Supercrawl 2024 Call For Vendors Now Open

Supercrawl is a free annual outdoor art and music festival held in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, showcasing a diverse and dynamic lineup of music, art, fashion, performance, talks, crafts, food and fun — plus more than 150 tented craft vendors. In 2023, Supercrawl’s 15th anniversary season, the event covered 22 city blocks and attracted more than 275,000 visitors over the course of the weekend. Organizers look forward to building upon that foundation at this fall’s festival, taking place September 13-15, 2024 on James Street North.

Calls for Food Trucks and Tented Vendors are now open and will close April 26, 2024.

Food Truck Application
Craft Vendor Application

Questions related to applications can be sent to events@sonicunyon.com.

Please do not contact organizers regarding the results of your application before they are communicated to you. When decisions are made, you will be contacted. Responses will not be sent to any vendor requesting early results, special treatment, or specific locations.

Please do not telephone, text, direct message, or use social media comments for vendor-related requests/communications. All official communications will be conducted through events@sonicunyon.com only.

Successful applicants will be contacted by early June. Please note that prior participation or application does not guarantee a spot at Supercrawl.

Call for Volunteers will open in June.

Call for Models will open in August. 

Details on the first-come, first served Supermarket program will be announced September 1. 

Follow our socials (Instagram, FacebookTwitter) or watch our website for more details!

Supercrawl is a free annual outdoor art and music festival held in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, showcasing a diverse and dynamic lineup of music, art, fashion, performance, talks, crafts, food and fun.

Supercrawl was founded out of a desire to showcase the city’s cultural vibrancy and eclectic arts landscape, and remains dedicated to honouring, showcasing and celebrating all varieties of creative work. Supercrawl prioritizes curating a diverse and representative festival lineup. We recognize our responsibility to amplify voices that have traditionally been marginalized, both in our communities and in society as a whole.

Supercrawl is committed to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. We strive to create an environment in which all participants may flourish. We are committed to removing systemic barriers to access and opportunity, and welcome artistic proposals from all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, or economic status.

Supercrawl Presents Sharp Words Book Fair Feb 24 at Bridgeworks

Black and white text graphic for Sharp Words: Hamilton's Winter Book Fair, with "Sharp Words" capitalized in a serif typeface and slashed diagonally with a hairline so that the alignment is askew in the middle of each word. A small Supercrawl logo appears at centre top as presenting sponsor. Sharp Words subheading reads "Hamilton's Winter Book Fair"

Sharp Words returns to Bridgeworks for a second sensational season! Join us at this free event to discover fabulous new books from innovative writers and publishers, to talk to authors and artists, and to celebrate writing in our city. RSVP today to ensure your access.

The book fair will be open from 11:00am to 6:00pm and will feature great independent presses, artists, comic book creators and writers along with talks about publishing, the writing life and more.

Vendors are slated to include 845 Press, Baseline Press, Between the Lines Press, Black Eye Books, Book*hug Press, The City & the City Books, Darrel Epp, Gordon Hill Press, gritLIT, Hamilton Children’s Authors Collective (featuring Joyce Grant, Aimee Reid, Karen Bass and Lana Button), Lime Press, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, David Lee, The Literary Press Group, Mawenzi House, Palimpsest Press, Pinhole Poetry, Serif of Nottingham, The Shale Project, Simulacrum Press, Stelliform Press, West Meadow Press, and Wolsak and Wynn.

At 7:00pm,  join us for the Literary Cabaret, an evening of live music where your favourite local authors will pick up the microphone — not to read, but to sing!

Sharp Words respects, supports and encourages the wearing of masks at our in-person events.

RSVP & INFO

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EVENT SCHEDULE

11:00 am

Doors Open

11:00 am to 12:00 pm

Behind the Scenes in Children’s Publishing

Join author and publishing industry veterans Joyce Grant, Karen Bass, Aimee Reid and Lana Button as they share their stories of bringing out award-winning books for children and young adults and explain the complicated journey from story idea to finding copies of your books in bookstores! This panel will be moderated by Joyce Grant, the award-winning author of Can You Believe It?: How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts.

