Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Art festival is more than a pretty block party
Austin’s Cesar Chavez Street and 2nd street district played host to the annual Art City Austin festival April 14-15. The event—part art festival, part block party—is a two-day affair that consists of 200 nationally recognized artists, local food vendors and nine Austin area bands.
Art City Austin staff member of 12 years, Nancy Burns, recalls how the festival has grown to the event that it is today.
“It used to be called Fiesta, then it became Art Festival and now it’s called Art City Austin,” said Burns. “It used to be out on Laguna Gloria. Then a few years ago as part of the initiative that the DA was doing, we wanted to bring more vibrancy and activity to downtown and so the art festival moved downtown at that point.”
Burns, personally, likes the change in location claiming that it is very accessible to people.
“You get people that plan on coming every year. Then you get other people that just happen to be driving by and see all the tents and say, ‘Oh, that looks great!’ and they want to come and see it,” Burns said.
Tourists from the Netherlands, ended up at Art City Austin after reading about it in a book and hearing about it at a gas station.
“I liked the photographs. There was a guy here with black and white photographs. [It] was very beautiful,” said Marigold, one of the tourists.
The festival showcased an abundance of art from mixed media pieces to sculptures to photographs-a bit of everything for everyone.
Bronze sculptor Sandy Graves added her Salvador Dali-esque, abstract wildlife sculptures to the wide variety of art at the festival.
“There’s a lot of fine art here, not a lot of craft, which pulls in the right kind of client to look at things like bronzes-which you don’t necessarily always put under your arm and take home,” said Graves
Prompted by her roommate, who works the festival every year, Graves applied and got accepted to participate in the festival making Art City Austin the first show she has done outside of her home state of Colorado.
Graves said that she utilized Art City Austin as not only a means to make an income but a way to broaden her range and test other markets.
Brian Sullivan, oil on canvas painter who revamps old advertising pieces, logos and memorabilia, said that he enjoyed “talking to the customers and the people coming in because they are interested in the art and I get to share with them what I do”.
Art City Austin gives the Austin community and those who attend the event an opportunity to broaden their horizons and experience a multitude of art.
Revenue collected at the event goes to benefit the Blanton museum and the Austin Museum of Art.
Art City Austin staff member of 12 years, Nancy Burns, recalls how the festival has grown to the event that it is today.
“It used to be called Fiesta, then it became Art Festival and now it’s called Art City Austin,” said Burns. “It used to be out on Laguna Gloria. Then a few years ago as part of the initiative that the DA was doing, we wanted to bring more vibrancy and activity to downtown and so the art festival moved downtown at that point.”
Burns, personally, likes the change in location claiming that it is very accessible to people.
“You get people that plan on coming every year. Then you get other people that just happen to be driving by and see all the tents and say, ‘Oh, that looks great!’ and they want to come and see it,” Burns said.
Tourists from the Netherlands, ended up at Art City Austin after reading about it in a book and hearing about it at a gas station.
“I liked the photographs. There was a guy here with black and white photographs. [It] was very beautiful,” said Marigold, one of the tourists.
The festival showcased an abundance of art from mixed media pieces to sculptures to photographs-a bit of everything for everyone.
Bronze sculptor Sandy Graves added her Salvador Dali-esque, abstract wildlife sculptures to the wide variety of art at the festival.
“There’s a lot of fine art here, not a lot of craft, which pulls in the right kind of client to look at things like bronzes-which you don’t necessarily always put under your arm and take home,” said Graves
Prompted by her roommate, who works the festival every year, Graves applied and got accepted to participate in the festival making Art City Austin the first show she has done outside of her home state of Colorado.
Graves said that she utilized Art City Austin as not only a means to make an income but a way to broaden her range and test other markets.
Brian Sullivan, oil on canvas painter who revamps old advertising pieces, logos and memorabilia, said that he enjoyed “talking to the customers and the people coming in because they are interested in the art and I get to share with them what I do”.
Art City Austin gives the Austin community and those who attend the event an opportunity to broaden their horizons and experience a multitude of art.
Revenue collected at the event goes to benefit the Blanton museum and the Austin Museum of Art.
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