Arts Organization – Art Battle

Art Battle is live competitive painting. Painters create the best work they can across three rounds of public painting. The audience vote for the winners of each round, and the single winner of each event.

A National Championship is held at the end of each season, with competitors representing cities across Canada. This year’s Art Battle National Championship is held at the old Maple Leaf Gardens/Mattamy Athletic Centre, July 26th/2014.

We asked Christopher Pemberton, one of two founders of Art Battle, a few questions...

"What is your background in the arts?"

Simon and I have worked on a number of projects together, from painting at home to headlining Nuit Blanche in 2010. We both seek to create new and beautiful realities, he's a little bit tech and I'm a little bit old-school

"How was Art Battle conceived?"

We were looking for a way to showcase the arts, engage the audience and build community, this seemed like a natural fit and was well-received from the beginning.

"What do you contribute your current success to?"

Good intentions, great artists and hard work.

"What vision do you have for Art Battle? What is needed to accomplish this?"

We would like to see live painting on the main-stage around the world. The National Championship this year will be the first ever stadium show for painting and we're very excited to continue and grow this model.

"What has your experience been with the variety of venues you've worked with?"

All of our shows have been fun and dynamic, we try to transform the space we work in to meet the needs of the painters and the audience. It's always nice to work in large theatre spaces, as it's a very natural fit.

"What would you advise for those interested in starting an arts organization?"

Decide what you are delivering and focus on making that as enjoyable as possible. Treat your collaborators well and make sure everyone has the right info about how to find you.

"Looking back, what would you have done differently from the get-go?"

We wouldn't change anything

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