The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum was transformed into a multi-cultural hub on the weekend, filled with a clothing collection from Peru, ornaments from Africa, music from Ukraine and refreshing oils in the air.
In celebration of Culture Day, an annual national phenomenon that celebrates the country's diversity with a multitude of events and activities, the first Collage Culture Arts Fair, spearheaded by Southeast Newcomers Service in partnership with the EAGM, was held on Sept. 27. It featured family friendly activities for all ages and was free of admission.
A total of 250 people came out to the daily activities, while 55 attended the concert at night.
"There's some great representations here and Sarah worked really hard in getting different vendors and activities here," said Amber Andersen, director of the EAGM, referring to Southeast Newcomers program co-ordinator Sarah Mehler. Vendors came from as far as Swift Current, said Mehler, but local residents were also an integral part of the global market that was on display.
Estevan resident Veronica Armas was on hand with her large collection of clothing and other Inca-based products that originated from Peru.
"I only bring these out to fairs," she said, pointing out her display, specifically a silky smooth sweater made of alpaca fur. Alpacas are a domesticated species of South American camel.
"Feel it, it's very smooth," Armas encouraged as passerbys eyed her items with interest.
Violinist Nadia Babchouk performed an array of high-octane pieces in the afternoon and combined with her bubbling personality, some people in attendance found themselves dancing in no time.
Babchouk is the director of Estevan's newest music school called Magic of Music, which teaches violin, piano, bass guitar, drums, bells and more. She moved to Canada from Ukraine 20 years ago and has performed across Western Canada. Babchok hopes to pass on her knowledge with her fellow musical partner Bogdan Vatsyk to anyone interested.
"He's much better than I am," she said modestly after her electrifying performance at the fair. "We're really excited to teach people."
Ponziano Aluma, author of We're Here! Now What?, did a public reading of his book, which is about the adjustments he had to make when he moved to Canada and the culture shock he endured, something many new residents can relate to. After his reading, Aluma praised the fair and stressed its importance.
"It's a rich addition to the community. It creates a sense of awareness on how much new people moving to Canada add to a community," he said. "It's also good for children to grow up with this sense of awareness that there are different cultures and art forms from other parts of the world that they may not see at home or on a daily basis. Events like this provide that opportunity for them."
He noted a special moment from the culture fair that involved a friend of his, who joined him from Regina, engaging in conversation with Armas upon discovering she spoke Spanish.
"Finding someone you can relate to in the middle of Saskatchewan is an exciting thing to observe," he said, adding Mehler, who also speaks Spanish, talked with his friend too. "It's great meeting people who make you feel at home," Aluma said.
The Andino Suns, a six-member group based out of Regina, capped off the night with their own rousing performance. Their traditional sounds of the Andes Mountains of Chile combined with folk-rock sounds of the Canadian prairies were an instant hit as audience members were on their feet, dancing a few songs in.
The band has appeared in a number of high profile music festivals including this summer's Regina Folk Festival and released their debut self-titled album in 2013. You can find them on Facebook and download their music for free.
"This has been a great starting point for us. To make something for Culture Day that is accessible and free to the public but also generating a lot of buzz in creating an atmosphere where people want to be a part of is vital," Andersen said. "It's nice to bring some of those urban concepts to the southeast rural areas."
Mehler noted the wheels are already in motion for next year's culture fair and she hopes to build upon the live performances.
"We have some great performance today but it would be nice to have even more and amp it up," she said.
