The 2024 Fabric Arts Festival (FABRIC) will take place from October 10-13 in Fall River, MA, and Providence, RI.
On its fifth edition, the festival showcases various events including visual art exhibits, live music performances, installations, educational workshops, gastronomy and communal dinners.
FABRIC brings together more than 40 international artists from various backgrounds to New England to present multidisciplinary events and activities that explore cultural and historical themes related to the Portuguese and Azorean cultural heritage.
Organized by Casa dos Açores in New England, the project is mentored and directed by Portuguese-American entrepreneur Michael Benevides, with artistic direction by Azores-based curator Jesse James, in partnership with multiple entities and partners.
Key highlights include:
Performative Dinner – October 10
The festival kicks off with a special program dedicated to contemporary Azorean practices, featuring a dinner performance that invites participants to “eat the landscape of the island.” Prepared by chefs Hugo Ferreira and Catarina Ferreira, this culinary experience will be imbued with the sounds of four prominent musicians from the archipelago: Romeu Bairos, Sara Cruz, Clemente, and João Felix.
FESTA de FABRIC – October 11
For the first time, FABRIC is hosting its own festa (traditional festival that celebrates culture), embracing multiple communities, and transforming Fall River’s iconic P.A.L. venue (at 31 Franklin St.) into a collective kitchen and food court, centered around a dynamic dance floor experience. Festival headliner and Portuguese sensation Pedro Mafama will lead the party with his pop hits, blending various electronic and urban influences with traditional Portuguese aesthetics. Expect all the fun of a traditional festa with a contemporary edge!
Visual Art Exhibitions – October 11 & 12
On October 11, FABRIC is hosting a collective exhibition that gathers artists in dialogue around food, knowledge, and migrations at the Ignition Space in Fall River, and on October 12 at World’s Fair Gallery in Providence. Also in Providence, on October 12, AS220 welcomes Odete, an artist whose work spans performance, text, visual arts, and music, for a concert exploring queer universes, rituals, spells, love, and contemplation.
Communal Experience – October 13
The festival concludes with a guided collective walk on the trails of Fall River’s Copicut Woods. Participants will learn about the ecosystem, the dangers it faces, and preservation efforts, while sharing a small meal in communion, including talks, visits, educational activities, and registration procedures, will be announced in September.
For the most part, activities are free and open to the public. The full program, tickets and scheduled events are available @ FABRIC.
PAJ/Staff
ABOUT FABRIC
FABRIC Arts Festival is a celebration of art, music, community, and the city of Fall River, Massachusetts. The platform for artistic creation produces a cultural and communal experience through a multidisciplinary contemporary program.
FABRIC’s first edition took place in 2019, and its second in two moments between 2020 and 2021, reconfigured in the physical and online spheres by the limitations of the pandemic. The third edition occurred in May 2022, under the title, Where We Meet, assuming the festival as a generator of meeting spaces throughout the city of Fall River. In 2023, Fabric returned to its Fall schedule and proposed a regional program that moved between Fall River, New Bedford, and Providence.
ABOUT CASA DOS AÇORES (CANI)
FABRIC Arts Festival is a project organized by Casa dos Açores de Nova Inglaterra (CANI), a not-for-profit organization in Fall River, MA, established in 1982. CANI promotes educational, cultural and social opportunities as well as cultural and tourist exchange between the Azorean immigrant community in southwest New England and the Azores. Promoting events, encounters and cultural manifestations keep an active link between the local community and the islands, preserving traditions and creating new opportunities.
The project was co-founded by local business owner Michael Benevides in collaboration with Jesse James, Sofia Carolina Botelho, and António Pedro Lopes, Portuguese curators and cultural mediators.
To learn more about FABRIC, visit fallriver.com or follow on Instagram / Facebook
