3rd Annual Keeseville Community Arts Festival July 21-22
Jul. 19—KEESEVILLE — The 3rd Annual Keeseville Community Arts Festival is July 21-22, and local residents and visitors will celebrate the arts and artistic assets of the community.
At the core of the festival is AdkAction's annual Plein Air Show and Sale in its sixth year, according to a press release.
"And it's our biggest yet," Sawyer Bailey, AdkAction executive director, said.
"While many of AdkAction's diverse projects revolve around increasing community vitality, we see the arts and arts festivals as a fantastic opportunity to lift our communities and build local pride, spark interest and economic development for our downtowns, and foster creativity in the next generation."
PLEIN AIR ART
Community members will enjoy seeing the beauty of sights in their own backyards by visiting the Plein Air Art Show and Sale, which is being held for the first time at Keeseville's historic Stone Mill on the Ausable River.
"They (artists) spend three-and-a-half days memorializing the beauty of the Keeseville area on canvas focusing one day on water, another on just landscape and third on buildings," Diana Zais, a ADK Action board member, said.
A wine and cheese reception on Friday night at 5 p.m. and a brunch on Saturday morning will give festival goers a chance to meet the artists in person and purchase their artwork.
A new 'Uplifting Community' challenge will help keep plein air paintings at the festival accessible to all by asking artists to submit one painting priced below $250.
In addition to prizes in the juried art show, AdkAction will also award three Emerging Artists Fellowships in an effort to support the next generation of fine arts.
New this year, a Color Run 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run organized by Dynamix Fitness and Wellness will kick off Saturday's festivities at the Elk's Club, with a finish line at the popular 'Arts in the Park' event in Anderson Falls Park.
Artists and artisans local to Keeseville will set up in the park to demonstrate their craft, talk about their work, and sell pottery, jewelry, woodcrafts, and more.
LIVE MUSIC
Festival goers can enjoy live music by local band Alice's Fault and food from The Dogfather food truck and Island Vybz.
Free youth art activities include face painting, an outdoor watercolor workshop at the Keeseville Community Garden on Front Street, hoop dance classes by Vestopia Hoops, and a tie dye station that includes a free Keeseville Community Arts Festival shirt.
Advance sign-up is recommended for these activities to ensure space and shirt availability. Sign up at www.Adkaction.org/art
Adirondack Architectural Heritage is also offering a free coloring book that will help both children and their families to discover Keeseville's nearby historic landmarks and create some of their own artwork.
Visitors to the festival can get to know this charming lakeside community at the foothills of the Adirondack mountains and explore the area to try food, beer, and wine from local farms; enjoy live music at several venues; and visit area galleries, florists, antique shops and museums.
For a complete guide to all arts and community events happening during the festival visit AdkAction.org/Art.
The Keeseville Community Arts Festival is organized by a team of local volunteers brought together by AdkAction as part of the nonprofit's community revitalization through the arts project.
Over 25 individual and business sponsors have come together to support this year's festival.
This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts.
The Keeseville Community Arts Festival is made possible, in part, by the Essex County Arts Council's Cultural Assistance Program Grant with funding provided by Essex County.
Email: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com
Twitter@RobinCaudell
