Visual arts & new media

The Thousand Faces Festival Association welcomes  artists and groups from all disciplines to submit proposals for inclusion of their mythically-inspired performances, films, and visual works at the 2025 Thousand Faces Festival.

Festival Dates: June 21 & 22, 2025

Festival Overview

The Thousand Faces Festival is a multidisciplinary arts festival in Edmonton, AB that celebrates and nurtures Edmonton's and Canada's richly diverse cultural scene through mythic art and food. Since 2012 we have brought together performances reflecting the richness of diverse cultures found within our community. Dancers, musicians, poets, painters, playwrights, and performers from many cultures share mythic stories ranging from short poetry readings to feature-length multi-disciplinary epics in our home on Alberta Avenue. 

We strongly encourage submissions from people of all backgrounds and look forward to continuing our tradition of Edmontonians of all backgrounds  discovering what connects them to each other when they share their cultures’ deepest stories through the arts.

Submission Details

The festival team is accepting proposals for mythically inspired performances and presentations for our 2025 Festival, scheduled for June 21 & 22, 2025, at our home at the Alberta Avenue Community Centre (9210 118 Ave NW, Edmonton). 

New for 2025, all acts will perform on our outdoor stage between 2 PM - 9:30 PM on June 21, and between 1 PM - 5 PM on June 22. This stage will be located in the parking lot to the west of the Community Centre. We encourage presentations that not only showcase performers and stories of a culture, but that have an interactive element with the audience, whether that be active interaction within the performance, or a short workshop in the art form before or after the performance.

If you are interested in performing at this year’s Festival, we ask that you please prepare and send us a proposal which includes the following information:

• Whether you are submitting on behalf of an organization, a collective, or as an individual
• A bit about yourself (or your organization/group)
• Your history of past performance or artistic work (including links to samples of your work if possible)
• Your proposed performance or artistic presentation for the 2025 Thousand Faces Festival
• Why you want to perform at the Thousand Faces Festival
• The myth your piece is representing or responding to (see the paragraph below for how we define mythology)
• The discipline(s) involved in your performance or presentation
• The number of performers participating in your piece
• The anticipated length of your performance
• Whether parts of your performance may be presented in shorter parts (teaser performances), or if the whole performance may be shortened if required
• Any potential Technical requirements or support your presentation may need or want (in particular, any specific audio needs).

The main thing we ask is that you propose something that responds in some way to the world(s) of what we call mythology. What do we mean by that? To quote Joseph Campbell: "Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths”. To us mythology is, as Joseph Campbell also said, “ . . .the song of the Universe”. 

However, if you think mythology is a false construct, but believe in ancient stories or dreams for their deeper truths about the human condition and their possibilities for awakenings, please propose something that has to do with that! It can be as ancient, as modern, as reverent, or as lampooning as you want.

To apply, please email your proposal to info@thousandfaces.ca with the subject line “2025 Artist Application” by Monday, April 21, 2025.

Artist Benefits

The Thousand Faces Festival is proud of our long history of supporting mythically based storytelling from a wide range of cultures.  Benefits of performing at our festival include:

• Participating in a Festival that values artists and believes in fair compensation for their talent and hard work.
• Access to an artistic and administrative team that has extensive experience presenting a diverse array of culturally based artists and shining a light on the stories that underpin the performances
• The Thousand Faces Festival consciously creates and sustains an ecosystem of opportunity where artists may develop their craft in collaboration over the long term.
• The opportunity to engage with artists from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and disciplines. In the past this has lead to unique collaborative opportunities and development of performance works

*Please note  that you as the artist will be responsible for engaging and compensating any performers in your piece, travel to and from Edmonton, accommodations while you are in Edmonton, and any specialized technicians you may add beyond the sound technician provided by the Festival. Additionally, you will be responsible for all wardrobe, make-up, wigs, props, scenic, and sound design elements that may be required for your presentation. 

Questions? Email info@thousandfaces.ca for more information.

In 4-weeks, you’ll learn how to creatively express your burning thoughts, dreams, and passions with conviction! Throughout this series, you'll explore your favorite moving works of art and take part in group discussions. You’ll also have the chance to create your own work and say what’s on your mind in a safe, collaborative, and supportive environment. 

