Orillia Artist Tony Bianco Creates ‘Quintessentially’ Mariposa Folk Festival Poster
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“The simple essence of sharing music together as friends and family”
Link to Video Interview with Tony Bianco and Leslie Merklinger
ORILLIA ONTARIO – April 18, 2024, 10:00 am
Artist, Tony Bianco, has teamed with the Mariposa Folk Festival to create an event poster for this year’s gathering (July 5 – 7, 2024) at Tudhope Park, Orillia.
“We’ve been looking forward to working with a local artist on this exceptional, artistic collaboration,” said Mariposa Festival President, Pam Carter. “And what Tony has imagined is nothing less than quintessentially Mariposa.”
The campaign theme of the 2024 festival, Playing in Harmony, helped spark Bianco’s creativity.
“Inspiration always starts with an idea. For me that’s got to be something that has meaning and value,” said Bianco. “I’m not interested in pretty pictures. A good idea conveys a truth, and it should do so clearly. What inspired me for this piece was the idea that music draws us together; families, old and new friends, a community, all gathered around this magic of hearing and making music.”
Mariposa Folk Festival Manager, Chris Hazel, believes sales will be brisk and points out the limited quantity available: “We chose to have only 300 prints created. Tony collaborated with the craftspeople at Rose Printing to adjust the colour and oversee the lithography for optimal reproduction.”
The prints will retail for $25 plus HST and sales will officially launch at the Mariposa Showcase Auditions, April 27th at St. Paul’s in Orillia. They will also be available for purchase at the Mariposa offices on Peter St. in Orillia.
Bianco, who’s studio is nestled in the woods of Severn Township, is a strong believer in the mission and tradition of the festival.
“I’m an artist, and so I believe in truth and beauty, whatever it’s form,” said Bianco. “Mariposa is a real-world opportunity for us to be connected socially around beautiful truths expressed in musical form. In an increasingly polarized and fragmented world, we need that more than ever.”
The broad age range and welcoming vibe of Mariposa followers, fans, and patrons guided the artist’s creative process.
“I start a project like this with a lot of looking and thinking. Sometimes I sketch from life, or from imagination, until a simple but meaningful idea shows up,” said Bianco. “Then I chase it down, trying to refine and edit it. In this case I was able to access many years of Mariposa archives. Using that imagery, I tried to find a theme that spoke about the simple essence of sharing music together as friends and family. I also wanted it to look like home, and appeal to multiple generations, because that’s who Mariposa attracts.”
The Mariposa Folk Festival was founded in Orillia, Ontario in 1961. Through the years, it has grown to become Canada’s most legendary musical gathering. The 2024 lineup will include: Old Crow Medicine Show, Bahamas, Band Of Horses, Noah Cyrus, William Prince, Bruce Cockburn, Amigo The Devil, Donovan Woods, Dwayne Gretzky, Jesse Cook, Joseph, Maestro Fresh Wes, Modern Biology, The Secret Sisters, and many more.
The three-day gathering features 11 stages of top folk-roots music, along with presentations of story, dance, and craft. Children 12 & under are admitted free. The festival has special pricing for youth and young adults. Onsite camping is sold out. Tickets for Mariposa are on sale via the festival website.
