NEWSLETTER
Featuring BLUE RODEO, PAMYUA, a Tribute to JOANNE SHENANDOAH, SMOKE DANCE COMPETITION, INDIGENOUS ARTISTS & more
June 18 in the Artpark Lower Park & Amphitheater
Lewiston, NY – Artpark’s Strawberry Moon Festival will return on Saturday, June 18, 2022. Admission to the afternoon activities (12PM-5PM) in Artpark’s lower park is free. Tickets for the evening concert beginning at 6:30PM in the Artpark Amphitheater are $20 and are on sale now at the Artpark Box Office (Mon-Sat, 10-4) and ticketmaster.com.
The Strawberry Moon Festival celebrates the indigenous cultures of the Western New York region through storytelling, music, dance, and arts & crafts. Guests will participate in an inclusive and engaging Native American community gathering. They will also be entertained by an eclectic lineup of artists performing on multiple stages.
The first Strawberry Moon Festival in 2019 brought back Native American programming to Artpark after a 40-plus-year hiatus. More than 3,000 guests participated in and experienced indigenous traditions in song, dance, crafts, and more, forging cross-cultural connections and cross-community relationships that continue to this day. In its 2019 review, The Buffalo News said ”not just a music festival, The Strawberry Moon Festival celebrates the fact the sky does not acknowledge borders, as different cultural factions from Western New York and Canada gathered to honor the beginning of a new season and tip their collective cap to the land that sustains us all.”
In 2020 the festival took a COVID-19 pause, but the Native American Peace Garden came to fruition at Artpark. More than just a place to reflect and take in the beautiful setting along the Niagara River, the Garden is an outdoor classroom led by Native Elders and knowledge keepers. Then in 2021, the Festival themed “Rekindling our Roots” returned with performances by Martha Redbone, Lakota John, Charly Lowry and Tonemah plus a Smoke Dance Competition.
In its 3rd year, Artpark’s Strawberry Moon Festival 2022 celebrates the many contributions Native people made in the shaping of our area and the global stage. Built on the Two Row Wampum teachings that promote all Nations walk together in parallel, with respect, compassion, and understanding to cultivate an inclusive community for our shared future, this year’s Festival will be filled with interactive workshops, activities, teachings and a large Native vendor section and food trucks.
Kicking off the festival at Noon will be a wide variety of free interactive programs located in Artpark’s lower park (South 4th St. entrance), including the Emerald Grove Stage and Artpark's Native American Peace Garden. These programs celebrate diverse and expressive Native American cultures through the arts, food sampling, story-telling, workshops, music presentations, a Native American Discovery Zone, wampum belt workshops and display, a workshop on native dance and drum teachings by Jordan Smith. The ever popular and mesmerizing Smoke Dance competition has expanded this year with youth 13-17 division and adults divisions. Visitors can also discover unique gifts from over 20 Native American artisans and food vendors. Admission to the afternoon activities is free.
Then at 6:30PM, Artpark’s Amphitheater comes alive with a special concert headlined by Canada’s Blue Rodeo, plus Alaska’s Pamyua, and a tribute to the acclaimed Native American musician Joanne Shenandoah. Tickets for the Amphitheater concert are $20.
Formed in 1995, Pamyua showcases Inuit culture through music and dance performance. Often described as “Inuit Soul Music,” Pamyua has discovered their own genre. They have been acclaimed as one of the 10 greatest Alaska artists of the millennium by Alaska Magazine and “the most famous Inuit band in the world” by Rolling Stone. Learn more
The concert continues with a tribute to the most critically acclaimed and honored Native American musician of her generation, Joanne Shenandoah. Join us as we pay homage and honor her for the legacies she has left and the paths she has opened for the next generation. Joanne's daughter Leah Shenandoah will be joined by Theresa Bear Fox, Perry Ground, and Tonemah in The Circle: Honoring Icon Joanne Shenandoah. Learn more about Joanne Shenandoah
The evening concludes with Blue Rodeo. In the 35 years since forming, Blue Rodeo has sold over 4 million albums, received dozens of JUNO Award nominations and wins, played over 2,000 shows, been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, been named to the Order of Canada and have been honored with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award. And they’re still as strong as ever with the release of their 16th album, “Many A Mile.” Learn more
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Artpark has made a commitment to Indigenous Arts programming and awareness with a full season of Indigenous programs built for and by our local Indigenous community. Our programming, conceived and curated by Michele-Elise Burnett (Métis/Algonquin, Bear Clan and Artpark Indigenous Arts Producer) serves residents from the Indigenous community in Lewiston, Youngstown, and beyond as well as non-Native persons who are interested in learning more about the culture and traditions. Click here for a list of programs planned for 2022.
The 2022 Artpark Season is supported by: M&T Bank; Cullen Foundation; Labatt Blue Light; Bud Light; Southern Tier Brewing; Try-it Distributing; National Endowment for the Arts; Parks & Trails New York; Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo; New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; New York Stage Council on the Arts; FACE Foundation; Mid Atlantic Arts; and Northtown Automotive Companies.
Please visit artpark.net for a current calendar of events.
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The Earl W. Brydges Artpark is being operated by Artpark & Company, Inc. for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation under a long-term collaborative agreement.
Contact: Dave Wedekindt, VP of Concerts & Marketing, Artpark
716-472-6030