St Monans Community Arts Festival

• Festival dates: Friday 6th to Sunday 8th September
• Café, crafts and workshops in the Church Hall
• Art & Photography exhibitions and workshops in the Town Hall
• Music and other events around the village
• St Monans Allotments Association are hosting THRIVE – a very special exhibition

Since 2009, the picturesque fishing village of St Monans has organised an annual Arts Festival. There have been many memorable events over the last fifteen years, and this year is no exception. What sets the festival apart from many others is the focus on the local Community, which is central to its organisation, purpose and participation. 

The festival promotes the work of local artists and crafters, and offers opportunities for everyone to become involved with the arts, with an exciting range of free workshops, exhibitions and events. The focus on community involvement has an additional dimension this year, with St Monans artist Joanna van den Berg’s exhibition being staged within and highlighting another, recently formed local organisation with a community purpose – the St Monans Allotments Association.

Allotments Secretary Norma Greenwood said:

“In the few months since our formation, the Allotments Association has already reached out, developing its involvement with community organisations and initiatives, including working with the local school to plant a community orchard, with the Beautiful St Monans gardening group, and supplying produce to the St Monans Food Larder. So we were delighted to have this chance to be festival venue for Joanna, especially when her recent artworks are inspired by the allotments. We are looking forward to the exhibition and hope visitors will also enjoy seeing the horticultural creativity that exists among our members!”

Joanna’s exhibition is entitled THRIVE. Very appropriately for its location, it celebrates nature’s capacity to grow, flourish and provide, and the experience of transforming a plot of ground 

“from a sodden quagmire to a stretch of land just buzzing with life. It’s so inspiring. Who’d have thought you could feel so much passion for frogs, cabbages and courgettes?”

The Festival has a feature packed programme that includes workshops, exhibitions, music, open houses and fun events for the whole family. The ever popular Festival Café will be accompanied by craft stalls and workshops in the Church Hall. Meanwhile around the corner in the Town Hall there are Art and Photography exhibitions, and further workshops; plus elsewhere there will be live music, open studios and fun events including the always popular giant bubbles. The Open Houses feature 26 artists in 17 venues, with a further twenty artists exhibiting in the spacious Town Hall.

Music includes Good Guy Hank, playing a blend of Country and Americana at Futtle. Workshops include art demonstrations by well-known artists Anne Barclay and Joanna Scott, craft sessions include shell, stones and glass painting. Polymer Clay jewellery making, English Paper Piecing and Crazy Patchwork. There is also a Pottery Demonstration, a History Walk, Music Theory for beginners, pianola demonstrations, storytelling, a Drink and Draw evening, and the village’s 3000-camera museum and its heritage centre will be open both days.

See https://stmonans.org.uk/blog/arts-festival/ for full details.