Free celebration of art, music, and community making return to Fall River this week

A celebration of art, music, and community is headed once again to the city of Fall River.

According to organizers, Fabric Arts Festival 2020 aims to be a unique platform for artistic creation and promotion of artistic excellence. The second year of the festival takes place on Friday October 16 and Saturday October 17.

The festival—organized by Casa dos Açores da Nova Inglaterra with curatorship by Jesse James, Sofia Carolina Botelho, and António Pedro Lopes – will feature public art, music, walks, talks and workshops.

The goal of Fabric Arts Festival 2020 is to promote collaboration between local cultural agents and the Festival’s artists; a bridge to Portugal and the Azores.

FAF will present artists working in music, performance, and visual arts in new and exciting ways such as city spaces both inside and outdoors, in walls and in mills, but also online and virtually.

The exhibits and events will be taking place in different locations in downtown Fall River.

The schedule is as follows:

9 AM Friday — MUSIC
Chase Ceglie is a musician and saxophonist from Newport, RI. At Fabric, he performs selections from his upcoming pop album, “Fear and Love, Together”, to be released later this year. On the opening day of the festival, a QR code becomes available online and in the real world through stickers spread all over town and in other Massachusetts’ cities.

10 AM Friday — VISUAL ARTS
One of Fall River’s “anthems” is a song by Jorge Ferreira called “Viva Fall River”. The project aims to represent this “anthem” alongside with graphic references composed by various layers that aims to emphasize the multiculturality of this community. Located throughout public locations in Fall River.

4 PM – 7 PM Friday, 2 PM – 7 PM Saturday — EXHIBITION
Fall River Museum of Contemporary Art is a contemporary art museum located on the ground floor of the Merrow building at 502 Bedford Street. Free admission. Masks are required and 6 feet social distancing to the greatest extent possible. After the festival, can be visited by appointment until December 12.

4 PM – 7 PM Friday — EXHIBITION
An off-site and site-specific installation will take place orchestrated by nomadic exhibition platform – Pretty Days featuring the work of artist John Roebas. The exhibition can be viewed at www.prettydays.life.

7 PM Friday and Saturday — VIDEO INSTALLATION
There are many ghosts In Fall River. One ghost carries the namesake of the city: the waterfall which Initially made the city so appealing to settlers. A projection of a waterfall on Fall River’s City Hall to be seen from west-bound traffic on 195, as well as a pedestrian view on the west wall of City Hall. Can be viewed Friday and Saturday from dusk to dawn.

7:30 PM – 10 PM Friday and Saturday — MUSIC SCREENINGS
7:30 PM RICARDO ROCHA
8:00 PM LAVOISIER
8:30 PM RAFAEL CARVALHO
9:00 PM FADO BICHA
9:30 PM GASPAR VARELA

This program focuses on a group of Portuguese artists and musicians working in and around forms of Fado and Portuguese traditional songs/instruments. Previously recorded in Lisbon and the Azores, the videos will be shown at Fall River City Hall. Free admission. Masks are required and 6 feet social distancing to the greatest extent possible.

10 AM Saturday — PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION
Public art to be installed at the Alfred J. Lima Quequechan Rail Trail that creates opportunity for human interaction through dynamic placemaking and programming. A hub for play, understanding, dialogue, sharing and exchange, and to celebrate people’s differences and find common ground among our similarities. Free admission. Installation will remain.

10 AM, 3:30 PM Saturday — WALK
Fall River Watermark is an exploratory walk following the Quequechan River. To experience the walk you will need your mobile device and headphones.

You can experience this project in two forms: Guided walk: Participants listen & tune their senses to this urban watershed, carrying water from Watuppa Ponds to the river’s confluence at tidal Mt Hope Bay or Self-guided walk: Markers along the route invite participants to hear the secrets of this historical river. Audio composed of site-specific field recordings & historical sounds can be accessed at markers by cell phone. Free admission. Must register at FABRICFALLRIVER@GMAIL.COM with subject “Fallriverwatermark”. Include name, phone number, session and preferred schedule.

10 AM, 11 AM, 11:30 AM Saturday — THREE DIFFERENT WALKS
Come walk with me is a series of walks and actions designed by Gustavo Ciríaco to be experienced during the act of strolling. Each walk is organized for 5 audience members at a time and planned to last around 1h and 1h 15min. The project was built through an online workshop with volunteers who individually or in group conjured up each an idiosyncratic walk in the city of Fall River’s urban territory. Free admission. Must register at FABRICFESTIVALFALLRIVER@GMAIL.COM with subject “Walkfallriver”. Include name, phone number, session and preferred schedule.

2 PM, 2:30 PM, 3: 00 PM Saturday — THREE DIFFERENT WALKS (SAME WALKS AS AM SESSION)
Come walk with me is a series of walks and actions designed by Gustavo Ciríaco to be experienced during the act of strolling. Each walk is organized for 5 audience members at a time and planned to last around 1h and 1h 15min. The project was built through an online workshop with volunteers who individually or in group conjured up each an idiosyncratic walk in the city of Fall River’s urban territory. Free admission. Must register at FABRICFESTIVALFALLRIVER@GMAIL.COM with subject “Walkfallriver”. Include name, phone number, session and preferred schedule.

If you have any questions or are looking for more information, go to www.fabricfallriver.com