The Bonavista Biennale started as an idea among a few friends for a major art event on the Bonavista Peninsula. A volunteer organizing committee was formed to move the idea forward, securing financial and other support and laying the groundwork for the event. The Bonavista Biennale is a project of 2 Rooms Contemporary Art Projects, a non-profit gallery, museum and artist residency in Duntara, NL on Bonavista Bay. This year’s Biennale, Art Encounters on the Edge, is run by both volunteers and staff.
The people involved in starting the Bonavista Biennale live full- or part-time in Newfoundland, most of them on the Bonavista Peninsula. They share a belief in and commitment to the potential for the area, and believe that a bi-annual major art exhibition of regional, national and international note can contribute to a future already unfolding in this new tourism “hot spot”. The Bonavista Biennale is a first for Newfoundland, unique in the Atlantic Provinces at this time, and significant in the Canadian cultural landscape. The organizers hope that the Bonavista Biennale will become a point of pride for both province and the peninsula, and an internationally-recognized cultural meeting place for artists, art lovers, tourists and residents.
