVID lockdowns over - the Summer Moon Festival includes not only more murals but also programming that people can take part in.

“Technically, this is our fourth year, but we talk about this as the first year with a festival part to it because we actually have things that people can attend and enjoy alongside putting the murals up,” Ingram said.

Mural projects in progress as part of the festival this week include:

• Jean Paul Langlois’ work at the Elk’s Lodge (sponsored by YNCU)
• Kayla “Milkbox” Buium at the Salvation Army (sponsored by Algoma University)
• Local artist Katrina Thibodeau’s new creation at Paint and Décor Concepts (sponsored by OLG) and at Peace Restaurant (sponsored by Village Media and Algoma University) 

The festival also includes two days of workshops Tuesday and Wednesday at The Loft, situated within the Algoma Conservatory of Music building.

The workshops, Ingram said, include pointers on how to promote yourself as an artist as well as introductions to podcasting and post-production, how to write a screenplay and a demonstration of the songwriting process by local musician Jay Case.

Other Summer Moon Festival activities include:

• Stories Steeped in Stone and Theatre In Motion continuing their series at the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site on June 23, showcasing performers Tracie Louttit, Theresa Binda and Kristin DeAmorim in three separate performances. 
• The Art X Revive Exhibition at Rolling Pictures located at 498 Queen St. E. on June 24 to view an exhibition curated by Andrea Pinheiro, Annie King, and Desiree Watson. 
• Summer Moon Festival’s first Indigenous Open Air Market outside the Mill Market from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. on June 25. Beginning at 6 p.m., Juno winner and Polaris Music Prize Shortlister SHAD, Juno nominated Snotty Nose Rez Kids, and Skratch Bastid will perform free at the YNCU Stage at Mill Market.

The Summer Moon Festival, an annual event, is sponsored by YNCU and the Ontario Arts Council and has been put together by the Indigenous Friendship Centre, the Downtown Association and the City of Sault Ste. Marie to support tourism, economic diversity and arts sector development within the region. 

More information on the festival can be found online, on Facebook and on Instagram.