In the Soil celebrates homegrown artists

By CARLY SNIDER
Staff Writer

Lots of things grow in Niagara, including art. In the Soil will run April 17 to April 24, featuring Niagara’s homegrown artists and artwork.

“We want to celebrate the art in Niagara with the people who create it and are inspired by it as well,” said Joe Lapinski, co-founder of the festival.

Brock University’s Centre for the Arts in St. Catharines used to host a music-based festival called Niagara Weave, which Lapinski and In the Soil co-founders Annie Wilson, Sara Palmieri and Jordy Yack are hoping to restart.

Lapinski and Wilson planted the idea of the revival with Palmieri.

“Originally, it was going to be music-based, but it quickly grew to all the arts,” said Lapinski.

The festival will showcase artists from Niagara and those whose works feature the region. There will be a different event every day over the course of In the Soil, and events will take place in several venues in downtown St. Catharines. Brock University will host the main event at the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre.

“We really want to focus on the community,” said Lapinski, “and we want to do this by featuring these establishments and organizations.”

A call for submission went out Nov. 11 requesting applications from artists of all types, including performance and visual. A jury will judge and select the applicants based on a specifi c set of criteria.

“[The criteria puts us] in a position that we can make it different each year,” said Lapinski. “It’s exciting in that we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

There have been about 200 downloads of the application so far, according to Lapinski. Jury results will be announced March 6.

In the Soil is gaining public support through the social networking website Facebook.

Meaghan Calder, 24, of St. Catharines, and Jacqueline Stevenson, 23, formerly of St. Catharines and now living in Guelph, both learned about the festival this way.

“What captured my interest in In the Soil is the fact that it is a festival showcasing local Niagara talent,” Calder said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize how much our region has to offer, and I really think this will be a great opportunity to bring all these very talented people together.”
For Stevenson, it is a chance to see her home featured in a new way.

“I would like to go this event to discover the works of artists who are new to me,” Stevenson said. “An event like this seems like a good way to encourage new and young artists in Niagara as well as bring back people who were born in Niagara but left some time ago.”
The deadline for submissions for In the Soil is Jan. 30.