York's Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES), along with other partners, presents the 13th annual Eco Art and Media Festival, Feb. 28 to March 4, at locations within York's Keele campus and downtown Toronto. The theme of this year's Eco Art Festival is "Roots and Shoots: grounding ourselves in a climate of change".
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This year's theme was inspired by reflecting on where we come from and where we're going, what grounds us and what pushes us forward. In a climate of cultural, environmental, political and personal changes, this year’s festival organizers felt there was no better time to acknowledge, understand and celebrate our experiences with the past and dreams for the future – our Roots and Shoots.
The Eco Art & Media Festival is designed to give everyone an opportunity to celebrate grassroots initiatives and creative expressions which work towards positive environmental and social action. Festival organizers invite all members of the York community to participate in this year's event. The five-day festival welcomes all forms of creative expression.
At 10am today, "The Wandering Parade: Creating your Character for Change" will kick off the festival. Taking place in Vari Hall on York's Keele campus, the parade offers individual musical designed to transform the public space into a creative and spontaneous area.
It will be followed by the Earth Blanket Workshop which takes place from 12 to 2pm, in the ZigZag Gallery (FES Lounge), 018 HNES Bldg. Participants will have an opportunity to contribute a square to the FES Earth Blanket which is being created to celebrate the memory of the late FES Professor Dian Marino. The workshop will be followed by an evening event featuring food, drink, eclectic performances and visual art pieces, also in the Zig Zag Gallery.
Organizers have planned a full five days of fun and learning with film and video screenings on March 1; a Cabaret Night at the Gladstone Hotel in downtown Toronto on March 2; and, an animation workshop by the National Film Board of Canada on Saturday, March 3. The festival culminates with a Parkdale Project Read Community Seminar on Sunday, March 4.
For more information on other events, specific dates, time and locations visit the Eco Arts Web site.