An eclectic mix of artists are being compiled for this year’s 11th annual Up Here music and arts festival, scheduled to take place Aug. 15-17.
“We’ve got more experiments and adventures than ever before,” according to a media release issued by the festival this week.
“We’re throwing a little bit of everything into the centrifuge — from the godmother of Canadian hip-hop to an avant-garde harpist — and seeing what spins out.”
Included among those lined up to perform will be French-Canadian electronic dance musician Marie Davidson, hip-hop musician Michie Mee, and garage rock band The Gruesomes.
Other acts include Indie-pop group Charlie Houston, Egyptian experimental electronics and vocalist Nadah El Shazly, death rock band Dermabrasion and feminist hip-hop group Above Top Secret.
Various others fill out the musical acts, including avant-garde harpist Sarah Pagé.
Muralists slated to add their visual art to various buildings in Sudbury, as described in the media release, include:
- Kezna Dalz, known for her playful yet poignant style, who’ll bring bold colours and raw emotion to her wall.
- Curtia Wright, a multidisciplinary artist, will blend Afrofuturism, movement, and myth into striking, soulful murals.
- Brazilian-born and Ottawa-based Dinho Bento will fuse street art and surrealism with social commentary.
- Cree artist Brody Burns will combine Indigenous ways of knowing with concepts in psychology, representing Spirit and Science through abstract forms and colour.
- Raven Debassige is a painter and muralist rooted in Anishinaabe traditions bringing work that radiates spiritual symbolism and natural themes.
The Power Up Project will continue this year in partnership with Greater Sudbury Utilities, in which hydro boxes will be painted by artists Emily Audette, Sam Barry, Cat Hexes, Emily Maville, Carlos Potes and Brittany Rose.
A second wave of more than 20 artists, “including some intriguing installations,” will be announced in the coming weeks, according to Up Here organizers.
For more on the annual festival, including tickets, visit their website, uphere.com.