Three Ways To Experience Canada's Fabulous Folk Art Biennale

Forbes

01-07-2025

Trinity's historic buildings are hosting several Bonavista Bienale installations this year.
Venice laid the groundwork with the 1895 debut of an ambitious art, architecture and innovation show that takes place every two years in the Italian city.
Since then, more than 100 other destinations have jumped on the biennale bandwagon with a diverse range of creative events ranging from the Cello Biennale in Amsterdam (Oct-Nov 2026) and Changwon Sculpture Biennale in South Korea (Aug-Oct 2026) to the Dak'Art Biennale of Contemporary African Art in Senegal (Nov 2026) and cutting Biennale of São Paulo in Brazil (Sept 2025-Jan 2026).
Yet not all of them are huge international affairs. Canada's Bonavista Biennale focuses on modern folk art from the Maritime provinces and various forms of expression created by First Nations artists.
The latest version is scheduled for August 16 to September 14 this year at more than 20 venues around Newfoundland's scenic and historic Bonavista Peninsula.
Bonavista Biennale was founded in 2015 as a way for coastal communities to recover from the decline in fishing and maritime resources that supported local economies for hundreds of years until the early 21st century.
Here are four ways to experience Canada's fascinating folk art festival:
"A Sperm Whale Called Tryphon" by Cynthia G.Renard was an anchor installation at the 2023 biennale. ... More
The Art
Inspired by one of the globe's oldest and most ubiquitous forms of handicraft and play, this year's theme is String Games.
While much of the physical art will comprise thread, fiber, rope, sinew and other stringy mediums, aural aspects will focus on various things that tie us together as communities and human beings.
Meanwhile, this year's show is the first that features creations from beyond Canada, with artists from Scandinavia, Greenland, Hawaii and Japan participating.
Those who attend the 2025 biennale will encounter a wide variety of expression, from live music, dance performances and literary readings, to guided hikes, garden parties, and public workshops (materials provided!).
The installations will be displayed at 21 locations around the peninsula, ranging from spectacular outdoor locations like rocky Keels Cove and the South Bird Island picnic platform to the historic 19th-century Ryan Premises Salt Store and former Salvation Army Citadel in Elliston (built in 1901-02).
A map showing all the installations is available at multiple locations around the peninsula during the run of the show.
Visitors were invited to physically engage with the "Sea Monster Hugging Station" by Anastasia ... More Tiller at the 2023 biennale.
The Sights
Bonavista's rugged shoreline is the main attraction, especially the northern tip of the peninsula where red-and-white striped Cape Bonavista Lighthouse (1843) overlooks a noisy puffin colony.
A statue of John Cabot marks the spot where it's believed that Italian mariner (sailing for England) first stepped ashore in the New World in 1497 — an event considered the dawn of the British Empire.
Farther down the cape, a side road leads across pastureland grazed by sheep and horses to the collapsed sea cave and double arches of Dungeon Provincial Park.
In nearby Bonavista village, the Matthew Legacy is a full-sized replica of the caravel that Cabot sailed across the Atlantic on the fateful voyage. Visitors can step aboard on daily guided tours. The town's other historic relic is Ryan Premises National Historic Site, a 19th-century commercial fishing complex that now harbors museum exhibits and a heritage shop.
Portraits of bygone sealers and other residents at the Home From The Sea museum in Elliston.
Elliston village — the self-proclaimed 'Root Cellar Capital of the World' — is home to the annual Roots, Rants and Roars food and music festival in September. Its other claim to fame is Home from the Sea, a small museum that recalls Newfoundland's sealing boom times and the Great Sealing Disaster of 1914 (a tragedy detailed in the book Death on the Ice).
The peninsula's best-preserved town, Trinity curves around a wide bay of the same name. Among its many historic structures are the Hiscock House and the Rising Tide Theatre, which stages Newfoundland-centric plays throughout the summer.
Trinity's heritage endures in modern maritime outfitters like Sea of Whales Adventures, which explores the nearby coast in Zodiac boats in search of whales, dolphins, puffins, bald eagles and icebergs.
The heart of 19th-century Trinity village is almost totally intact.
The Sleeps & Eats
Bonavista village is a hotbed for cozy, local accommodation like the waterfront Harbour Quarters Inn and nearby Harbourview B&B.
Open from breakfast through dinner, The Quintal Café complements its seafood chowder, lobster pasta, and blackened salmon with innovative cocktails. Or dig into nouvelle Newfoundland dishes like fermented turnip with molasses, scallop crudo with rhubarb or lobster with chili puree and chai tow kway at Boreal Diner.
Among the overnight options in Trinity is Bishop White Manor, an 1830's manse that was once home to Newfoundland's Anglican bishop. Period furnishings set the mood for a heritage home that's walking distance from just about everything in Trinity.
Trinity's many dining options range from hearty breakfast at The Village Grind and excellent fish & chips lunch at Dock Marina to romantic, gourmet dining at the Twine Loft.
Victorian dress-up at the Hiscock House in Trinity, another 2025 Bonavista Biennale venue