BY KEVIN KINDER Northwest Arkansas Times
Bustling crowds. Hundreds of brightly colored paintings, decorating the walls of downtown Fayetteville. Performers gracing stages, teaching theater to folks young and old.
All have been the hallmarks of the Fayetteville Arts Festival, the event scheduled to begin this year August 29. Much of the festival is in jeopardy, say those associated with the festival.
The two-weekend arts festival has for the past three years been organized by Fayetteville Downtown Partners, a group designed to facilitate the downtown area’s growth.
Last year’s festival attracted about 9,000 attendees, said Daniel Keeley, president of Downtown Partners’ board of directors. But as the city of Fayetteville decreased its monetary support to the organization in the hopes it would become self-supporting, those at Fayetteville Downtown Partners faced a difficult decision. Its two full-time staff members were let go in September, creating a volunteer-based organization. The group’s main charge is now the arts festival, Keeley said.
“From a board standpoint, we saw the arts festival as being a noble goal, and for being the best way to allow FDP to continue in 2008. … We thought, if we had to choose something, that was the best way to go,” Keeley said.
When the organization elected to continue the festival, it knew it would need come up with at least some of the funding that Downtown Partners had provided in the past. Most Northwest Arkansas residents are unaware of how the festival has functioned in the past, only that it has, Keeley said.
“In part, because I think a lot of people don’t understand how the festival occurs, we wanted to raise awareness,” he said. “There is no one else paying for it.”
The organization has set a goal of raising $50,000 before April 15.
“There has been lots of effort, and the planning is moving along just fine. We’re at the point where we need money,” Keeley said.
Keeley said his organization is seeking corporate partnerships and individual donations. Downtown Partners will make an announcement regarding the future of the festival after the fundraising period.
But as fundraising efforts continue, the group is hard at work to see that the event takes place. Casey Hamaker, visual arts coordinator for the festival and a Downtown Partners board member, said the art show will be similar to what has taken place in the past.
Artists from a seven-state region will be considered for the juried show that will take place in the Fayetteville Town Center, which is a sponsor of this year’s event. Last year, 39 artists were selected for inclusion, selling about $40,000 worth of art in the process.
The two-weekend event will begin with the Open Space Art Party, which invites patrons into the Town Center on Aug. 29. Last year, tickets were $50. This year, admission will be $25.
“The idea of that party is to get as many people in there as possible. We want more people, more patrons, because I really feel like the show covers a broad range of artist styles, media, and also, price ranges,” Hamaker said.
The festival will continue the format established in the recent past, with visual arts events taking place on the first weekend, Aug. 29-31, and performing arts following on Sept. 5-7.
There will be few differences between the visual art shows of past years and the one in 2008, Hamaker said.
Keeley, however, concedes there will be changes to the festival as a whole.
“We’re working with 100 percent volunteer efforts now. There is no way we could pull off a festival like last year,” he said.
In terms of cutbacks, most will come in the form of ticketed performances, the likes of which took place at the Walton Arts Center and other downtown locations. Poetry readings, dance and music performances are the likely victims of the budget shortfall.
Highly popular visual arts events such as the 24-Hour Play Festival will continue, he said. Local theater companies TheatreSquared and Ceramic Cow Productions will assist in the performing elements, said Mark Landon Smith, co-artistic director of Ceramic Cow.
As Fayetteville Downtown Partners nears its self-imposed fundraising deadline, more will be known about the scope of the festival and the events that will take place. Between now and then will be much work to ensure there is an event.
“The key message is, the arts festival is a really a community-based event, and we’re just average people who care about seeing it happen,” Hamaker said.
Jennifer Drake of Fayetteville makes a clay pot during a demonstration by Flat Rock Clay Supplies during last year’s Fayetteville Arts Festival. A restructuring has caused Fayetteville Downtown Partners, the group responsible for the festival, to raise large amounts of money or cancel the upcoming festival. FILE
Publication:Northwest Arkansas Times; Date:Mar 30, 2008
Browse Timeline
- « NWA Times: UA graduate student makes life art — and public
- » NWA Times: Symphony of silence: North Arkansas Symphony, short of money, pulls plug on last concert of season
Comments ( 1 Comment )
While you are planning for this event, please don’t forget about the performers that have participated in the past and helped to make this event the success that it was for the patrons ie., diversified dance troupes. How do you plan to incooperate them in future events?
Irene Whittaker added these pithy words on
Apr 11 08 at
7:39 pm
