Festival of the Arts | Arts Council of Oklahoma City (http://www.artscouncilokc.com/festival-of-the-arts)

Just a reminder it's almost time for Festival of the Arts. Go out and enjoy this rite of spring.


April 21-26, 2009
Downtown Oklahoma City
Since 1967, the Festival of the Arts has been Oklahoma City's rite of spring. The Festival is a community celebration of the visual arts, performing arts and culinary arts.
The 2009 Festival of the Arts takes place April 21-26 in Downtown Oklahoma City at the Festival Plaza, Stage Center and the Myriad Botanical Gardens. Hours are Tuesday – Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission is free. Pets are not allowed.

The Visual Arts include 144 Plaza Artists from across the nation that exhibit on Hudson Avenue, Windscapes, a kinetic art exhibit in the Myriad Gardens, and a large-scale SculpturePark exhibit in the Stage Center Lawn.

The Culinary Arts consist of the International Food Row. Each food vendor is partnered with an area non-profit organization.

The Performing Arts includes four stages of non-stop performing arts and entertainment, and street performers roaming the grounds.

Arts for Children and Families include hands-on activities in the Children’s Area for just $2. The Young-At-Art Mart returns as the children only shopping venue with all artwork affordably priced for $5 or less. Families should also visit face painting and Pottery Place and Creation Station for more fun!

For more information call (405) 270-4848.

The Journal Record - Article (http://www.journalrecord.com/article.cfm?recid=97756)

Festival of the Arts 2009
by Joan Gilmore
The Journal Record April 16, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY – To thousands of people in the Oklahoma City area, spring doesn’t officially arrive until the Festival of the Arts opens. The festival will open April 21 and come to a close April 26.

The site is downtown Oklahoma City, where Hudson Avenue will be closed between Sheridan and Reno to accommodate the rows of artist tents and the thousands of visitors who come to enjoy the fun, food and entertainment of the festival, which originated in 1967.Nancy Sharrock and Jim Farris are co-chairs of the 2009 Festival of the Arts, presented each year by the Arts Council of Oklahoma City. They will be assisted by more than 500 volunteers who, in turn, have brought in all of their friends to be volunteers. Sue Hale is president of the Arts Council board of directors.

Festival Plaza, the area between Walker and Robinson avenues, will feature visual arts by 144 artists, culinary arts, performing arts and art for children. Admission to the festival is free and all are welcome – except pets, which will not be admitted.

The International Food Row will offer old favorites such as Indian tacos and strawberries newport, as well as new food items including beef barley stew, stacked chicken enchiladas or seafood cocktails. Each commercial food vendor partners with a local nonprofit arts agency, so each item goes to support the arts in the metro area.

The Stage Center lawn will be filled with large-scale works of art in the Sculpture Park and the South Hudson Gallery exhibit, “Roads Less Traveled,” will have on view works of art done by up-and-coming artists paired with established artists. Artists exhibiting at the festival are from more than 30 states, in addition to our own Oklahoma artists.
The Festival of the Arts will have four stages of nonstop performing arts entertainment, ranging from elementary school performers to professional musicians. More than 300 performers donate their time and talents.

The Youth Plaza on the east side of the Crystal Bridge in the Myriad Botanical Gardens will offer many activities for children and families. These include face painting; creating art such as paper mosaics, dancing streamers or puppets; and being able to purchase festival artists’ work at $5 or less. In this area will be kid-friendly food vendors and a children’s talent show.

Festival goers will find bright new tents for the artists this year, provided by a grant from the Inasmuch Foundation. Putting up the tents will be volunteer labor, rather than by a professional crew, according to Peter Dolese, Arts Council executive director. The council’s goal is to reduce costs by using volunteers.

Hours for the Festival of the Arts will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. April 21 through 25 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 26. For more information, call (405) 270-4848 or visit Oklahoma City Arts Council, OKC Arts Council | Arts Council of Oklahoma City (http://www.artscouncilokc.com).

The Festival of the Arts is always so much fun and the food is scrumptious. Hope the weather is nice!!

Anyone check out the website? That food selection looks awesome.

