Kathleen Hanna's Sled Island Appearances Cancelled
It is with heaviest of hearts that the Sled Island Music & Arts Festival has to announce that 2014 guest curator Kathleen Hanna’s appearances at Sled Island, including The Julie Ruin’s Calgary debut, have been cancelled. Hanna’s struggle with Lyme Disease, documented in the film The Punk Singer, is ongoing. Unfortunately, she is currently having a relapse which necessitates a difficult 3-month course of treatment. First and foremost, the festival’s thoughts are with Kathleen Hanna, a true artist and inspiration, in this difficult time.
While Hanna’s appearances have been cancelled, her curatorial presence remains felt throughout the 2014 festival. Her thoughtful programming selections across all elements of Sled Island, including musical acts Screaming Females, Hunx And His Punx, Younger Lovers, Mindtroll and Roman Polanski’s Baby and comedy selection Hari Kondabolu are still integral parts of the line-up. Hanna also has curated an art show, In Light Of It, which will still be exhibiting at Contemporary Calgary for the festival. As well, the aforementioned documentary, The Punk Singer, chronicling Hanna’s battle with Lyme Disease and absence from music, will be screened as part of the film programming.
While The Julie Ruin’s much-anticipated set cancellation is indeed a disappointment, Sled Island staff are currently working hard to program a thoughtful, exciting replacement for Hanna’s musical showcase on Saturday, June 21st at the #1 Royal Canadian Legion. In the meantime, refunds will be offered for this concert. If you purchased your ticket online, refunds should be processed automatically within the coming days. If you purchased your ticket at a retail outlet, please return to that outlet starting Monday, May 19th to receive a full refund.
We would like to assure festival-goers that, thanks heavily to Kathleen Hanna’s incredible work, Sled Island 2014 will remain a magical event and we wish her the swiftest of recoveries and a return to Calgary when her healing process allows.
The Sled Island Team