The Artists for Conservation Festival is back this month!
Artists for Conservation (AFC)'s annual flagship event, presented by REMAX, is returning to Vancouver for its 11th edition. This one-of-a-kind, international cultural festival highlights artists and their artwork in celebration of nature and wildlife and in support of conservation efforts.
The AFC Festival’s main event will be hosted at the VanDusen Botanical Garden from September 23 to 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attendees can browse through the world’s top conservation-themed art exhibit, featuring 90 artworks by 90 artists.
Artists Xwa-lack-tun & James Harry, demonstrating woodcarving.
Attendees can observe the artists at work as they demonstrate their artistic techniques in painting, carving and sculpture and speak about their art and conservation work. People can also see birds of prey up close with daily presentations from Delta's O.W.L. Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society and the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program.
The AFC Festival will feature an eclectic range of musical and cultural performances, including song, spoken word and drumming by First Nations performers, acoustic guitar, viola, drumming, Shakuhachi flute, and more.
Festival attendees can preview the event with a smaller art exhibit featuring Vancouver-area AFC artists on September 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Maplewood Flats Conservancy in North Vancouver. The exhibit focuses on the wildlife and landscapes of BC’s coast.
Event attendance is limited with timed-entry, and advance ticket purchases are strongly recommended. Visit artistsforconservation.org/festival or vandusengarden.org for tickets and more information.
Though the current pandemic will mean an increased emphasis on local artist participation, traditionally every year, dozens of top artists travel from around the world to take part in this special gathering.
For the second year in a row, the Artists for Conservation Festival will give Vancouverites, as well as followers from around the globe, new opportunities to connect with the art and conservation community through a virtual Festival program, including virtual exhibits, musical performances, a 360 Nature Art walk, streaming films and online studio tours.
Starting September 23, the AFC Festival’s virtual art exhibit will showcase 200 unique artworks by 173 artists. In addition to strong regional involvement, the artists represent over 16 countries from around the globe, including Canada, USA, the UK, Australia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, and Vietnam.
Artists for Conservation (AFC) is a Canadian-based international non-profit with a mission to support wildlife and habitat conservation and environmental education through art that features nature and wildlife. AFC represents 500 artists from 30 countries in the nature and wildlife art genre, all of whom are committed to conservation.
Through its annual festival, international art exhibits, collaborative art-science expeditions, publications, and online initiatives, AFC aims to engage, inspire, and inform the public, and to empower passionate artists as effective ambassadors for the environment.
