18th Annual Sedona
Arts Fest:
this year’s event should hit a homerun
by Jennifer Reddington
18th Annual Sedona Arts Fest:For the 2008 Annual Sedona Arts Festival, this year is a whole new ball game! And it looks like organizers have hit this one out of the park.
While the festival is returning to Red Rock High School, October 4-5, guests will be thrilled to discover the event’s fantastic new setting - on the baseball field.
The relocation offers an improved entrance, enlarged space in which to showcase the finest juried artwork, “and the softest grass to stroll on as attendees experience the event,” said Gayle Taylor, executive director of the festival.
At this year’s 18th annual event, more than 150 artists will converge in Sedona, with a diverse variety of mediums and works that range from small to large, traditional to contemporary, analog to digital, and more.
Live entertainment, the Art Patron Passport Program, delicious snacks and foods, an exciting and interactive KidZone, and a Community Art Tent will round out the weekend-long celebration of art among the beauty of the red rocks.
For the past few years, under the direction of Taylor, the festival has been successful in evolving from an mid-level arts and crafts show into a more sophisticated, fine arts event, and has become recognized as one of the best festivals of its size in the nation.
More than 400 artists applied to be in the festival this year, which demonstrates the growing national popularity of the event. Fabulous creations in ceramics, fiber art, glass, drawing, metal, photography, jewelry, mixed media, painting, sculpture, and wood will offer art lovers a wide variety of art to relish in and purchase.
Last year’s festival marked the enhancement of the Art Patron Passport Program. Passport holders raved about the convenience and benefits of the $95 per person program.
A lovely Saturday morning gourmet breakfast, a “first look” at the artwork, premier on-site parking, admission both days, a one-year subscription to American Style Magazine, and $50 in Festival Dollars to spend on art make it the best way to travel the festival in first class style.
What other fund-raising program offers benefits that exceed the cost of the Passport? Locals will especially enjoy the freedom of coming-and-going as they like, without worrying about parking or traveling to the site, as they spend the weekend with friends and neighbors at one of Sedona’s signature arts events.
And, all festival attendees will enjoy access to a brand new visual experience this year – the Community Art Tent.
The Sedona Visual Artists’ Coalition) is the invited guests for 2008. The coalition is a group of hundreds of Sedona artists dedicated to educating and supporting our creative community. Some of our best and most inspired artists and their work will be showcased for all to enjoy.
The mission of SVAC is to “create a supportive visual arts community which provides educational, exploratory, and social opportunities.” This group is comprised of professional and emerging artists from the greater Sedona area who work in two-dimensional and three-dimensional art, encompassing oils, acrylics, watercolor, fiber, wood, glass, clay, metal, film, and mixed media.
One of its key goals is to embrace community by pushing the artistic envelope to create a dialogue between the artists and the public. To raise awareness, SVAC selects an important or controversial issue and creates an annual exhibition about the subject allowing viewers and the artists the opportunity to look at an issue through different perspectives.
Past exhibitions have dealt with 9/11; Aging; Water; Dreams; Housing; and Creativity.
The 18th annual Sedona Arts Festival will take place on Saturday, October 4, 10 a.m. -5 p.m., and Sunday, October 5, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
A donation admission to the Sedona Arts Festival is $8 for adults, children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult. Proceeds benefit art enhancement programs and scholarships for students pursuing a career in the arts, all year long.
For information on the event or the
Art Patron Passport Program, go online
www.SedonaArtsFestival.org or call (928) 204-9456.