Fogo Island Takes Home Culture Gong
The pretty island is the size of Manhattan and home to just 2,700 islanders yet successfully fought off stiff competition from around the world including London and Johannesburg to take home the accolade. The award went to Fogo Island in recognition of the incredible Fogo Island Arts programme, which sees artists, designers, writers, filmmakers, musicians and curators from around the globe come to live on the island to experience the striking coastline, lush forest and fascinating culture as well as have the space and support to create their work and exhibit at the 1,200 square-foot Fogo Island Gallery in the internationally renowned Fogo Island Inn. Established a decade ago, Fogo Island Arts has put the island on the cultural map and embodies ‘soft power’ – the concept that culture and art can be an influential force for driving the desire to visit a destination.
The winner of all the 24 categories in this year’s awards were decided by a jury of cultural tastemakers from around the world of culture including leading architects such as Maximiliano Arrocet, art historian Lisa Hilton and artist Arik Levy. The shortlist for Soft Power Destinations of the Year included:
Best Cultural District
- WINNER: Fogo Island (Newfoundland, Canada)
- Knowledge Quarter (London, UK)
- Maboneng Precinct (Johannesburg, South Africa)
Florian Wupperfeld, Co-founder of Leading Culture Destinations, commented: “We live in an incredibly exciting time of cultural awakening across the globe, with an increasing number of cultural spaces opening in new and sometimes unexpected locations – the award to Fogo Island for Best Cultural District is the perfect example of this and I am delighted that it won. This is just the beginning of a huge global trend since visitors want to re-localise through culture after being globalised through brands. Which is why I feel that The Leading Culture Destinations Awards are increasingly important, as they celebrate the outstanding variety of enriching cultural experiences that can be found throughout the world, as well as highlighting the value of cultural tourism, both from a domestic and international perspective.”
The winners were announced on Friday 28th September 2018 at the South Kensington Club in London. Now in its fifth year, the Leading Culture Destination Awards shine a light on the most exceptional established and emerging cultural institutions around the world that cultural travellers should be adding to their wishlists.
www.leadingculturedestinations.com.
Visit:
Fogo Island Inn is one of the hottest openings to hit the hotel scene in recent times and continues to wow guests as well as serve as the hub for the blossoming culture scene on the island. Also an award winner, it was named the Coolest Creative Hub in the Mr & Mrs Smith Hotel Awards and with winter approaching, Fogo Island Inn has created experiences for guests to get out and experience the incredible Newfoundland & Labrador landscapes, including the Escape to Iceberg Alley itinerary where guests can sip cocktails with iceberg vodka and iceberg ice whilst spotting enormous ice monsters from either the comfort of the rooftop hot-tub as they float past or on a half day boat voyage. There is also a Magical Moving Ice adventure where guests can hear the ‘groaning’ and get up-close and personal with the awesome power of the Arctic pack ice in the Labrador Current and take part in an expedition by snowmobile (or snowshoe for the more energetic). http://www.fogoislandinn.ca/b/events-itineraries
The current exhibition at Fogo Island Inn is Riga-based artist Ieva Epnere’s On Water, Wind and Faces Of Stone which runs until 28th October 2018 and through a combination of photography, projections and work on silk, it explores the artist’s relationship with the incredible and rugged landscape of Fogo Island, the local people she met and the local history she explored during her 2017 residency. https://fogoislandarts.ca/news/news/ieva-epnere/