Events and festivals are not just about parades and big bands, noisy sporting meets or athletic competitions - they re also about fine art forms, including painting and drawing, sculpture, dance and theatre.
The USA offers several festivals throughout the year highlighting the incredible talent the country has to offer.
GEORGIA
Love Affair Fine Arts Festival
May
Tifton, Georgia
One of South Georgia's oldest and most prestigious Fine Arts festivals, the Love Affair Fine Arts Festival is a celebration of performing and visual arts attracting more than 30,000 visitors each year.
Highlights of the festival include Art in the Park, where artists display and market their works, and Party in the Park, a huge outdoor party with dancing, live music and food.
For more information visit: www.abac.edu/arts/loveaffair/2008/index.html
IOWA
Des Moines Arts Festival
June
Des Moines, Iowa
The Des Moines Arts Festival, presented by The Des Moines Register, founded by the Des Moines Art Center and produced by Downtown Events Group, is a top-ranked downtown festival with a field of national artists and continuous live entertainment.
Features include 175 professional juried artists, emerging Iowa artists, a Student's Vision K - 12 Art Exhibition, Interrobang Film Festival, over 25 family and adult art activities, performing arts stage, eclectic food booths, live music, street theatre, sculpture garden, and fireworks
For more information visit: www.desmoinesartsfestival.org
KENTUCKY
St James Art Fair
First full weekend of October
Louisville
The St James Court Art Show is a juried fine arts and fine crafts show.
Always held on the first full weekend of October, it hosts an impressive 750 artists from North America, and takes place d in the heart of historic Old Louisville among the country's largest collection of Victorian homes.
The has for over five decades provided our neighborhood, city and state with a rich cultural and artistic legacy.
It has also been ranked as #1 in the nation by Sunshine Artist Magazine, and is consistently voted as one of the top festival destinations in the US.
For more information visit: www.stjamescourtartshow.com/
MASSACHUSETTS
First Night
December 31
Boston, Massachusetts
First night Boston is the largest New Year''s Eve event in North America. Celebrating the arts and showcasing Boston's cultural and artistic communities through over 250 exhibitions and performances by both local and internationally recognized artists, activities start at 1pm and run to midnight.
Highlights of the festivities include the Boston Pops Symphony Hall concert broadcast live on video screens on City Hall Plaza, and the fireworks display over the harbor.
Admission to all activities is with a $20 First Night button.
For more information visit: www.firstnight.org
NEBRASKA
Summer Arts Festival
June
Omaha
The annual Omaha Summer Arts Festival, a tradition for over 33 years, fills the streets along downtown Omaha’s Gene Leahy Mall with three days of art, music, children’s activities, food and more.
Previously selected as Omaha’s Best Annual Festival and one of the Top 100 Fine Arts Festivals in the country, the Omaha Summer Arts Festival was named one of 2007’s Top 100 Events in North America by the American Bus Association - the only event in Nebraska to receive this honor in 2007.
For more information visit: www.summerarts.org
NEVADA
Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival
July / August
Lake Tahoe, Nevada
For more than 35 years, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival has drawn visitors to come and relax on Lake Tahoe’s pristine beaches in Sand Harbor State Park with wine and cheese to enjoy the Bard at his best. Now one of the state’s most popular summer cultural events, the festival, performed on an open-air stage, attracts more than 30,000 attendees each year.
For more information visit: www.laketahoeshakespeare.com
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Prescott Park Arts Festival
July
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Art Association and Prescott Park Arts Festival hold a juried exhibition of original artwork by NHAA members and Seacoast Area artists, including a fantastic variety of sculpture, painting, pastels, collage, and photography are on exhibit throughout the summer.
The art exhibit is located at the historic Sheafe Warehouse, near the waterfront at Prescott Park. Admission is free.
For more information visit:
www.prescottpark.org/events/art_show/exhibit_sale.asp
OREGON
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
February - July
Ashland, Oregon
Founded in 1935, the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is among the oldest and largest professional nonprofit theatres in the nation. Each year OSF presents an eight-and-a-half-month season of eleven plays in three theatres plus numerous ancillary activities, and undertakes an extensive theatre education program. Operating on a budget exceeding $26 million, OSF presents more than 780 performances annually with attendance of approximately 400,000.
For more information visit: www.osfashland.org
UTAH
Utah Arts Festival
June
Salt Lake City, Utah
The Utah Arts Festival presents a wide variety of performing, visual, and literary arts, with several annual core events: an Artists Marketplace, a Culinary Arts program, and a Performing Arts program.
To preserve its reputation for artistic excellence, all artistic work presented by the Utah Arts Festival is either juried or curated by professional artists and arts administrators.
For more information visit: www.uaf.org
WEST VIRGINIA
FestivALL
June
Charleston, West Virginia
FestivALL Charleston was conceived in 2004 and first produced in 2005 with the aim to produce and present high-quality artistic events including all of the arts: music, dance, theater, visual art and film - both national and international artists as well as the best local and regional talent.
Even though all of the events fall under the umbrella of FestivALL, many of them are produced or co-produced by different organizations. Much of the work is done through volunteer committees with help from the City of Charleston and other local institutions and arts groups.
For more information visit: www.festivallcharleston.com