Culinary Arts | Arts Council of Oklahoma City (http://www.artscouncilokc.com/culinary-arts)

Don't forget about yours truly.

Solo Guitarist: Jake Poire' (AFCM)
Saturday, 25 April 2009
7:30 - 9:00pm, Deck Stage

Performing Arts | Arts Council of Oklahoma City (http://artscouncilokc.publishpath.com/Default.aspx?shortcut=performing-arts)

Wow, that menu is phenomenal.

Phonemonal menu. I never miss it so it's either schedule more time at the club or buy bigger pants.:LolLolLol

This will be my first time going there in many years, my wife has never been since we haven't been back up there while it has been going on.

All right - 4 days of great lunch food! The hardest problem is making a choice - guess I'll have to make an afternoon trip to get dinner.

I love this time of year - I can hear music from my office and see some cool art as I pig out. Looks like my Wii Fit will be getting a lot of business next week.

*Just a reminder* Starts tomorrow!!! I can't wait! We're suppose to have GREAT weather this week, so it should be good.

Phonemonal menu. I never miss it so it's either schedule more time at the club or buy bigger pants
so true...thanks for posting, just don't know how I'm going to make it to all the goodie tents... guess I'll have to make more than one trip...

Of course, you can always pick out your food selections ahead of time (http://www.artscouncilokc.com/culinary-arts)!

Opening Day=Strawberry Newport!
I can almost taste it right now...mmmmm:Smiley199

Bread pudding with vanilla ice cream: 9/10.
Fish tacos: 6/10 (not enough fish).
Beef burrito: 8/10.

I had my Indian Taco at lunch today (vegetarian style of course)

Fish tacos: 6/10 (not enough fish)


Giggity!

Giggity!

LOL.

/facepalm

I had my Indian Taco at lunch today (vegetarian style of course)

Doesn't that defeat the purpose of an indian "taco" then? Wouldn't it just be indian fry bread with some lettuce and tomato?

Considering that authentic fry bread is often made with lard (an animal fat), I'm not sure how vegetarian they really are.

I forget which stand it was, but a food stand last year offered fried battered strips. Basically, it was fried batter made into a stick and that's it. They gave you buttermilk ranch dipping sauce which was a nice side.

They are selling them as vegetarian Indian Tacos so I am taking them at their word and if anyone tells me any different I will just have to say LaLaLa to you. By the way the meat is omitted but not the beans. I personally can't tell much difference between the meated and meatless. (I have only been veggie about 8 years or so I have had them with meat)

I forget which stand it was, but a food stand last year offered fried battered strips. Basically, it was fried batter made into a stick and that's it. They gave you buttermilk ranch dipping sauce which was a nice side.

OOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooook-lahoma where the wind come sweeping down the plaaaaaaains.

I like the upside down pizza.

Went last night and had a pretty good time. Food court was ridiculously crowded though. Since the lines extend out mixed in with the people eating at the little tables it makes it quite a challenge to make your way around there.

Best thing to do is grab your food and make your way to the crystal bridge and eat on the lush green grass were its a lot less crowded.

The Crystal Bridge grounds are really impressive, Very nicely maintained. The bridge could use a new coat of paint, Along with some other things but the plant life looks VERY nice. I could only imagine what the core to shore will look like when its done.

Beautiful art, And the artists were all very nice and helpful.

If you have kids take some money, You will need it.

$5 to park in the garage across the street.

Overall: 8/10 - Parking could be a little more reasonable and food was priced a little high and a little better crowd control should be in order for the food area since that is one of the main attractions.

As for fry bread and lard ... lard comes from animals. Animals eat plants. Animals are thus vegetarians. Much like horseshoes and gernades, that's close enough to count..

Overall: 8/10 - Parking could be a little more reasonable and food was priced a little high

The food is marked up because that money is donated to the arts organizations associated with each booth. Not bad when admission to the festival is free.

As for fry bread and lard ... lard comes from animals. Animals eat plants. Animals are thus vegetarians. Much like horseshoes and gernades, that's close enough to count..

