Guitars on Parade to be launched June 26 in Orillia

Well-known artist Charles Pachter, Toronto musician and artist Kurt Swinghammer, and Six String Nation's Jowi Taylor take part in Orillia's first ever Guitars on Parade!

Orillia, ON - June 14 This summer, the City of Orillia will become home to a 'parade' of 50 giant guitar sculptures, as one local businesswoman's vision for a public art event comes to life in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Mariposa Folk Festival.

Downtown retailer Leslie Fournier has orchestrated an outdoor gallery of 50 larger-than-life guitar sculptures for a summer-long showcase called Guitars on Parade! The seven-foot guitars, each hand-painted with designs by local artists, will be unveiled June 26 in downtown Orillia as part of the second annual Streets Alive! festival. Last year�s inaugural Streets Alive! event served as a kick-off to the successful Festival of Banners, initiated by Fournier three years ago. The Streets Alive! goal is to present Orillia as a vibrant artistic community and bring visitors to the area.

Adding to the draw is the participation and support of nationally known artists.

"When the idea for Guitars on Parade! came to me, I thought it would be a coup to have a well-known Canadian artist take part in the project and help spread the word beyond Orillia," says Fournier.

The first person she thought of was Charles Pachter. An iconic presence in the visual art world, the work of this leading contemporary artist has been shown at the ROM, the AGO and the McMichael Gallery, among others. Pachter has a real connection and affection for Orillia. He cottages on Lake Simcoe and visits downtown Orillia regularly in the summer months. The Pachter guitar will be placed outside his favourite haunt for butter tarts, Wilkies Bakery.

Two other big talents affiliated with the guitar project are Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies fame and Toronto musician and visual artist, Kurt Swinghammer.

"I ran into Ed Robertson in April before the Barenaked Ladies concert at the Orillia Opera House," says Fournier. "Within minutes of hearing about Guitars on Parade!, Ed expressed interest and enthusiasm for the project and wondered if he could sponsor one of the guitars. He mentioned having his buddy, Kurt Swinghammer, design and paint it." The Barenaked Ladies guitar is now the 51st in the project. The group is calling this last one their celebrity guitar. "We sure don't mind surpassing our initial goal of 50!" laughs Fournier.

Guitars on Parade! is modeled after other successful outdoor art projects like Toronto's Moose in the City and Vancouver's Orcas in the City. "I had wanted to do something different this year for Streets Alive! and became excited when I saw images from these other projects," explains Fournier. "When it came to setting a theme, the 50th anniversary of the Mariposa Folk Festival just seemed to fit perfectly. We're thrilled to be able to help celebrate the amazing 50 years of Mariposa."

All 51 guitars will be unveiled at the Streets Alive! celebration on June 26 in Orillia. The event takes place on Mississaga Street from 10 am to 5 pm and is free. Event-goers can view the giant guitars on a walking tour, take in guitar demonstrations, participate in hands-on activities and competitions, enjoy concerts on the street, and meet Jowi Taylor and his celebrated 'Voyageur' guitar. Taylor is the impresario behind one of Canada's most creative guitar projects "Six String Nation, and author of the book by the same name. The project took Taylor across the country to build the ultimate Canadiana guitar using pieces of our country's historic and geographic icons. Jowi will be making special presentations at Streets Alive!, and the Voyageur will be on hand for photos with members of the public.

Local businesses, organizations and the community at large quickly signed on to support Guitars on Parade! The 50th guitar, 'Reflections' represents participation by Orillia citizens, who are invited to drop off donations to sponsor the sculpture at Apple Annie's Caf. Other sponsors of the event include Downtown Orillia, the City of Orillia, Mariposa Folk Festival Foundation and Larrivee Guitars, whose vintage C-10 acoustic guitar serves as the design template for the super-sized guitars. Funding has also been made available from the federal government's Community Adjustment Fund through the Orillia Area Community Development Corporation.

Select sculptures from Guitars on Parade! will travel to the Mariposa Folk Festival July 9 to 11 and then return downtown to take their place as part of the Orillia streetscape throughout the summer/fall tourist season.