Provocation Ideas Festival to explore Stratford’s history and the idea of ​​dreamers

As it expands its offerings this year, the Provocation Ideas Festival’s new theme City of Dreamers will guide its programming through 2026.

Article content

This theme and the events built around it are set to celebrate the “dreams and aspirations of Stratford’s past, present, and future.” This will examine the history of Stratford and the surrounding region from the Indigenous peoples who first occupied the land, to Stratford’s beginnings as a small town, to its industrial transformation and its cultural reinvention, Provocation Ideas founder Mark Rosenfeld said.

“We thought it was timely to do something like this,” he said. “People are constantly thinking about where are we and where are we going. Right now, we thought it was also time because Stratford is looking ahead at some major transformation in the city, especially with the old Grand Trunk and how that’s going to be renovated or revived, so we felt that would fit in well with rethinking the future of Stratford.”

Article content

This theme will be explored in six main events that include:

River of Dreams: An arts exhibition of works by more than 15 local artists, envisioning the Avon River as both a unifying and dividing force. This will be held Nov. 1-29 at Our Stōr(y), a retail space in downtown Stratford.

“It’s easy to move here, as I did, and just went, ‘Wow, look at this beauty like right in our backyard,” store owner Kevin September said. “I can take 20 different routes in my own neighborhood, around the river or near the river with my dog ​​walks every day, and see different things.

“We’ve come to appreciate seeing the heron that lands at a certain part of the river in our neighborhood. Lately, we’ve been seeing some scary coyotes cross our path as we head towards the conservation area and the walking trails. I see fishermen every day, but I also smell the smells and see the upside down shopping carts in certain areas of the river.”

Article content

The River of Dreams show will feature a wide range of pieces including jewelry, fiber artists creating wall hangings and photography.

“I’m really excited about the people who stepped up and said, ‘I want to be a part of this,’” September added.

Culinary Stratford: It will feature the diverse range of restaurants in a ‘culinary sweep’ through food of the past, present and future. It will also reflect on the farm to table movement as well as the food and the environmental impacts on Stratford. This will be launched at a kickoff event on either Nov. 13 or 20 in partnership with Mercer Hotel.

Stratford: Who We Are and What We Might Become: This Nov. 28 event will be in conjunction with the CBC show Ideas, with host Nahlah Ayed. Ayed will host a conversation with Jay Pitter, a leader in urban design, Greg Lindsay, an urban futurist, and environmental neuroscientist Robin Mazumder.

Article content

A community-based discussionin partnership with investStratford and the Stratford Public Library, will feature local and guest speakers to explore the future residents want for Stratford and how that can be achieved. The date for this event has yet to be announced.

Storied Stratford: This Nov. 30 event in partnership with the library and the Stratford Perth Museum will include local actors reading from short stories and historical accounts of Stratford and the region, followed by a discussion of how Stratford and region has been represented in literature, film, historical accounts and through an Indigenous lens.

A Child’s Stratford: Puppetry, storytelling and art for younger audiences displaying a child’s perspective on exploration and dreaming.

Part of the festival will be exploring why some dreams succeed in Stratford, and how the city would be different if unrealized dreams came true, Rosenfeld said.

“In terms of the whole notion of dreaming, everyone has the capacity. Whether they can act on it depends on a lot of things.”

For more information on the Provocation Ideas Festival, visit provocation.ca/2024-events-stratford.

[email protected]

Article content