Urban Infill's 10th Anniversary in Thunder Bay: Definitely Superior Art Gallery's Community Investment

     The art extravaganza known as Urban Infill is celebrating its tenth anniversary in the downtown North Core with “multi-sensory art” in a Nuit blanche-like event where 350 artists contribute to 18 shows and performances in 15 locations with 35 participating businesses from Saturday April 9 to Tuesday April 12. Volunteers working with the Definitely Superior Art Gallery assist in the setup and will guide you to participating shops and otherwise vacant office and retail spaces.

     Bigger than any before it, this anniversary will be a great experience for fans of the arts. Head downtown on any of the four nights. Urban Infill is open to everyone. You can get more information at www.definitelysuperior.com. Coffee shops and restaurants will be open as well so it’s a great opportunity to plan for a night’s excursion.  

Drawing hundreds of residents into the winding catacomb interiors running down Red River Road’s real-estate-row are the marvelous art shows. While walls, interior and exterior, welcome projected imagery, shop windows emcee living mannequins who either motionless or mobile might amuse you when making artistic and social commentary. Drawing hundreds of residents into the winding catacomb interiors running down Red River Road’s real-estate-row are the marvelous art shows. Lovers of art will run the route to gaze at the current creative array of humourous, surprising and industrious works created by both contemporary professional artists and creative rebellious youngsters.     Some of the salient works are assembled on site specifically for this event. So if you see yourself as stimulated by the visual arts, this is a superb means of securing a sense of what progressive styles and sensibilities are salient these days. 

     This dynamic downtown art drama concludes what started at the end of December with the daring Derelicte 8 fashion display where dudes and dames modeled all kinds of drop-dead delightful dress-ware. Various workshops, offering lessons in beading and graffiti were held over the last three months as part of the program.

     The Definitely Superior Art Gallery’s commitment to the arts and support of local artists is astounding. Urban Infill is a core part of their program to have artists interact with the public outside of the gallery space on Park Ave. Urban Infill represents an understanding of the value of the arts as a functioning part of society. Although the contemporary arts are more about self-expression and the exploration of new media, traditional functions of decoration and storytelling still come into play in an attempt at crossing art worlds for the benefit of the public.  

     This is also one way to get to know a different side of the city and experience what potential the city has when spaces are reimagined. The use of empty spaces during Urban Infill varies every year, so the novelty never wears off. And for those looking to invest in the downtown core in some manner, Urban Infill offers examples of how a creative edge can increase the value, not only of the North core, but to broaden the potential of our entire community.