Culture Matrix: Black Arts Festival
On Saturday, August 13, 2022, Black Lives Matter–Sudbury hosted the innaugraul Culture Matrix: Black Arts Festival in downtown Sudbury in collaboration with Up Here Festival. This community-based, all-ages event brought together wellness, art, and live performance in a full day of programming designed to heal, connect, and celebrate.
The day was organized into three dynamic sections: Healing (12–2 PM), Kinship (2:30–4:30 PM), and Celebration (7 PM–12 AM).
Artwork credit: Nia Ekiyor-Katimi.
Music: ReadTheRoom by Midnight Noir /Videographer: Shawn Kosmerly / Editor: Riley McEwen
EVENT OVERVIEW
The event began at 12 PM with healing-related programming that curated spaces of wellness, healing, and critical dialogue. Activities included group yoga rooted in cultural traditions, facilitated by Brooke McLeod, and hip hop healing, which merged mindfulness practices with poetry and music, facilitated by Jermaine Henry.
Location: Outdoors on Durham St.
At 2:30 PM, kinship-related programming emphasized joy, care, and a sense of belonging through community arts activities facilitated by Kayode Akande and Raven Debassige from Myths and Mirrors, as well as a dance workshop facilitated by Tonye Iti.
Location: Outdoors on Durham St.
All community members were welcome to participate in the healing and kinship activities for free and had access to complimentary coffee, treats, and refreshments.
The evening program began at 7 PM with celebration-related programming. Short performances by Eva Karelle Kakou, Matthania Kouassi-Djan, and Cecilia Rodriguez-Beaudoin kicked off the night, followed by internationally acclaimed performers including Bryden Gwiss, Pow-wow singer and Juno nominee; Manny Dingo, Canadian performer and drag king; Naya Ali, Franco-Canadian rapper; and Haviah Mighty, Canadian rapper and Juno Award-winning artist.
Location: 27 Larch Street, Place des Arts
This final portion of programming was ticketed, starting at $10 for Black, Indigenous, and POC youth (ages 13–25 – presale special only) and $20 for general admission. Youth 12 and under received free admission. A limited number of tickets were also available at the gate (cash only). Culture Matrix and artist merchandise were available
“It was important for us to engage with our communities in many ways. We wanted to celebrate and thrive together. This event uplifted, centered, and privileged Black, Indigenous, and racialized performers, artists, and facilitators in a way Northern Ontario had never seen before.”
Thank you to our community supporters!
Partner sponsors:
Black Lives Matter Canada
Ontario Arts Council
Ontario Public Service Employees Union
Booster Sponsors:
Deadpan Studios
Laurentian University McEwen School of Architecture
Desjadins
Fierte Sudbury Pride