This class is great if you love music, poetry, movies, theatre, and more. Come ready to discover your power through words and images! 

Register here: accessarts.ca/whats-on/say-it-like-you-mean-it

Ado Nkemka is a pop-rock musician and multidisciplinary writer (theatre, poetry, journalism) with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. Her artistic practice and education inform her perspective, channeling her visceral responses to personal experiences through art while interrogating power, her own identity development, as well as her relationship to self and the outside world.   

From 2022-2024 she was a part of Mount Royal University's Artist as Changemaker residency program, collaborating with the Alcove Centre for the Arts on a project titled "Letters to my Younger Self; Exploring Inclusivity in the Arts." She has also worked on Western University's FAARM project since early 2024, sharing her songwriting knowledge with NaAC artists. 

Ado has performed at Sled Island, SoundOFF Summit, and FoundFest, among other events. She was a part of the 2023-2024 TD Incubator program offered by Arts Commons and also participated in MacEwan University's TD Artist in Residence program. Ado's music has been broadcasted across Canadian radio stations including CBC, CKUA, X.92.9, UMFM. 

Saturday, April 26, 2025 10 am to 4 pm

New this year…extended hours!

The Parkland Painting Collective (PPC) is a group of Calgary artists who meet weekly to paint together: painters who continue to produce quality artwork in a variety of painting styles and preferred media. Our group’s appetite to grow our art practices continues with new approaches, techniques and media to share with you.

Our PPC artists are delighted to share an abundance of original work in all sizes featuring fresh framed and unframed acrylic, oil, mixed media and watercolour media offerings in a wide range of styles and genres in a large, safe space. And we’ve extended our show by two hours this year to give you all the time you need to pick out some fresh art.

Come meet the artists and say hello. You’re sure to find something to elevate your spirit and your space in this latest collection. 

Admission is free to this one-day show. Enjoy light refreshments and enter a draw for a door prize.

For more information about the artists and the show, find us on:

Instagram: @parklandpaintingcollective

Facebook:  Parkland Painting Collective

ART/Work: That's a (Vinyl) Wrap – From Idea to Install

Curious about how public art vinyl wraps come to life? Join us for the next session in our ART/Work professional development series, That’s a (Vinyl) Wrap: From Idea to Install, on Wednesday, April 2, at 6:30 pm. 

Learn about the full journey of Lethbridge’s Public Art Vinyl Wrap projects—from concept development to installation. Our expert panel includes KT Wilde, Public Art Coordinator with the AAC, and Suzanne Griffin from Generation Design, plus representatives from Warwick Printing to answer your technical questions. 

This hybrid session will take place in-person at the Sisters’ Boardroom and online via Zoom. Space is limited for in-person attendance, so register today to take advantage of the best experience—networking with fellow artists and gaining insight into the process of transforming urban spaces with art. Attendance is FREE. 

Register here to attend! 

Learn more about programs & events Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge

For more information, please call 403-320-0555

We Need Your Support!

To provide our students with an enriching learning experience, we are urgently seeking
donations of sewing machines. Your contributions will not only enhance our sewing classes but
also profoundly impact the lives of the families we serve by giving them hands-on experience
that leads to empowerment and independence.

Here’s How You Can Help:

•  Donate gently used or new sewing machines (or more than one!)
• Contribute accessories such as sewing machine needles, thread, bobbins, or fabric.
• Financial donations for purchasing new sewing machines are also greatly appreciated.
• Spread the word to your friends and family who may be able to help.

Your generous support will enable participants to create, learn, and thrive in their new communities. Together, we can make a meaningful difference, one stitch at a time!

Donation Drop-Off Location: 

Centre for Newcomers (Youth Hub)
565 36 St NE #125, Calgary, AB T2A 6K3

If you are unable to drop off a sewing machine, we can arrange for pickup in the local area.

Please contact our sewing program coordinator, Akberet Ande, at
a.ande@centrefornewcomers.ca or call 403-477-6836.