The Summer Moon Fest: Creating Landmarks for Our Downtown
By: Karli J Walker
The Summer Moon Fest has returned with a series of extraordinary events and workshops. However, the festivities are far from over yet with one more day of fun. At the heart of the festival lies the Community Art Project, a transformative initiative bringing vibrant artistic elements and beauty to downtown Sault Ste. Marie in a new and creative way. The festival enhances the visual appeal of the area through mural art and other creative forms and contributes to placemaking in our community - the journey to create the soul of a community and bring pride to those among it. The festival’s name, Summer Moon Fest, pays homage to the Indigenous people who played a pivotal role in this project. It also acknowledges the people who were on this land first and is being held in June which is a significant month within the Indigenous community.
Josh Ingram the Area Coordinator for special events and sports tourism for the City of Sault Ste. Marie emphasizes that the murals serve as a powerful representation of the city’s diverse population. According to Ingram, each artist is different and has the ability to tell a unique story through their work. Ingram hopes that residents and tourists will see themselves reflected in these murals, saying “Hopefully there’s a piece of you that you see when walking by it.” The murals according to Ingram will allow people to foster a deep sense of connection and pride in their community and the art that decorates it. Ingram also mentioned that he hopes newcomers to the City will see the murals and feel like “Oh wow, that’s a piece of me in this city already.”
When speaking with festival attendees and community members, it is clear that these murals and the Summer Moon Fest have allowed new opportunities for expression in our downtown that would not have been created otherwise. Jorie’s Fine Clothing has had the Rolling Pictures Horse by Jerry Rugg aka birdO on their building since July 2019. The manager of the business, Patricia Rodriguez stated that the mural has become a landmark in the community, mentioning that many people from both in town and out of town come to take pictures with the mural. Ms. Rodriguez stated, “A lot of people now refer to the store, as the store under the horse mural.” These murals are giving the downtown an opportunity to create new landmarks and in return will allow the downtown core to grow in a new and artistic way. Workshop attendee and the facilitator of the Finding Your Artistic Medium workshop Konrad Wojcik mentioned that the murals “provide a lot of value in terms of our city and making it a nice place to live” and even went on to say “the more the merrier”.
birdO mural, 2023
This year’s festival included a variety of fun activities ranging from workshops to street parties to mural unveilings. On June 15 and 16, The Loft held a series of workshops that covered various artistic skills including; storytelling, exploring food as an art form, digital storytelling, and many more. These workshops are described in more detail on the Summer Moon Fest website. In addition to the workshops, the festival held many other events like Strange Exhibits Art Tour, Beats + Bricks: Urban Life Street Party, and numerous other exciting events that captivated the attendees’ curiosity and enthusiasm.
Beats + Bricks Urban Life Street Party, 2023
Three new captivating murals will be unveiled at this year's festival by renowned artists; Emmanuel Jarus, Fatspatrol, and Tyler Toews, which can be viewed at 124 Bruce St., 126 Queen St., and 644 Queen St. E., respectively. These stunning additions are sure to enrich the City’s artistic landscape for many years to come.
Tyler Toews mural 644 Queen Street East, 2023
The Summer Moon Fest is not over yet. The Downtown Association and the City of Sault Ste. Marie would like to invite you to one more day of fun and exploration to be held on Saturday, June 17, 2023. The Summer Mill Fest will take place from 9 am to 2 pm at the Mill Market, where you can shop at the multi-cultural product vendors, and a variety of takeaway food, all while enjoying live music. Then at 7 pm, you can enjoy live performances from Pablo Bones, The Shaju Brothers, Gimiiwan and The Clouds and Headliner: Skratch on the main stage (83 Huron Dr.)
While out enjoying the festivities make sure to stop by some of the new and existing murals to discover and appreciate their beauty.