TORONTO, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New year, same Culture Days energy. The arts emerged as a lifeline of joy, providing gifts of colour, hope and reprieve needed to make it through this past year. Collectively, we’re imagining what a post-pandemic world could look like and how we can each contribute to that picture being brighter. Through that lens, Culture Days has chosen RE:IMAGINE as the very apt 2021 theme. The annual celebration of arts, culture and a life enriched by both will again roll out as a 4-week celebration across Canada from September 24 through October 24, 2021. RE:IMAGINE signals a positive turning point - the commitment to building tangible change into the future of art and culture.
Last year, along with many others, Culture Days faced the pandemic's sudden challenges, including the need to cancel in-person events. Culture Days quickly redefined what constituted an eligible festival event and pivoted from a single weekend to a 4-week interactive, immersive arts and culture experience. The community responded in force, with creators of every kind offering an opus of over 2,000 events, including live streams, self-guided experiences, digital recordings and more. Over 2.2 Million Canadians attended Culture Days in 2020, and there's no intention of losing momentum.
Culture Days' mission continues to center around allyship, mentorship and opportunity for the arts and culture community. Throughout 2021 this means an increase in skill-building webinars and workshops to help artists and cultural organizations reimagine and rebuild what it means to create, share, and connect. It means increasing mental and physical health resources and creating opportunities for networking and sharing ideas. It's about providing the tools and guidance for organizers and municipalities to help them create rich and representative cultural experiences within their community. It's about working in concert with sister organizations to fill gaps in support and create a more inclusive and diverse landscape where underrepresented voices are given the safe space to be heard. It’s about doing better. Culture Days remains an avenue to celebrate the creativity we consume and enjoy daily while also bolstering the future of what it means to create in Canada.
It’s time to build something different. Culture Days is looking for contributors and writers with fresh perspectives and unique Canadian arts and culture stories to share through a special blog series inspired by our 2021 theme RE:IMAGINE. See the full Call for Writers.
If you are a creator, the world wants to see what you can do, and Culture Days is your stage. Visit CultureDays.ca, view our Participation Guide and FAQ to learn more about the festival, how it’s expressed regionally, and how to get involved. Event registration will open May 2021.
Culture Days 2021 is September 24 to October 24, 2021.
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About Culture Days
Culture Days has become the largest cultural event in Canada, attracting an estimated 2 million annual attendees to thousands of free activities and performances hosted by artists, cultural organizations and municipalities in hundreds of communities across Canada. Culture Days programs invite the public to get hands-on and behind-the-scenes to highlight the importance of arts and culture by connecting communities and creators.
The Culture Days national office works with provincial partners and a wide network of event organizers, from grassroots community volunteers to major institutions. As a leading national voice for an active and engaged cultural life, Culture Days provides a range of tools and skill development resources that lead to greater cultural engagement. The Culture Days annual national awareness campaign traditionally culminates in a three-day celebration of the arts starting on the last Friday of September. Culture Days is a registered charity, visit culturedays.ca for more information and to donate.
Financial support for Culture Days is provided by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts. Culture Days is also made possible through the support of Pattison (National Out-of-home Media Partner), Cineplex Media (National Media Partner), CBC (National Broadcast Partner), and BT/A (National Creative Partner).
For media inquiries contact:
Mercedes Findlay
416.557.3361 | mercedes@mercedesfindlayconsulting.ca
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