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Art Matters celebrates ten years 

By Russ Cooper

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A decade ago, a handful of fine arts students thought of a way to expose Concordia-created art to a wider audience. The result was the first edition of Art Matters.

Now, in 2010, it has become the largest student-run art festival in the country. The festival runs March 1 to 19, featuring 17 exhibitions showing the work of nearly 200 artists in 12 venues across the city.

Cyber arts student and co-producer Natiea Vinson, who served as volunteer coordinator last year, has helped to book venues both years. She’s pleased to have added three new spaces; Galerie Lilian Rodriguez in the Belgo Building, Mile End Gallery and the Push Gallery on St. Laurent Blvd.

She’s arranged to lengthen the stay of artists at most venues for maximize exposure. In many cases, work will be displayed for the entire three-week period, rather than just a few days as in past editions.

Unable to resist the urge to step outside the formal schedule, organizers held an event Feb. 27 as part of Nuit Blanche called Nouille Blanche. The 230 night owls who packed into the District 101 espace créatif in Old Montreal had a rare evening of performance based on the theme of domesticity, including an interactive reading of advice columns dating back to the 17th century.

One of the festival’s unique features is the turnover of many of its organizers from year to year, each bringing new ideas. In return, organizing the festival presents the opportunity to learn lessons outside of regular fine arts curriculum.

“I’ve learned so much about how to position myself as an artist, as a curator, and as an art administrator in the current art world; not just performing arts,” says contemporary dance student Patrick Lloyd Brennan, serving as one of four festival co-producers for the first time.

This year’s organizers made a deliberate attempt to build on the effort set in motion last year to hold individual events throughout the year. In November, organizers collaborated with the Institute for Community Development’s University of the Streets Café to hold a public conversation surrounding the role of the fine arts student in the art world. As well, in January, they held a panel called Curating Spaces in EV 1.615. They invited Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal curator Mark Lanctôt, Parisian Laundry director Jeanie Riddle and Push Gallery director Megan Bradley.

The official opening party will be held at Plaza St. Hubert (6505 St. Hubert St.) on March 5, featuring bands The Lovely Feathers, The Peelies, Tonstartssbandht, and Garçons.

See the full program here.