Sometime in 2004 I was approached by Bill Friesen, member of Parksville's very committed, very active Coalition for Strong Communities, to join their effort to establish a Mayworks Festival as a local annual event. Mayworks celebrations are built on the premise that both workers and artists -- workers themselves -- are major contributors to society with a shared interest in decent wages and safe working conditions for all categories of workers. Such festivals take place in other Canadian cities, but none had been attempted before on Vancouver Island. I agreed to participate.

We had an extraordinarily busy year. We found tremendous community support: soup from local restaurants for the Arrowsmith Potters' Guild soup kitchen, exhibition space from Parksville's Oceanside Arts Council, generous donations from CUPE and other Union locals, free films and equipment from Courtenay's Film Festival group The World Community Development Education Society, and enthusiastic participation from local poets, buskers, musicians and visual artists. We are now making plans for our third annual Festival.

Part of Bill's overall concept was a month-long art exhibit which would set the tone for the Festival as a whole. Our 2005 show was called The Art of Work, and featured 16 Vancouver Island artists who explored the topic from various perspectives in a variety of media. This show was an unqualified success in terms of both content and attendance. It has become the heart of the Festival, an annual exhibit that challenges the viewer to consider work in all its forms, from those most recognized to those least visible. I am delighted to be a part of this ongoing effort.

= Marci Katz, joint organizer & co-curator.

	Laurie Broadhurst			Marci Katz
	Ken Flett			Bonnie Laird
	Carole Forrester			Bill Lynch
	Anita Friesen			Paula Maloney
	Bill Friesen			Elizabeth Russell
	DF Gray			Peter Stoddart
	Gina Harris			Bruce Thomas
	Ken Holland			Ed Varney

Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at The Oceanside Arts Centre.

Sunday, MAY 1st - Opening Events

• THE ART OF WORK • Exhibition Opening, 1 - 4 pm
  A visual art exhibition exploring themes of work & survival. Show continues to May 28th.

• SONGS OF SOLIDARITY • Live Concert, 8 - 10 pm
  An evening of protest songs with internationally acclaimed Parksville musician Zachary Stevenson.

Tuesday, MAY 3rd

• UNITED WE STAND • Film Night, 7 - 10 pm
  A triple-bill of films about work, survival and organizing for a common cause: el Contrato, Poverty Outlaw and One More Dead Fish.

Saturday, MAY 7th

• SOUL FOOD • Empty Bowl Soup Kitchen, 5 - 6:30 pm
  Sponsored by the Arrowsmith Potters' Guild, and featuring delicious soups made by local chefs, donated by local restaurants, with take-away bowls donated for auction by local potters. Busking by Paul Jackson.

• FOOD FOR THE SOUL • Poetry Reading, 7 - 9 pm
  Carpenter-poet Clemens Starck and physician-poet Kirsten Emmott read from their own work.