Edmonton International Street Performers Festival is announcing the resignation of their long term festival Artistic Producer, Shelley Switzer.
Shelley has been an integral part of Edmonton StreetFest for most of the festival’s 37 years, starting 33 years ago as a volunteer. In 1999 Shelley became Artistic Producer, continuing festival founder Dick Finkel’s mission to present and celebrate street performance as an art, while treating the artists with respect. Shelley has guided and grown Edmonton StreetFest, putting her own stamp on the festival by adding festival features including Troupe Du Jour, Be Your Own Busker, and Comedy Cares.
The Board of EISPF takes this opportunity to thank Shelley for her many years of devoted guidance and innovation, while putting smiles on people’s faces. And we wish her the best of luck pursuing her future endeavours. While we will miss having Shelley at the helm, we are pleased to announce our Interim Executive Director, Marian Brant. Marian has been the Operations and Production Manager with StreetFest for the past few years, and she is overseeing the day to day operations while the board continues the process of permanently filling the Executive Director position.
Once the position has been filled, a search will be undertaken for a festival Artistic Producer. We are confident that the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival will transition smoothly to new leadership dedicated to furthering our mission, “To contribute to the evolution of the international street performing tradition by promoting excellence, fostering the development of local, regional and international talent and ensuring the annual festival is accessible to the whole community”.
If you have any questions regarding our transition or about Streetfest, please direct your inquiries to EISPF at info@edmontonstreetfest.com.
Sincerely,
Karen Dalman
Board Chair
Edmonton International Street Performers Festival