FABRIC Arts Festival returns Oct. 10 with a Festa. Guide to music, exhibits, talks and more

FALL RIVER – FABRIC Arts Festival is returning Oct. 10-13 and for the first time it will be hosting its own Festa.

“Art is always about new boundaries, and we’ve been experimenting and testing different programs,” FABRIC’s Artistic Director Jesse James told O Jornal. “For this edition, we thought a lot about ‘Portuguese festas’ as these vibrant celebrations that bring together communities around shared rituals and traditions involving food, music, and all sorts of devotions. As an art festival, we want FABRIC to emulate that sort of energy and mission.”

This year’s program will be split between Fall River and Providence, with a first incursion in the Copicut Woods. It will include dinner performances, art exhibitions, music and conversations that will bring together contemporary artists and creatives from different geographies, while focusing on celebrating Portuguese arts, culture, and the diverse local community.

“Our main goal is always to bring people together through arts and culture,” James said. “What becomes obvious this year is the omnipresence of food. We started organizing dinners in previous editions, but now the act of eating is the core of FABRIC’s program. This opens an exciting space for new commissions where different artistic fields come together. And food is also a very interesting vehicle for us to talk about memories, feelings, and our diasporic contexts.”

FABRIC is organized by Casa dos Açores da Nova Inglaterra (CANI) under the leadership of Michael Benevides, festival co-founder and co-owner of Fall River’s Portugalia Marketplace, and James’ artistic direction.

“There might be some traditional things and there will be untraditional things,” Benevides noted about this year’s festa. “It’s good to keep that in mind – people can’t expect the same old same old.”

Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the festival will bring together about 50 participants, including artists, curators, and mediators.

“It’s an important milestone for a project developing from a peripheral context like Fall River,” James said. “We’re very grateful for the continuous support from many individuals, entities, and sponsors. It shows how the festival is valued and understood as something relevant for the different communities it engages with.”

Organizers say FABRIC will continue exploring its regional approach while aiming to strengthen and grow Fall River’s artistic audience and community.

“Keep in mind that these processes of establishing a festival or an art project take time and demand a lot of efforts, but the city is responding to those challenges and understanding the importance of creating these spaces of encounter that generate collective memory and positive spillovers for Fall River,” James said.

Here is what you need to know before you go:

What’s happening on FABRIC’s opening night?

FABRIC will kick-off on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. with a special dinner performance dedicated to Azorean contemporary practices at P.A.L., located at 31 Franklin St., Fall River.

Attendees will be invited to ‘Eat the Landscape’ of the Azorean islands, prepared by Azorean food creative Catarina Ferreira, from an art installation created by Portuguese architect Nuno Pimenta, while immersed by the sounds of Cavalo Marinho, a band formed by four of the most prominent musicians in the Azorean archipelago - Romeu Bairos, Sara Cruz, Clemente, and João Felix.

“Cavalo Marinho didn’t exist,” Benevides explained. “FABRIC commissioned these four artists to come together and create this performance for us. We’ve seen them on Instagram. They play festivals in Portugal, and they’ll go backstage together and do a little jam, but it’s all impromptu. We’ve seen this and we thought it would be great to have these top four artists perform collectively and individually in mini sets.”

Tickets for the dinner performance are $75 and can be purchase at FABRIC’s website at https://www.fabricfallriver.com

FABRIC’s ‘How does it feel on the tongue?’ exhibition to offer food for thought

On Friday, Oct. 11, FABRIC will celebrate collective art and give participants’ food for thought on why one must build networks of care and proximity.

The collective exhibition ‘How does it feel on the tongue?’ will open at 5 p.m. at Gather, located at 43 Troy St., Fall River. The event is free and open to the public.

“By introducing food at different moments of the festival, we started thinking about how we could include it in an art exhibition,” noted James, who also serves as the exhibition’s curator. “How does food connect us with others, with our past, or with the environment? The show explores commensality as a space of connection and memory, but also nourishment or contamination. How does it feel on the tongue? questions about how food and its various forms — be it a dish, a recipe, or an image — impact our memories, feelings, and thoughts.”

This will be FABRIC’s second year at the F.R.A.C. C’s Ignition space, and the show will stay for a few weeks alongside FRMOCA’S own exhibition.

P.A.L. Fall River to be transformed into a big Festa with Portuguese musician Pedro Mafama

On Friday, Oct. 11, starting at 7 p.m., P.A.L. Fall River will be transformed into a Portuguese Festa, with a collective kitchen and food court with a dance floor in its center. Attendees can expect some surprises.

Portuguese sensation Pedro Mafama will steer the party with his pop hits, which mix electronic and urban references with traditional Portuguese music.

“Like Mafama, Fabric is interested in experimenting, collaborating, and doing things more collectively,” James said. “That is a good way of acknowledging our roots and references but projecting them into new projects that feel exciting and challenging.”

Mafama’s latest album ‘Estava no Abismo Mas Dei Um Passo Em Frente,’ includes the songs ‘Estrada,’ which combines cante alentejano with Portuguese rumba; ‘Preço Certo’ that was inspired by Portuguese traditional music; and ‘Marcha Bonita,’ a popular march inspired by the city of Lisbon.

Tickets are $28 and can be purchased at FABRIC’s website at https://www.fabricfallriver.com

FABRIC moves to Rhode Island on Oct. 12

On Saturday, Oct. 12, Fabric will move to the Providence area, with a program developed with new partners and venues.

At 12 p.m., the Odd-Kin Gallery in East Providence will set the stage for the talk ‘Weaving’ focusing on art spaces and artistic practices in the region.

“The conversation will be moderated by writer and critic Jessica Shearer over food. So, it’s a brunch and talk,” said James.

At 6 p.m., the ‘Mouthfeel’ exhibition showcasing artworks and editions by emerging and established contemporary artists and designers, will open at 6 p.m. at the World’s Fair Gallery, located at 268 Broadway, Providence.

“We proposed a dialogue between Chilean artist Magaly Ponce and Portuguese sculptor and ceramist João Rolaça,” James said. “Works will be for sale, and there will be a mix of Chilean and Portuguese appetizers and drinks.”

Both events are free and open to the public.

At 9 p.m., Lisbon artist Odete will perform at AS220, located at 115 Empire St., Providence. Known for her avant-garde performances, she will combine text, visual arts and music in her concert that will wander through queer universes, rituals, spells, love, and contemplation.

Tickets range from $10 to $20 and can be purchased at https://as220.org/calendar/fabric-festival-presents-odete?rq=Odete

FABRIC to culminate with collective walkat Copicut Woods

FABRIC will end on Sunday, Oct. 13 with a collective walk at 11 a.m. on the trails of the Copicut Woods, guided by local experts.

After the walk, attendees will share a small meal in communion.

For more information on FABRIC Arts Festival and participating artists, visit https://www.fabricfallriver.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: FABRIC Arts Festival 2024: Guide to concerts, exhibits, talks and more