February 2011 - Festival of the Arts

2011 Festival of the Arts – Corpus Christi

By Joye LaBarrett

March 25-27, 2011….save those dates! For the last ten months, Corpus Christi residents have been waiting with anticipation for early spring, because for the last four years it has brought them an amazing arts and cultural festival. With the potential loss of an arts and cultural festival, when the Arts and Cultural Commission lost its city funding last year, the realization spread that the Festival of the Arts had become an important element in the fabric of downtown. In October 2010, following an established mission to, in essence, celebrate the arts through presentations of diverse, high-quality visual and performing arts for enrichment and education and to provide an environment of personal interaction between artists and audience, the Festival of the Arts became a 501(c)3 non profit corporation. Now governed by a Board of Directors consisting of dedicated art advocates, these citizens are happy to oblige the community by hosting the 2011Corpus Christi Festival of the Arts in Sherrill Park and at the Art Center of Corpus Christi.

The Festival of the Arts, or simply Festival, has been an annual FREE event held on the last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of March. Since its modest beginnings in 2007 as a three day event in Heritage Park, the Festival has exploded over the last two years. The Corpus Christi Festival of the Arts has given an artistic and cultural identity and brought recognition to the downtown area of the city and will continue to play an important role in its cultural revitalization, while giving the City of Corpus Christi its largest arts and cultural event. Exhibitors are coming from 28 or more states and the economic impact will be significant. The event boasts of participants that have attracted over 12,000 visitors that attend enjoying food, art, music, dance, film, theatre, poetry and more, representing many dollars spent in business between the artists and their customers, for food and refreshments, local hotels, downtown entertainment, restaurants, convenience stores and gas stations.

Italian Street Painting

Italian Street Painting has been a tradition in Europe since the 16th century and at the Festival of the Arts since 2007. In Renaissance Europe, underemployed artists would draw on the streets as a form of advertising their skill. In America today artists make street masterpieces for the joy of creating and for the entertainment of appreciative crowds. This portion of the Festival will be in the Courtyard of the Art Center with internationally known guest artist, Julie Kirk. A Street painter since 1992, Studio art professor since 2000, recently returned from creating Street Paintings in Oman, has completed her book - Sidewalk Canvas: Chalk Pavement Art at Your Feet which is due for release this fall. Ms Kirk will begin creating a 15 x 15 Street Painting Thursday March 24^th. There are three Student Workshops available with Ms. Kirk, who will present a 30 minute presentation and interact with the students by demonstrating techniques used in creating Italian Street paintings using chalk pastels. All attendees will have the opportunity to create their own street painting. Workshops are throughout the day on Friday and one Saturday workshop will be held for adults, high school, college, and university students. Reservations are required and space is limited.

New this year for students - the opportunity for a docent guided Bayfront Art Tram Tour by riding on the Downtown Management District Tram on Friday March 25^th Students will view approximately 30 art items in the City’s public art collection. The Bayfront Art Tram Tour was created for the Festival of the Arts in 2008, the first year the event was held at the Art Center of Corpus Christi. Reservations are required and space is limited. The Bayfront Art Tram Tour will also be available each day during the Festival.

The Opening Ceremony and Artists Reception begins at 5:30pm on Friday evening. 

Open to the public, everyone is invited to visit the Art Center and meet and greet all the artists that will be participating in the 2011 event. 

Gallery exhibits open, refreshments and live music will kick off the Festival weekend.

Going Green is the 2011 Festival of the Arts’ juried exhibition for the Meadows Gallery. The art of creative artists interested in ecology and the environment through their media or in the techniques they use will be showcased.  Entries will be selected on the basis of adherence to the theme, artistic merit and the artist must use non-toxic, non-polluting safe and healthy media. Art entries will be selected by Juror, Jim Edwards. 

