Contact:
Leanne Prain, Woodward’s Cultural Unit, 778.782.9223, lyp2@sfu.ca
Emily Ross, SFU Vancouver, 778.782.5151,  ebr@sfu.ca

Festival LAUNCH!, an annual festival focused on emerging artists, will provide local arts practitioners with the opportunity to kick-start their careers at Simon Fraser University’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts beginning June 21. Hosted by 149Arts, a newly formed non-profit, this showcase and workshop will highlight a variety of artists specializing in different mediums over the two-day festival.

In its inaugural year, Festival LAUNCH! provides artists with the opportunity to learn new skills through practical workshops, as well as be mentored by some of Vancouver’s top industry professionals, a list that includes Jim Smith of DanceHouse Vancouver, arts columnist Max Wyman, and talent agent Murray Gibson.

“We (149Arts) have identified a need to support emerging professional artists in our community,” says 149Arts artistic director Michael Boucher, adding the intent is to assist artists gain exposure and help foster life-long artistic careers.

The festival features hands-on workshops that will focus on specific skills artists need to excel on a professional level, including branding, grant writing, promotion, performance, and self-management.

“149Arts will help develop this abundant creative talent by fostering, nurturing and showcasing this new generation of young performers in its exciting LAUNCH! Series,” says Wyman.

The festival will culminate in a cabaret-style showcase on June 21, at 7:30 p.m., hosted by Veda Hille, which will feature performances by selected artists in the five disciplines represented through the mentorship: music, media arts, performance arts, dance, and new forms. The event is open to the public and tickets can be purchased online.

More information about Festival LAUNCH! can be found online.

Simon Fraser University is Canada's top-ranked comprehensive university and one of the top 50 universities in the world under 50 years old. With campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey, B.C., SFU engages actively with the community in its research and teaching, delivers almost 150 programs to more than 30,000 students, and has more than 120,000 alumni in 130 countries.

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