Arts and culture making waves in Windsor

Hundreds of Windsorites showed up to celebrate arts and culture at Windsor’s Artists, Visions, Energies and Sculptures festival, known as w.a.v.e.s.

The event was organized by the cultural affairs and parks department of Windsor and put on during national culture days Sept. 26 and 27. The festival illuminated the Odette Sculpture Garden along the riverfront and filled it with wave inspired art creations.

Some of the art projects showcased over the weekend included the Motor City Beats Junk Kit a drum-kit built from recycled car parts and LED illuminated rose sculpture made from recycled plastic bags collected from local neighbourhoods and created by Arturo Herrera. Marz Media Inc. painted the entire festival in vibrant light as part of their piece called Bring imagination to Light.

Windsor Cultural Affairs Manager Cathy Masterson said Windsor tends to take its creative people for granted.

“I really hope that this festival reminds us that we have these really amazing opportunities in our city,” said Masterson. “We’re a very open city, we’re a very inclusive city and we really accept that there are all of these opportunities to be a little bit off-beat.”

Windsor’s largest independent inter-arts festival Harvesting the FAM provided w.a.v.e.s. attendees with live stage music throughout the weekend. Musical acts including Middle Sister, Leighton Bain and KERO and Annie Hall performed. All acts played on a stage set up underneath the overpass on Riverside Drive and Crawford Avenue.

Guitarist Stu Kennedy’s band Middle Sister was one of the groups brought in to perform by FAM fest. Middle Sister is a five piece folk-rock band from Windsor that recently released a five song self-titled EP.

“It was incredible,” said Kennedy. “The stage set up on the river, the people who watched, the weather. All the pieces were in place to make this an unforgettable event.”

Middle Sister fan Naska Dizai, 22, attended the festival to be supportive of her community and see her friend’s band play.

“My experience was really enlightening. I enjoyed the stage underneath the overpass, and the bands, said Dizai. “I had a lot of fun.”

w.a.v.e.s. was funded through a bequest from businessman and key supporter of the Odette School of Business Louis Odette. Masterson said it is likely for the festival to be funded again in 2016.