Mr. Edwards has curated exhibitions throughout the United States as well as in Germany and Peru, is co-curator for a Texas - French exhibition that will open at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France in September, 2011 and is a co-juror for an art exhibit based on Bioethics that will be held in Rome, Italy in October, 2011. The Best of Show winner will be announced at the opening ceremony on March 25^th.  Please check the Festival of the Arts website for info concerning entry into the Going Green exhibition.

Gallery Exhibits - Studio B Gallery featuring a Digital Graphics & Animation Exhibit from Flour Bluff High School, the Lockett Gallery will feature a Papel Picado demonstration, the decorative art of paper cutting into elaborate designs, by San Antonio artist Kathleen Trenchard and Portland artist, Dinah Bowman, will be featuring art and photos with a lecture in reference to her work last year on the research vessel, the JOIDES Resolution, which explores what lies beneath the ocean floor. Additional demonstrations will be given outdoors by various artists, the Clay Studio, and the Festival’s Sand Sculpture artists.

The Courtyard Gallery will be host to Ryan O'Malley’s demonstration and exhibition of block printing and in the Hallway Gallery will be art from Miller High School students. 

A Selection of Cinema from the Rockport Film Festival - Roc Curry, founder of the Rockport Film Festival will curate a selection of amazing short films from 2010's screenings to be shown in the Kucera Gallery.  International in scope but local in Texas Flavor, the RFF celebrates the best of independent cinema on the Texas Coast.   Roc will be on hand to discuss the RFF, its evolution since its inception, and its efforts to continue to support the spirit of independent cinema in south Texas. 

Saturday and Sunday features live outdoor entertainment of music and dance all day during the Festival of the Arts. Two outdoor stages are erected and located on the south parking lot of the Art Center of Corpus Christi adjacent to Cooper’s Alley to provide continuous performances from over twenty five different performers. Performances are from a wide range of genres and artists having local, national, state, and regional recognition in ballet, contemporary, modern, cultural and ethnic dance and musical presentations. 

Indoor music performances presented by the members of the Fryderyk Chopin Society and the Sparkling City Light Opera, just to name a few, will be featured in the Meadows Gallery of the Art Center, with additional music performances in Devary’s Courtyard.

An Evening of Cinema, Music & More--Under the Stars! Enjoy an evening of Cinema under the Stars at the Art Center of Corpus Christi! Saturday evening will feature a special screening of independent cinema featuring the work of local filmmakers and a surprise special guest! After the screenings, music, libations and a Q&A will follow with the filmmakers in attendance: 

Surprise Filmmaker - TBA

Omar Becerra - Los Tall Boys Media

Reagan Johnson - C4 Animation

Kendra Perrin - Big Box Pro

Hector Zertuche - Knightstorm Productions

Micah Benedetto - Team Team

Dan Garza - Reel Simple Productions

The Festival of the Arts Outdoor Exhibition & Sales in Sherrill Park is moving towards becoming one of the top outdoor fine art and fine craft shows in Texas where one can purchase quality, original, one-of-a-kind pieces of art that are sure to satisfy the casual consumer and the avid collector alike. Celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2011, it is regionally popular and gaining state and national recognition. As part of the Festival’s artist jury process, artists and craftspeople from across the nation submit digital images of their work to be juried. Each February, a panel reviews the images and the artists receiving the highest scores are invited to participate. These exhibitors will offer a wide variety of objects for sale including sculpture, pottery, ceramics, jewelry, fiber, painting, photography, and much more. There will be something to suit everyone’s taste and pocketbook. 

And least we not forget the Festival’s art-full KIDZONE, a FREE art - inclusive activities area in Sherrill Park for the youth of the community. Art activities such as Printmaking, Watercolor painting, Mosaic, Collage, Stencil Art, Story book readings and much more will provide interactive activities for those 12 years old and under.

So save those dates- come out and enjoy this FREE art and cultural event. Visit the website www.ccfestivalarts.org for the most current information and updates later this month. Interested in volunteering? Or need more information about the Festival of the Arts contact info@ccfestivalarts.org or call 361-985-9070