Yesterday the Cultural Development Foundation welcomed Old Friends with Enduringly Good Ideas – M&C Group of Companies, back on board with the National Arts Festival – Artreach 2014; the rebranded national celebration of the arts and culture that originated as the M&C Fine Arts Awards in 1979 on the occasion of Saint Lucia’s attainment of independence.
Today’s Festival has grown and adapted to the demands of the artists, now encompassing communities island-wide, celebrating a rich variety of cultural expression, traditional and contemporary. The newer elements of the Festival include
- Community Festivals that focus on arts and cultural expression particular to that community
- Training Workshops – the month of March will be filled with training in the arts; from introductory to expert-led Master Classes – the focus on providing targeted training to meet the needs of the Festival participants and the wider cultural community is now an integral part of what the National Arts Festival is becoming
- April brings Feature nights – a series of nights that celebrate some of the up-and-coming talents in the various genres, providing a high quality platform for expose and professional development through performance.
- In Visual Arts the host communities now incorporate a mini-exhibition within their activities and the inclusion of a national Arts Market now brings to Saint Lucia, the opportunity to meet the artists, purchase their goods, and patrons can enjoy a selection of demonstrations or take mini-classes
The Official Launch of the National Arts Festival – Artreach 2014 will take place on Thursday 20th February through a Press Launch – Artistes and Patrons are asked to keep an eye and an ear out for details of events in this year’s exciting lineup
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