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Vancouver Mural Fest Returns with Female-Heavy Roster

By Sam Nar /

Female artists are crashing the most anticipated arts festival in Vancouver and it is glorious.

The third annual Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF) has just announced the artists that will be headlining the 2018 event—and this year, they’re all women.The emphasis on female artists is intentional and meant to bring recognition to women in the field while also empowering them. “I think it’s important to demonstrate —especially in graffiti art and street art because it’s quite heavily male-dominated in a lot of places. But in our festival, we… put a lens on a lot of the female participants,” says Andrea Curtis, VMF’s director of operations.Among the 28 names that will be colouring the city with 30 new, eye-catching murals from August 6th to 11th are local standouts Danielle Krysa (The Jealous Curator) and Musqueam weaver Debra Sparrow. In addition, international guests like South Africa’s Faith XLVII, Los Angeles’s Bunnie Reiss, and New York City’s BKFoxx will also be gracing the all-star, female-centric roster with both traditional and unconventional designs. The work of these female muralists will be featured primarily on Main Street, though you can catch more of their creativity between 8th and 7th Ave. in Mount Pleasant all the way to Jonathan Rogers Park, where VMF has partnered with Live Nation for an exciting concert on the final day of the festival.Other notable panellists that will be showcasing their artistic touch include Alexia Tryfon, Altheana Picha, Andres Salaz, Ciara Havishya, Def3, Guts, Hanna Lee Joshi, James Acrow, Jean-Paul Langlois, Jordan Gallie, Luke Ramsay, Mable, Michelle Nguyen, Nabes, Other, Phantoms In The Front Yard, Renos, Ronnie Dean Harris Sage, Sara Khan, T-Bone, Tyler Toews, Vers, Zac George, and Zox. (Photo Credit: Vancouver Mural Festival)Presented by Create Vancouver Society, with support from the City Of Vancouver, Mount Pleasant BIA, Canadian Heritage, and the Province of British Columbia, the public art event will toast over 30 brand new works. The organizers, in partnership with Downtown Eastside Centre For The Arts, THRIVE Art Studio, Burrard Arts Foundation, and The Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House will also be celebrating art, creativity, and community through interactive art activities, music, markets, street dance contests, and a craft beer garden; suitable for all ages.

Vancouver Mural Festival 2018

Where: Mount Pleasant, VancouverWhen: Saturday, August 11, 2018Time: 12 to 6 p.m.