Ontario College of Art & Design
Delegation
ARCfest 2004 - Report
ARCfest was a five-day human rights arts festival that combined multiple forms of artistic expression with panel discussions and speakers to explore human rights issues within Canada. Drawing primarily on members from Toronto’s artistic community, the Festival showcased theatre, music, film, poetry, dance, photography and other artistic media. Human rights workers, activists, academics, artists and those with expertise in the issues being addressed were invited to participate as keynote speakers and panellists.
The festival ran from October 13th to 17th and included over 22 events and 55 participants. All presentations focused on local contemporary human rights issues and included topics such as Queer rights, racial profiling, the challenges faced by refugee and immigrant communities, and woman’s rights. Events were held in four different performance venues and 2 art galleries located in downtown Toronto
ARCfest attracted a diverse audience comprised of students, activists, artists, members from equity seeking communities, and the broader Toronto population. In total, attendance at the festival was 3614.
ARCfest was made possible through key partnerships with numerous community and human rights organizations. The nature of these alliances included financial and intellectual support, providing speakers and panellists, and co-producing specific ARCfest events.
The festival was made possible by the support of numerous organizations. The following is a list of ARCfest’s community partners: Phoenix Community Works Foundation, The Centre for Social Justice, Rights & Democracy, Justicia, PEN Canada, The Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture, Cahoots Theatre Project, Trinity Square Video, Native Earth, Up From The Roots, The Canadian League of Poets, The National Film Board of Canada, The Toronto Arts Council, The Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Canadian Heritage, Cybercrib.com, The Canadian Autoworkers Association Human Rights Department, The Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers Federation, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and The Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
Face in the Crowd Collective
Face in the Crowd Collective was formed in September of 2003 and is comprised of artists and activists that use art as a creative means to affect social change. We are committed to producing and promoting socially relevant art to serve as a popular mechanism that encourages and affirms the values of dignity, freedom, and equality. The collective seeks to accomplish its objective by raising awareness of social inequalities while working to expand the protection of human rights through art, education, and advocacy.
Face in the Crowd Collective successfully produced the inaugural ARCfest in 2004. The festival ran from October 13th-17th, 2004 and included 22 events. Fifty-five artists and twenty-seven speakers participated in the festival
Festival Committee
In addition to members of Face in the Crowd Collective, the festival was made possible by other dedicated members of the festival committee as well as assistance from 50 festival volunteers. The festival committee was made up of the following people
- Festival Directors – Elichai Shaffir and Josh Bloch
- Associate Festival Director – Erica Kopyto
- Programming Coordinator – Suzanne Robertson
- Festival Administrator – Sonja Dechian
- Fundraising Coordinators – Kate Salm, Teresa Welsh
- Activist Fair Coordinators – Anna Colombo, Flavia Bertram
- Marketing and Publicity Coordinators – Payal Sharma, Erica Faltous
- Brochure Designer – Rodrigo Barreda
- Website Designer – Angella Mackey
- Production Manager – Sharon Frenkel
- Education Outreach Coordinator – Jessica Greenberg
- Print and Festival Program Designer – Tariq Sami
- Poster/Flyer Designer –Andrew Mallis
Faces
Featured at Le Gallery, Faces was an interactive video installation piece that documented the history of censorship in Canada created by Toronto artist Geoff Pugen. Notable topics include d the confiscation of books at Little Sisters Bookstore in Vancouver, BC, the Governments intervention in an environmentalist art piece on the side of garbage trucks, and the lack of resources for artists from marginalized communities within our society. The installation featured over 15 interviews from a diverse cross-section of artists, activists, lawyers, local storeowners, and media workers in Toronto. Interviewees included video artists Richard Fung and John Greyson, lawyer Harry Kopyto, and Toronto Star Journalist Antonia Zerbisias.
