Rocksteady Collective

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Rocksteady Collective

The Rocksteady collective is the visual arts component to the Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival.

04/21/2026

Ian did another amazing job on Gussy this year. She'll be the talk of the town leading up to Victoria's 27th Annual Ska and Reggae Festival - June 24 - 28, 2026!

08/16/2025

This painting titled "The Sons and Fathers of Ska & Reggae" was created by Bryan Cathcart who is a member of our Rocksteady Collective.

It shows all the sons of ska and reggae Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival / Society has presented at our festivals and concerts including Kirá Chao, Ky-Mani Marley, Junior T***s, Jakob Nowell and finally Aston Barrett Jr.

Notably we had the honour of presenting two of the fathers in the painting: T***s and the Maytals (twice) and Aston "Family Man" Barrett.

Now Aston Barrett Jr will be coming with The Wailers on Thursday, September 18th at Royal Athletic Park!

We are happy to play a role in keeping the reggae legacy strong as best we can!

07/14/2025

Def3 has done it again😌 Now we have another legendary piece to add to Rocksteady Collective.

Welcome Lou Dog! 😎❤️

Def3 painted this at Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival on Fri. June 20th - the day Dub Fx, Lazy Syrup Orchestra, Ed Solo & Brother Culture played at Ship Point.

Thanks again to Def3 for delivering another piece we will enjoy for many years to come.

Photos courtesy of Colin Smith Takes Pics

07/06/2025

We are proud to present this beautiful piece titled "The Wolves Come Out at Night" by Alex Taylor McCallum that was created for the Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival / Society. The wolf is one of our main emblems. This piece will be added to our Rocksteady Collective.

Here is what Alex has to say about this piece:

As a Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw and Nuu-Cha-Nulth artist and local music enthusiast who went to my first Ska Fest show over 15 years ago as a teenager I am very grateful to contribute artistically to the festival with this 4 x 7 ft. painting entitled "The Wolves Come Out at Night" done with spray paint and acrylic on plywood.

In this piece, two wolves can be seen under the full moon light amongst the mountain sides. These wolves are done to respectfully honour the Ska Fest crew and all their hard work contributing to the local music scene for the past 26 years as they work collaboratively together like Family as a pack like wolves. The wolf is an animal which bares a significant connection to the West Coast and is a family crest of mine through my Musgamagw Dzawada̱'enux̱w roots. The wolves are also known for their significant musical howling used to convey messages and communicate with one another which can be heard through long distances. Throughout my time attending Ska Fest often attendees of all ages and cultural backgrounds, community members and Families can be heard hooting, hollering, and howling with joy. So these designs are done to honour that howling heard throughout the land.

At the head of this pack is Dane Roberts and I thank him for asking me to contribute artistically to this significant local gathering where I have seen many memorable, favorited shows throughout the years such as Neville Staple of The Specials, Fishbone and many more.

Sincerely,

Alex Taylor-McCallum

06/30/2025

The pieces we received for Rocksteady Collective this year are stunning! This one was placed backstage in the artist hospitality area for Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival.

It is a clock carved with a Haida Gwaii design by Tejas Collison who has been creating beautiful carvings for Rocksteady Collective for many years.

When we asked if there was any special significance to it, Tejas said, "No... It's just a functional clock." And we love it! 😎❤️🔥

06/27/2025

Def3 has been doing pieces for Rocksteady Arts Collective and Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival / Society for at least a decade. This year to celebrate the confirmation of Jakobs Castle who features Jakob Nowell of Sublime, Danny decided to paint LOU DOG!

He did this live painting at Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival during Dub Fx on Fri. June 20th at Ship Point.

This was such a great idea! Thanks Danny! 👊🏾❤️

We are happy to add this bad bwoy to our growing collection of world class pieces! https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16dJtzBAGC/

06/17/2025

We are so lucky to have so many critically acclaimed national artists that have contributed to Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival / Society through the Rocksteady Collective dating back to 2003.

This year, artists such as Tejas Collison, Bryan Cathcart, Def3 and Alex Taylor-McCallum all have or will be contributing pieces.

But today was extra special when we opened the package at our Hidden Gem HQ and Opie Ortiz's pieces were inside the box! His artwork will be added to our Rocksteady Collective!

We haven't even taken them out of the plastic yet but we're sooo stoked to have these to add to our collection. 🙏🏾❤💯

Don't forget to come to Music Inspires Art (Opie Ortiz's Passion) - Free Ska Session #1 - All Ages/Free! on Sat. June 21st at 1pm at the Victoria Curling Club Upper Lounge! You can hear how Opie Ortiz Tattooing and Artwork inspired his music and learn about his legacy with his band Long Beach Dub Allstars (playing the Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival on Sat. June 21st at the Victoria Curling Club at night) and his contribution to the artwork of Sublime.

04/22/2025

We are excited to announce that Def3 will be doing live painting as part of our Rocksteady Collective Multimedia Arts at Dub Fx, Lazy Syrup Orchestra and Ed Solo on Fri. June 20th at Ship Point for Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival!

Some of your may know that Def3 not only is one of the best MCs in Western Canada but he is also a world class wild style and mural artist. He has painted at the Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival and at our livestreams in the past. He also paints regularly at Shambhala Music Festival and we have tons of his work all over our space at our Hidden Gem HQ.

We are excited to welcome him back again to the festival to enjoy his visual arts talents!

04/20/2025

The Tokyo Tyke has a fresh coat of paint and is ready to join the fleet for Victoria's 26th Annual Ska and Reggae Festival June 18 - 22, 2025. The wild style version of Sister Nancy looks insanely sick! Thanks to Kevan Hayward for doing such a 1ST CLASS job.

Address

511 David Street Suite E
Victoria, BC
V8T2C7

Website

http://www.victoriaskafest.ca/

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