Event Details

Incorporated as a not-for-profit in April 2021, the Northumberland Festival of the Arts, (NFOTA) was founded in 2017 to present a bi-annual September arts festival that promotes the work of artists from a variety of genres including: visual arts, literature, and the performing arts. NFOTA events typically include musical concerts, visual art and artisans’ exhibits, dramatic performances, multimedia, film and literary events and a book fair. The 2021 Festival was postponed due to the public health crisis. The organization is fledgling and is managed by volunteers. All fees go to artists.

This application is for “NFOTA 2024” taking place in several venues in Northumberland County September 13 to 22, 2024. Events will be held in six towns in the county primarily in Cobourg but also in Port Hope, Colborne, Brighton and Warkworth and Alderville First Nation. To date organizers have confirmed 27 events featuring approximately 95 paid performers as well as opportunities for numerous visual artists, artisans, authors and poets to sell their work. 2024 programming highlights include:

(1) Opening Reception with Keynote speech by Hamlin Grange (Order of Canada) followed by musical accompaniment by harpist Angelica (September 13 at the Art Gallery of Northumberland in Cobourg);

(2) Art and Photography; (i) 11th Annual Open Juried Show (September 13 to 22 at the Colborne Art Gallery); (ii) Warkworth Gallery Hop (September 14 at various venues); (iv) Artisan Street Market (September 14 at the Warkworth Town Hall Centre for the Arts and participating galleries and studios; (v) Spirit of the Hills Arts Association Foot by Foot Show and Sale (September 14 to 22 at the Warkworth Public Library; (vi) Alderville First Nations Artists and Crafters Exhibit & Sale (September 14 at the Dibaajimowin Cultural Centre in Alderville); (vii) Northumberland Photography Club Exhibit (September 14 to 22 in various venues in Cobourg); and (viii) “The Ekphrastic Project” (September 15 to 21 at the Cobourg Best Western Hotel & Cobourg Library);

(3) Theatre, Dance, and Film: (i) NFOTA Fringe Fest (September 14 at the Premier Dance Theatre; (ii) “Star Catchers Showcase”, a showcase of competitive dancers from Northumberland (September 22 at the Premier Dance Theatre); and (iii) “Immigration: Our Stories - Our Community”, video stories of immigration to Northumberland County (September 20 at the Cobourg Museum;

(4) Literature: (i) Tipi Gathering, Masha Smoke and elders of Alderville First Nation discuss around the tipi fire the work that is being done to preserve survivor stories and other indigenous oral history (September 15 at the Dibaajimowin Cultural Centre in Alderville); (ii) “Wow! Words on a Wire” poetry event at the Hill (September 15 at the Cobourg Best Western Hotel); (iii) Literary Lunch (September 15 at Lalies & the Dutch Restaurant); (iv) “Sounding the Drum & Raising Our Voices”, a presentation on the Indigenous voice and the preservation of the Ojibwe Language (September 21 at Cramahe Town Hall);

(5) Music: (i) “Together We Can 2024: Music Across the Generations” (September 15 at Victoria Hall in Cobourg); (ii) “Classics in the Country” (September 15 in Baltimore); (iii) “My Shadow y Yo (& me)”, a Latin inspired musical story (September 15 at the Premier Dance Theatre; (iv) “Body & Soul”, performance by six singer/songwriters (September 18 to 19 at The Tasting Lounge in Brighton); and (v) Take Five Ensemble, featuring five Canadian concert artists (September 21 at Trinity United Church in Cobourg).