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Telling True Stories

Childhood memories of war, histories in poetry from the Caribbean island of Curaçao and a pandemic diary all sound very different, but they’re all fascinating ways to tell true stories. Join authors Dannabang Kuwabong, George Matuvi and Rebecca Rosenblum as they discuss how their stories took shape and why they chose to tell them in this form. This panel will be moderated by Hamilton Review of Books Editor-in-Chief Dana Hansen.

3:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Books on Air

What does it take to put together a literary podcast? Why do people do it? Should you tune in? Join authors and podcasters Eden Boudreau, Tanis MacDonald, Brent van Staalduinen and Nathan Whitlock as they talk about why they put down their pens and picked up their mics. Moderated by Tanis MacDonald the host of Watershed Writers, which is heard weekly on Midtown Radio KW.

7:00 pm

Sharp Words Literary Cabaret

Join hosts Amy Jones and Nathan Whitlock as they lead us through an unforgettable evening of music, singing, prizes and fun that you can take part in. Featuring performances by Lana Button, Denise Da Costa, Alicia Elliott, Joyce Grant, Liz Harmer, Melissa Kuipers, Joe Ollmann, Greg Rhyno, Mike Sholars and Meaghan Strimas. Music by The Approximators: Andrew Bondy, Tom Shea, Nathan Whitlock and Mark Woodland

Artist Edition Tees Pop Up!

If you missed out during the festival, you have one more chance to snag a Supercrawl 2023 festival t-shirt artist edition collab with Dope Chief, featuring a two-screen graphic on chest. White Gildan Softstyle tee, summer-weight 100% ring spun cotton jersey preshrunk 4.5 oz., lovingly screenprinted by Hamilton’s Start Famous crew. Available to order now at this link. Extremely low quantities remain post-fest, so don’t sleep on this — when they’re gone, they’re gone!

Supercrawl Unveils New Public Art

AUGUST 20, 2023

Supercrawl is pleased to announce the unveiling of two large-scale public works of art now on display in downtown Hamilton. On August 28, 2023, Reckoning, a digital collage work by artist stylo starr, was installed on the south facade of 118 James Street North. A short distance to the southwest, Nathan Eugene Carson‘s painting The Conversation was installed in a new location, on the south facade of 91 James Street North, on August 29, 2023. The artworks are presented as part of Supercrawl’s 2023 Visual & Public Art programming and will be on display for a year.  

stylo starr, Reckoning, 2023, digital collage Image Credit: stylo starr. Image courtesy of the artist

stylo starr 

Reckoning, 2023, digital collage

Artist Statement: I create intuitively, and believe there is a visual alchemy that happens in the process of cut and paste. I am energized by the tactility of old books, magazines, scrap paper or other found materials, and I appreciate collage for its accessibility. Working digitally unlocks a whole other way of approaching collage that further motivates me to stretch my imagination as I muse on possible futures. The focus of my work is the elevation of Black people and asserting our existence in fantasy and the future. I remove all spatial and temporal references. Challenges of limited representation are often encountered while sourcing material – not to mention the potential of engaging with historically harmful sources. These challenges are often met through experimentation with photography and digital collage as a solution. In either practice, the subject ultimately is recontextualized and appointed the power of
the gaze. The subject is Divine.

Artist Biography: stylo starr is a collage artist whose work centres nature, fantasy and the Afrofuture. Her work is driven by the observation and integration of fine layered detail in a collaboration with her deep amateur interests in astrology, crystals, herbalism, lepidopterology and the metaphysical – all of which are frequently explored in her collages. stylo’s art reflects beauty and power, and she believes prominent and positive representation of Blackness in the arts is critical and necessary. stylo has exhibited at the Art Gallery of Hamilton and the Art Gallery of Burlington among others and is an emerging curator and arts educator. She also facilitates creative mindfulness workshops open to a variety of age groups and experiences both in-person and online. stylo is based in her hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, situated upon the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas, where she works and lives with her feline companion, Samo.

