'Good for the soul': Algoma Fall Festival opens with Awesome Music Project at AGA

The 52nd annual Algoma Fall Festival kicked off Friday at the Art Gallery of Algoma with a well-attended and well-received performance by pianist/vocalist Sarah Slean, saxophonist Rob Carli and readings from several storytellers.

The performance took place surrounded by paintings and drawings from the exhibit Cobalt, a Mining Town and the Canadian Imagination, including work by the Group of Seven and other Canadian painters.

Friday’s performance was a production involving The Awesome Music Project. Established in 2019, the AMP is a charity that promotes positive mental health outcomes through music, storytelling and creativity. Slean, Carli and Kim Slade, Awesome Music Project executive director will deliver a creative workshop that combines storytelling, music and art to boost the well-being of participants at The Art Gallery of Algoma beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday. Art supplies are provided.   

“It’s good to be able to bring the Awesome Music Project here and do something as unique as this, something that’s good for the soul,” Donna Hilsinger, Algoma Fall Festival executive director told SooToday at Friday’s performance. 

“The Awesome Music Project is on a mission to make life better through music. They’re working in various ways as a not-for-profit organization to do that, to connect with people through music and art as they’re doing here this weekend. It’s healing. It’s good for us. Scientifically, it’s a fact that music and art help us be happier people. It’s really important,” Hilsinger said.

“Every year the Algoma Fall Festival brings something new, different and innovative to the community and connects visual art with people but the Awesome Music Project is very unique,” said Jasmina Jovanovic, Art Gallery of Algoma executive director and chief curator. 

“They’re exploring the healing power of art and music together, for all of us. As life is getting more and more complex and demanding we will all need to dig deep and see how we can manage our realities and visual art and music are tools that can help everyone to have good mental health. If you go back to The Group of Seven, they found coming to Algoma a very healing process so even then, a hundred years ago, people knew that,” Jovanovic said.

Other Algoma Fall Festival events and performances for 2024 include:

• Oct. 16 Tanya Talaga and Mike Downie
• Oct. 17 Hawksley Workman
• Oct. 17 Amy Sky - Write with Amy
• Oct. 18 Cookbooks Are Her Favorite - An Evening with Emily Richards
• Oct. 19 Emily Richards - Ricotta Gnocchi with Emily (Sold out)
• Oct. 24 Barra MacNeils
• Oct. 25 6 Hearts

“I couldn’t pick a favourite event for this year’s festival. They’re all so different. I certainly think that Mike Downie and Tanya Talaga being here to talk about Truth and Reconciliation will be so powerful. We’ll have fun with Hawksley Workman and his music, we’ll have fun with Emily Richards who’s originally from Sault Ste. Marie, learning how to make gnocchi. The last two shows, Barra MacNeils and 6 Hearts, are Celtic shows and you can’t have more fun than being at a Celtic performance. It’s super,” Hilsinger said.

More information on Algoma Fall Festival events can be found on the festival’s website.