About Prismatic

Prismatic is Art for Everyone!

The Prismatic Arts Festival is an annual, multidisciplinary arts festival that showcases and celebrates innovative work by Indigenous artists and artists of colour from across Canada. Based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Prismatic has been bringing audiences vibrant, boundary-pushing new works in theatre, dance, music, film, visual arts, media arts, and spoken word since 2008.

Through engaging performances, the TALK conference, workshops, and Masterclasses, Prismatic’s annual festival brings artists and audiences together for an open dialogue. People of all ages and backgrounds are invited to experience Prismatic performances, engage with artists, and learn about new art forms and traditional cultural practices. Within the broad community of Indigenous artists and artists of colour in Canada, Prismatic is committed to prioritizing the work of artists who identify as part of communities that are underrepresented in Canadian professional arts, including women, members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, and artists who are D/deaf and/or disability identified.

Since 2008, Prismatic has showcased over 605 performances by 1420 artists and arts professionals, and has engaged 88,800 audience members.

Our Mission

The Prismatic Mission is to be a leading Canadian arts festival that engages diverse stakeholders through performance, networking, and collaborative learning.

Our Mandate

To bring new works of leading Indigenous artists and artists of colour from across Canada to a wide audience;

To create opportunities for the public to engage with and learn about art forms and artistic traditions;

To facilitate the professional and artistic development of emerging and professional artists;

To partner with a variety of stakeholders to bring diverse perspectives, experiences, and vision to Prismatic’s artistic pursuits and professional development activities.

Accessibility & Inclusion

Art for Everyone!

Prismatic is committed to making our events and performances accessible to all.

This means that we:

Strive to use venues that have wheelchair accessible entrances, washrooms, and seating options (see here for a list of our venues with accessibility details)
Seek out venues that provide all-gender washroom options.
Welcome service animals and personal support workers to performances and events at no additional cost (Please reach out to ensure your spot is reserved).
Work intentionally with artists, communities, and venues to provide ASL interpretation, captioning, assisted listening devices, and written and audio descriptions of performances, when possible.
Offer content notices for select performances and have active listeners and cultural support workers on site, when possible.
Have Naloxone kits at the Front of House with trained personnel in case of emergency.
Provide items and options at the Front of House including balloons, ear plugs, sunglasses, masks, and quiet spaces.
Offer a pay-what-you-can ticketing model, whenever possible. If finances are a barrier to accessing an event, please contact us or come see us at the Front of House.
All events at Prismatic are photographed. If you do not want to be photographed, please let a staff member know when you arrive.

Please reach out to us to let us know if there is any way that we can support your festival experience at 902-425-6812 or info@prismaticfestival.com.

Sustainability

Knowing the responsibility we have as a leader in the arts, Prismatic is incorporating more sustainability practices into the organization. Some things we are doing include:

Using QR codes, newsletters, and social media to circulate a digital program and printing fewer physical programs.
Reducing print in all forms and conducting paperwork digitally.
Prioritizing staff and volunteer time to carefully cleaning up a venue (especially outdoors), in order to ensure that no litter is left behind.
Supporting local businesses and buying locally as much as possible.
Having our festival and office located in Downtown Halifax to minimize commuting for staff, volunteers, and audiences.

Our Staff