Presented by Supercrawl in partnership with McMaster Museum of Art and McMaster University

 

Nathan Eugene Carson, The Conversation, 2023, painting. Photo Credit: Jonathan Groeneweg. Image courtesy of the artist

Nathan Eugene Carson

The Conversation, 2023, painting

Artist Statement: My artistic practice is focus on creating individual and bodies of work that inspire, inform, and invigorate both the viewer and myself to meditate on the beauty existing in the world. My process focuses on the reclamation of discarded materials such as paper, cardboard, and paint, and non-traditional materials such as gift cards, plastics, take-out food containers etc. Reclaiming, repurposing and repairing are important parts of my practice ensuring that the artwork created is truly “something out of nothing” giving materials a new sense of purpose and new life in the form of artworks. The subject matter within my art varies with thematic seasons of creation, however the focus on these reclaimed materials remains consistent throughout.   Every finished work of art conveys that a life or soul has been breathed into it, magically reincarnated, and then the work is complete.

Artist Biography: Nathan Eugene Carson (b. 1980, lives and works in Hamilton, Ontario) received a BFA from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2005. His drawings and paintings have since been shown at Verso Gallery, Lennox Contemporary, Gallery One, and the Drake Hotel in Toronto. Carson’s work was also featured during the AGO First Thursdays in partnership with the RBC Emerging Artists Projects and StreetARToronto. In 2016, he was part of an exhibition titled Ponto, the first of several held at Hamilton’s Oswald Gallery. Other group exhibitions include Free Fall (2016) and Worked Over (2017), both at Oswald Gallery, as well as 100 Paintings (2019) at The Carnegie Gallery, Dundas, Ontario, and Cut From The Same Cloth (2021) at the Power Plant Toronto, Ontario. His most recent solo exhibition Black Carnival (2022-23) and artist residency took place at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.

nathaneugenecarson.ca

Presented by Supercrawl in partnership with McMaster Museum of Art and McMaster University

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ABOUT SUPERCRAWL

A not-for-profit arts organization situated within the traditional territories of the Erie, Chonnonton (Neutral), Wendat, Mississauga, and Haudenosaunee nations, Supercrawl is committed to honouring, showcasing and celebrating all varieties of creative work. Positioning local and emerging artists alongside significant provincial, national and international peers, the festival fosters and promotes arts and culture as well as the myriad benefits they provide.

Presented by TD Bank Group (TD) as part of the TD Ready Commitment to amplify diverse voices, Supercrawl is Hamilton’s premier multi-arts festival, fusing new and independent music with art installations, fashion, performance, literature, theatre, and artisanal craft. Supercrawl’s diverse multi-disciplinary program of sound, performance, visual and media arts is staged along a pedestrian-only creative corridor in the heart of downtown.

Since 2010, Supercrawl’s Visual Arts programming has showcased upwards of 100 artists and featured visual art installations in a variety of media. Supercrawl provides opportunities to local, regional and national artists and performers at both early and established stages of their practices. An annual call for submissions is issued to invite proposals from artists working in a variety of media, and art-lovers will also find roughly two dozen gallery spaces and artists’ studios in and around Supercrawl’s neighbourhood.

Supercrawl was shortlisted for a 2019 Ontario Tourism Award of Excellence for Tourism Event of the Year and 2017 Canadian Tourism Award for Event of the Year. The festival received the 2015 Ontario Tourism Award of Excellence for Tourism Event of the Year, and has been recognized as one of Festival and Events Ontario’s Top 100 Festivals/Events for six consecutive years (2015-2020). Supercrawl is a member organization of the Major International Festivals and Events Network of Ontario, the Canadian Music Live Association, and Festivals and Events Ontario.

