Womens's Art Festival Kingston : About

This non-juried festival features original art designed and created by women and includes painting, printmaking, sculpture and pottery, jewelry, drawing, photography and fabric art to name a few.

The number of artists who exhibit has grown from about 50 in the beginning to over 200 in 2008. About 1/3 of the exhibitors each year are new to the festival. Several artists have inspired their daughters and granddaughters to participate, resulting in multiple generations exhibiting together!

After expenses, balance of monies shall be donated to women's organizations who have applied to the Festival for funding. In addition, they are invited to donate a piece of art to the silent auction. In the last 28 years, the Women's Art Festival has donated over $80,000 to support women and children who live in Kingston and the surrounding area.

The event has grown from its small roots to be a well-recognized and highly anticipated event. For many years now, we have seen a consistent turnout of approximately 3000 plus people for this one-day event. The crowd is always representative of the whole community and many local residents make it an annual outing for the whole family. It has also become a favourite with the tourist crowd. In addition to the wonderful artwork, visitors can enjoy an afternoon of music, a children's craft area, and a silent auction.

If your group is a Kingston based women's organization and is interested in applying for funding, please contact Shirley Dowell at wafkingston@yahoo.com for further information on the application process.

Join us on August 19th, 2012 in City Park, Kingston, Ontario to enjoy the day and help us support the worthwhile projects of the following women's groups who continue to make a difference in our community:

The following are some of the organizations to have received funding from the Women's Art Festival:

Dawn House Women's Shelter
Interval House (Kingston and Lennox and Addington)
Baby and Me
Disabled Women United for Change, Kingston
Elizabeth Fry
Kingston Community Counselling Services
Street Health Centre: Creating a Better Life Program
South Eastern Ontario Breast Feeding Coalition
Kingston Immigrant Services Multicultural Women’s Program
HIV/AIDS Regional Services
Post Partum Adjustment Coalition
Breast Cancer Action Kingston
Women’s Training and Employment Program
Disabled Women’s Network
Anorexia and Bulimia Association of Kingston






About/History The Women's Art Festival was started in the late 70's by a group of women who were interested in promoting the work of women artists. This outstanding annual one day rain or shine festival has always operated the third Sunday of August. The original concept for the festival has, for the most part, remained unchanged. This unique, rain or shine art festival has four facets: Fundraising for local women's organizations Celebrating women's creativity through the arts Providing a forum for artists to display their work and meet other artists Encouraging women to meet, exchange ideas and connect with women's organizations This non-juried festival features original art designed and created by women and includes painting, printmaking, sculpture and pottery, jewelry, drawing, photography and fabric art to name a few. The number of artists who exhibit has grown from about 50 in the beginning to over 200 in 2008. About 1/3 of the exhibitors each year are new to the festival. Several artists have inspired their daughters and granddaughters to participate, resulting in multiple generations exhibiting together! After expenses, balance of monies shall be donated to women's organizations who have applied to the Festival for funding. In addition, they are invited to donate a piece of art to the silent auction. In the last 28 years, the Women's Art Festival has donated over $80,000 to support women and children who live in Kingston and the surrounding area. The event has grown from its small roots to be a well-recognized and highly anticipated event. For many years now, we have seen a consistent turnout of approximately 3000 plus people for this one-day event. The crowd is always representative of the whole community and many local residents make it an annual outing for the whole family. It has also become a favourite with the tourist crowd. In addition to the wonderful artwork, visitors can enjoy an afternoon of music, a children's craft area, and a silent auction. If your group is a Kingston based women's organization and is interested in applying for funding, please contact Shirley Dowell at wafkingston@yahoo.com for further information on the application process. Join us on August 19th, 2012 in City Park, Kingston, Ontario to enjoy the day and help us support the worthwhile projects of the following women's groups who continue to make a difference in our community: To Be Announced The following are some of the organizations to have received funding from the Women's Art Festival: Dawn House Women's Shelter Interval House (Kingston and Lennox and Addington) Baby and Me Disabled Women United for Change, Kingston Elizabeth Fry Kingston Community Counselling Services Street Health Centre: Creating a Better Life Program South Eastern Ontario Breast Feeding Coalition Kingston Immigrant Services Multicultural Women’s Program HIV/AIDS Regional Services Post Partum Adjustment Coalition Breast Cancer Action Kingston Women’s Training and Employment Program Disabled Women’s Network Anorexia and Bulimia Association of Kingston