Rust Magic is an international street art festival in Edmonton, Alberta, held in 2016 to 2019. Trevor Peters and Annaliza Toledo were the creators of this festival of street art and helped transform Edmonton's concrete landscape into multicoloured murals that may uplift and inspire the city. Rust Magic allows graffiti artists to do professional art installations in the public view. Mentorships where offered where youth worked with artists who are commissioned for the festival's artworks. Artists worldwide have contributed not only to the Rust Magic Festival, such as Adam Fujita from Chicago and Mr.Cenz from South London, but also to the conversation on graffiti through their art pieces and speaking about its impacts at the festival.
History.
The festival started when Peters and Toledo travelled to Europe, and saw how street art can transform industrial cityscapes into works of art at festivals like Croatia's Grafittina Gradele. They wanted bring this type of mural art to Edmonton to provide a platform for artists to demonstrate their talents and present street art as an accessible public art form rather than vandalism.
The Festival was named Rust Magic to pay homage to the graffiti art community and the graffiti lexicon.
The Festival started in August 2016 with no money or sponsors. Business owners in Edmonton signed up to have their buildings transformed. Fourteen international artists participated in the Festival's first year. The participating artists have helped transform areas like Whyte Ave, Downtown and 124th Street with over 45 murals. Some artists have included PichiAvo, Stash, Bip and Jill Stanton, to name a few.
The founders have since relocated to Bali. Other festivals have emerged from Rust Magic's original concept, like RADO Alley and Grindstone.
Years active: 2016 - 2019.
The goal set out by the founders was to have Rust Magic run for 4 years and establish a community to carry on the spirit and legacy of the Festival. Below is a timeline of the Festival with some significant highlights.
2016.
In the Festival's inaugural year, over 14 artists contributed to creating 15 murals in just three days. One of the keynote speakers and international artists displaying his work was Wane One, who has long-established roots in the street art world and whose work dates back to 1983.The first year was not without challenges, as organizers had to work around the city's anti-graffiti policy to ensure no one was fined and the artwork was not removed.
2017.
Building on the success of year one, where Rust Magic was nominated for the Mayor Outstanding Contributions to the Arts award. New sponsors with funding from the Edmonton's Art Council and other local businesses that wanted to be involved. Over 25 artists signed up this year.
2018.
This year saw the creation of the largest mural in Edmonton, located at 10331 and 106 Street, which PichiAvo created. It is 12 meters x 35 meters and its design is like a quilt and that features the Greek God Nike. Smoke from the B.C. wildfires provided an extra layer this year, with some artists talking about the conditions working in a smoky environment and how it had an effect on the work. A walking map was introduced, making it easier for Festival attendees to find the Old Strathcona Business Association-sponsored murals.
2019: The Final Year.
At the start of this year's Festival, over 45 Murals were completed. This year's edition had murals with more of a focus on letters; an example of this would be artist Slick and the tribute he created for the city's hockey town. MacEwan University hosted a keynote presentation by artists Mare139 during which an important discussion was held regarding the term graffiti over the term murals.
Their Community Impact.
From 2016 through 2017, due to Rust Magic, there was a spike in individuals looking for authentic-looking street art in their businesses and homes. The two founders wanted to find a way to make Edmonton walks less dull.
Part of the Organizers Trevor Peters and Annaliza Toledo's philosophy in Rust magic is to encourage young and upcoming artists. Their goal is to allow new artists to create their first murals and start building a name for themselves. Toledo expresses the benefits of the mentorship program by mentioning the importance of helping the youth build their confidence by giving them an opportunity to do their first mural and realize they can make a profession out of this work. Moreover, he emphasizes the rewarding feeling that the youth get from this experience.
The Rust Magic Festival focused on shifting the negative beliefs surrounding graffiti, as the founders hoped to provide the perspective of each artist appropriately. Rust Magic inspired business owners to open up their walls for murals, leading artists to add to an art form previously seen as vandalism. Edmonton Graffiti Artist Louden states that there is still an ambiguous line between vandalism and art. Moreover, he specifies that if the creation of the art is illegal, then it should not be considered art; rather, it is solely graffiti. He goes on to mention that if the art is done legally, then the title of that work would be appropriate. Louden concludes with his belief that the Rust Magic Festival has helped improve the landscapes of Edmonton's downtown.
Co-founder Trevor Peters believes the magic comes from the vibrant images that bring life to the cold Edmonton winters. Moreover he believes it will uplifts and bring joy to Edmonton's unique communities.