James North: Neighbourhood of the Arts

A PLACE WHERE CREATIVITY LIVES

Since 2010, Supercrawl has showcased visual art installations in a variety of media, including projects and artwork by Hiba Abdallah, Kim Adams, Donna Akrey, Mark Ainslie, Asli Alin, All Our Relations Collective, Jaime Angelopoulos, Sonny Assu, C.R. Avery, Nedda Baba, Mary Anne Barkhouse, Sarah Beck, Monique Aura Bedard, Beehive Craft Collective, Connor Bennett, BGL, Kiera BoultDavid BrooksAdam David Brown, Lea Bucknell, Dawn Hackett Burns, Nathan Eugene Carson, Tia Cavanagh, Tracie ChingJefferson Campbell-Cooper, Roy Caussy, Clear Eyes Collective, David Collier, Vanessa Crosbie Ramsay, Adrienne Crossman, Nathan Cyprys, Marco D’Andrea, Shayne Dark, Tanya Davis, Sara DeckJohn Dickson, Eric Drass, dpai architecture, Dean Drever, Jason EdmistonEn Masse, Justin EricksonSimon Frank, Jason Freiburger, Melissa General, Shlomi Greenspan, Group of 7 Billion, Ann Marie Hadcock, Anitra Hamilton, Hamilton Perambulatory UnitJohn Haney, Adad Hannah, Sandi Hartling, Alexa Hatanaka, Robert HengeveldDave Hind, Katie Huckson, Alicia Hunt, Natalie Hunter, Alex Jacobs-Blum, Erika James, Carey Jernigan, Thea Jones, Svava Thordis Juliusson, kírkē, Jason Krugman, Ness Lee, Maria LegaultGareth Lichty, Tor Lukasik-Foss, Drew MacEachern, ​Vincent MarconeKelly Mark, Laura Marotta, Sean Martindale, Christopher McLeod, ​Nancy Anne McPhee, Andrew McPhail, Robert Michael, Zeke Moores, Amber Helene Müller St. ThomasMarie-Jeanne Musiol, Shelley Niro, Susy Oliveira, Andrew Owen, Patrick Paine, Megan PressMark Prier, Sean Procyk, Nathalie Quagliotto, Red Tree Collective, Paige ReynoldsJim Riley,​ Mitch Robertson, Jessica A. RodríguezMatt Rogalsky, Al Runt, Dustin SeabrookShake-n-Make, Chris Shepherd, Coral Short, Kimber Sider, Site 3 Fire Arts, Skawennati, Stephanie Springgay, St Marie φ Walker, stylo starr, Jordyn Stewart, Kyle Stewart, Max Streicher, Kearon Roy Taylor, Tyler Tekatch, Reece Terris, TH&B, Alison Thompson, Patrick Thompson, Matt Ryan Tobin, Kevin TongJosé Luis Torres, Brandon VickerdMatthew Walker, C. Wells, Elinor Whidden, Peter Michael Wilson, Tom Wilson, and Shellie Zhang. That roster will expand with the release of details around the 16th annual edition of Supercrawl in June 2024.

Supercrawl provides opportunities to local, regional and national artists and performers at both early and established stages of their practices. An annual call for submissions is issued to invite proposals from artists working in a variety of media.

Art-loving festival-goers will also find numerous gallery spaces and artists’ studios in and around Supercrawl’s neighbourhood, including Art Gallery of HamiltonThe Assembly, B-SIDE, Centre[3]Coloma StudioGallery 4 Annex, Melanie Gillis Studio, ​Hamilton Artists Inc., HCA GalleryMills HardwareRE-Create Outreach Art Studio, Studio on James, The Studios at Hotel HamiltonWorkers Arts and Heritage Centre and You Me Gallery.

Video shot on location at Supercrawl 2019 by Thrillhouse Studios
TOP TO BOTTOM: Dean Drever, Bear Hunt, at Supercrawl 2014; Max Streicher, Giants Ascending, at Supercrawl 2011

Supercrawl Insiders