SaratogaArtsFest Launches Inaugural Year with Community-Wide Celebration

 

Professor of Art Regis Brodie, an ArtsFest participant.	 
	 

The first community-wide arts event of its kind in Saratoga, SaratogaArtsFest will bring dozens of local, national, and international performances and exhibits to locations throughout the city, June 15 -17, to launch the summer arts season.

Encompassing the visual, literary, and performing arts, the festival will bring together the entire community in an effort to celebrate Saratoga Springs as a premier destination for culture and arts. SaratogaArtsFest will deliver the brilliance and energy of art in its many forms – music, dance, visual, fine art, film, theater, and writing through an extensive schedule of gifted artists.

The weekend will include headlining performances by dance legend Bill T. Jones and his company, currently in residence at Skidmore; legendary Texas songwriter Guy Clark, whose songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Lyle Lovett, and Jimmy Buffet; rising jazz star Jeremy Pelt and his quintet; celebrated author Russell Banks; Uncle Monk, an alt-country duo, featuring the Tommy Ramone of the Ramones and bassist Claudia Tienan; the Ron Wasserman Trio with New York City Ballet orchestra members; and the Epiphany Theater Company.

ArtsFest patrons will be able to see exhibits and performances at numerous locations throughout Saratoga Springs, including the Skidmore campus, theaters, museums, restaurants, and schools.

To kick off the festivities, local artists will be stationed along Broadway for a unique “Paint Out” – allowing patrons to watch the transformation from blank canvas to arts treasure as more than a dozen local artists create original pieces at their easels along the sidewalk. The artists will be at their sites Friday, June 15, and Saturday, June 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (hours may vary slightly so artists can capture the best light for their work). A current work by each of the featured Paint Out artists will be on display at the SaratogaArtsFest Gallery and Information Center, 454 Broadway (Downstreet Marketplace), Saratoga Springs.

The completed Paint Out works will be put on display at a reception Sunday at 1 p.m. at the ArtsFest Gallery and Information Center. The Paint Out artists will be present, and the artwork will be available for purchase.

Patrons can now purchase an ARTSPASS, a unique collectable ceramic tile, at www.saratogaartsfest.org or by visiting the ArtsFest Gallery and Information Center. The ARTSPASS, produced by L’Esperance Tileworks of Rock City Falls, N.Y., serves as a free or discounted admittance pass to ArtsFest events and also includes discounts at local stores and restaurants and a festival program. The first 1,000 people to purchase the pass will also receive a SaratogaArtsFest tote bag.

ARTSPASSES are now available for $25 for adults ($15 for seniors, students, Saratoga Arts Council Members, and military personnel). Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult.

For more information and a full schedule, click here.