LAUNCH! & the Procession of (Port) Hope
Article and images by Bill Hornbostel
The people behind the Cultivate Festival brought a new outdoor festival to Port Hope on Saturday, May 22. LAUNCH! — A free event in Memorial Park, with food vendors, local arts and crafts, and live music at the bandshell — was a fundraiser for Only Fare, a Ukrainian refugee fund.
Performers at the bandshell included Digging Roots, Ahi, Kobo Town, Sweet Alibi, Dave Mowat, and Mimi O’Bonsawin. Live performances were continued on Sunday night at the Capitol Theatre with the Lemon Bucket Orkestra and others.
Jeffrey Alan Bray of Cultivate says, “They gave the audience the power to reconnect and to share joy in a way that was unique and powerful.”
Debbie Beattie and Jen Goodwin
An event during LAUNCH! was the Procession of (Port) Hope, sponsored by local arts organization Critical Mass. Debbie Beattie, Program Director at Critical Mass, says the Procession was to “bring the community together in a collective way to bring us out of the pandemic with art and movement.”
Jen Goodwin, the dance artist and choreographer who organized the Procession of (Port Hope), says, “Procession literally means to move forward together, and so we are going to do a walk.” She adds, “We have signs that have been made so people can connect to how their bodies have been feeling how their minds and hearts have been feeling in the pandemic. So, it’s sort of like a protest for joy, or a parade.”
Sweet Alibi
LAUNCH! also has an art auction as part of the fundraiser, which will end on May 29. Bray says, “I was blown away by our arts community’s generosity to our Art Auction as well; twenty-seven pieces were contributed in total by some incredible local artists.” To access the auction, text BID to 365-649-1742.
The fundraiser for Only Fare has presently raised over $10,000.
LAUNCH! was sponsored by the Cultivate Festival, a celebration of local food and music held in September. For more information on Cultivate, visit cultivatefestival.ca, or follow them on Facebook (@cultivatefestival) or Instagram (@cultivatefestival).
Critical Mass is a centre for contemporary art in Port Hope. For more information on Critical Mass, visit criticalmassart.com, and you can follow them on Facebook (CriticalMassPortHope), Instagram (criticalmassart), and Twitter (criticalmassart).