DEFINITELY close enough when we're taking fry bread... :)

$5 to park in the garage across the street.

Overall: 8/10 - Parking could be a little more reasonable and food was priced a little high and a little better crowd control should be in order for the food area since that is one of the main attractions.

$5 parking is cheaper than usual price to park on non-event days.

I had a chicken gyro (delicious) and strawberry newport (mandatory). Best time to go if you are a downtown worker - 11 AM. No waiting in food court and not as crowded overall.

The only downside - getting out of the parking lot after work. They need to have some traffic control at the Galleria parking area Sheridan exit. Especially with the north exit closed - it's a zoo out there!

A flat $5 for parking is a lot kinder than charging you by the hour.

Ten years ago, my plane was late when I was flying from OKC to Washington DC to see my then fiance (now husband). The plane wasn't going to get in until about 3:00 in the morning due to weather and I suggested that he just park the car at the airport and sleep rather than drive home and come get me, later. He laughed because the parking was $7.00 an hour - that was just the beginning of sticker shock, for me.

Fry bread is generally made with flour, milk or water and baking powder then fried in oil. Unless it is fried in lard, I think that the vegetarian Indian taco would be fine for lacto-ova vegetarians.

I want to the FotA this evening with my seven year old. She and I usually go every year on Tuesday, but this year I was in Chicago for a couple of days. We usually do the same routine every year.

We start at the pottery tent where we buy the $5 vase and she paints it. Then we head to food row to pick up an appetizer, today it was the pokora. While we eat it we make our way so she can get her face painted. This year she got a turtle.

We walk down to the water and I take her picture in the leaf dome sculpture, and then we go over to the wind sculptures and then to the artists tents. We will walk one row and discuss the art, the techniques and what she likes about what she sees. She always gravitates towards horse paintings, and will walk up to the artist and tell them she likes their work.

Next up we split a vegetarian indian taco with no onions. The key to eating at the FotA is to bring your own fork. We like to eat at the green picnic tables so we can listen to the bands on the west stage. Then we migrate to the sculpture park, but today we got detoured by a juggler that put on a great show. At the sculpture park, my girl will pose and imitate the art. It is pretty funny sometimes.

Then we walk the rest of the tents and finish the day by demolishing a strawberries newport, pick up our pot and head home.

Friday I will go by myself during the day to eat and take a much harder look at the art and artists. Saturday I will go with my wife.

I usually find a new artists that really impresses. This year it is photographer Shelia Walthers and painter Larry Stephenson.

The Crystal Bridge grounds are really impressive, Very nicely maintained. The bridge could use a new coat of paint, Along with some other things but the plant life looks VERY nice. I could only imagine what the core to shore will look like when its done. THAT, and more, coming soon!


$5 to park in the garage across the street.That's pretty reasonable, especially for a fully-covered garage (car protected by elements). Compare that to some of the street-level, surface parking in Bricktown for events ($10 per as far as 3-4 blocks away from the Ford Center), and I'd say that parking is quite the bargain!


food was priced a little high and a little better crowd control should be in order for the food area since that is one of the main attractions.Please keep in mind this IS afterall, a fund-raiser. Proceeds benefit the arts groups. The restaurants do a great deal of work and get little, if any, profit since monies have to go back to the Arts Council and the partnering Arts Group. I don't mind paying an extra $1 or $2 bucks knowing that I am supporting one or another non-profit arts organizations, several of whom really need that funding, especially since some of the traditional funding sources are tied up with economic woes at present.

This is the primary fundraiser for the Oklahoma City Arts Council which generates revenue through art sales, food & beverage sales, and merchandise sales. The artists and food vendors are selected through a process of application and judging, and to maintain a balance (price, type, geography). Food vendors are matched with non-profit organizations (usually arts-related) that provide them with volunteers to staff the food booths. Other volunteers do everything from erecting tents (Production) to assisting artists (Artists Friends) to selling soft drinks, beer, T-shirts and writing up sales tickets. It's the best volunteer opportunity in town, and it's a top-10 arts event in the U.S., and it's gotten better every year since the 1960s. Enjoy!