The Yellowhead Rotary Arts Festival (YRAF) is ready to kick off its 11th year in Jasper, Hinton, Edson and Grand Cache. 

This year a few exciting new categories are being added that have drawn in new artists and created buzz around the festival.

Lego is the newest addition to the YRAF line-up, and the category has drawn 12 entries. Christina Johns, executive director of Creative Campus, which organizes the festival, said the category opens up the festival to a totally new audience.

“It hasn’t been included as prominently in the arts world considering how many enthusiasts there are,” Johns said. 

Returning this year is the film category, and eight to 10 films will be featured from filmmakers in the Hinton region and Edson. 

Johns is happy to see the category return after a hiatus, because filmmakers now also have an outlet for their work. 

“We’re just providing the opportunity for these artists to showcase,” she said.

On April 30, all of the 11-minute maximum films will be displayed at The Guild in Hinton to festival goers. 

The other benefit of the YRAF is that professional adjudicators are being brought in from out of town to provide feedback and select winners. Johns said there are plenty of qualified adjudicators within the West Yellowhead, but bringing people from out of town brings a fresh canvas and new ideas to the festival. 

“We try to bring in the adjudicators to build our local expertise,” Johns said. “We all know there’s more than one way to be artistic.”

The festival is held across the Yellowhead region, in Jasper, Hinton, Edson and Grand Cache. Detailed schedules will be posted on the Creative Campus website as the event draws nearer, but each town will feature performance art and a visual arts display. In Jasper, artwork can be viewed at the Habitat for the Arts; in Hinton The Guild will host and in Edson artists’ work will be featured at the Red Brick. 

Edson will host most of the creative writing for the festival as most of the interest was in that region. Johns said they will embark on a creative writing road trip to develop pieces. 

In the past the YRAF has been well-attended, Johns said. They see a fairly constant stream of artists every year, but usually attract a few dozen new people to enter their work. The festival calls itself the largest multi-disciplinary festival in rural Alberta. 

The festival finishes off on May 5 with a Grand Concert, featuring performance artists chosen by the adjudicators. Visual art will be on display throughout the venue, and the concert will act as the awards ceremony. 

“It’s kind of the best of the fest,” Johns said. 

The awards are chosen by the adjudicators, but Johns said they are non-competitive, and are meant to encourage artists and reward them for their continued hard work. 

On April 14, a program will be delivered throughout the Yellowhead region with a detailed schedule. It should be available in Jasper by April 15. Johns is working to get the schedule up on the web as well. Detailed information, locations and times can be found at www.yraf.com as the information becomes available.