Today is the start of the 51st annual Festival of the Arts here in downtown Oklahoma City. This six day event is something everyone looks forward to every year. As the Arts Council states:
The Festival of the Arts is a community celebration of the visual, performing and culinary arts, bringing a variety of talented artists together in downtown OKC’s Bicentennial Park. Festival has been an OKC tradition since 1967, considered a rite of spring and a signature event for the Arts Council, with an average of 750,000 Festival attendees.
Visual Arts
The Festival features 144 different artists, with styles ranging from traditional paintings to sculptures to jewelry to fiber art. The featured artist this year is Christopher Westfall. You can see a sample of his art on the 2017 Arts Festival posters! That piece is called “Starlight” and his inspiration is “the magical quality of Festival at twilight”. Christopher is just one of many talented artists that you can see throughout the Festival this year.
Performing Arts
Over the course of 6 days, on 3 different stages, the Festival boasts over 300 performers! Local elementary and high school students will show off their skills, as well as local musicians, bands, and dancers. Of particular interest is Science Live! a science demonstration Wednesday at 6pm on the Colcord stage. Where else can you see such a wide variety of performances?
Culinary Arts
Food brings everyone together. To showcase this, all of the food booths are partnered with arts organizations and museums from all over the state. These organizations provide volunteers to work the food booths, as well as show support for the arts in the state. Additionally, there are food demonstrations from local restaurants and chefs at the Culinary tent. Some staff favorite food picks are the Indian Tacos, Gyros, and Strawberries Newport. Whatever your tastes, there’s something for everyone!
Stop by the Festival to support the arts in our community. And, remember to bring your Arts Festival purchases to Pirates Alley for the perfect way to display your new treasures!
Visit the Arts Council website for more information about the Festival.