Our Guide to Art Matters

Fringe ArtsAlex Mcgill — Published February 28, 2012

Featuring a host of student-curated events, an artist talk series, block party events, an open house weekend, and a party to kick off right, this year’s festival is bringing some great new stuff to the table.

With its continued success, Art Matters has become one of the largest festivals of its kind, while being an important platform for Concordia students and the Montreal arts community in general.

The mandate of the festival is to communicate that art does, in fact, matter. And the continued interest and participation of Concordia students suggests that they are right.

The festival takes place over two weeks and involves 120 Montreal-based undergraduate artists.

For the first time, Art Matters will also host an open house weekend, which will run in the middle of the festival, from March 9 to 11.

Community-based collaborations are also scheduled for this art-packed weekend.

Art of Survival—a speakers series that will take place at the VAV Gallery (1396 René-Lévesque Blvd. W.) on March 4—will focus on forging a path in the competitive art industry and will feature a variety of art industry professionals.

Moving beyond Concordia spaces, Art Matters will take place in galleries, artist spaces and unconventional exhibition sites across the city.

Its 13 exhibitions feature painting, installation, video, performance, design, computation arts, photography, sculpture, theatre, contemporary dance, music, ceramics and much more.

Art Matters is a place to not only see what your fellow students are up to, but to experience the Montreal art community first-hand.

The entire festival is completely bilingual and open to everyone—artists, art-lovers, and curious community members.

For your convenience, The Link has compiled a few exhibits to get you started, but we encourage you to get out there in the next two weeks and go to as many shows as possible.

–Alex McGill,
Fringe Arts Editor

Art Matters Opening Party / The Darling Foundry / 745 Ottawa Rd.) / Mar. 2 / Performances by Suuns, Da Pink Noise, Doom Squad and Mekele / 8:30 p.m. / $6.00 pre-sale for students,$10.00 for non-students and at the door / For more info and a full list of shows, visit artmattersfestival.org