Editorial
Front Page - Friday, August 27, 2010
Arts in the Park plans to give students, community vision for the future
Erica Tuggle
The Sept. 12 Arts in the Park festival at the Veterans Memorial Park in Collegedale will benefit Hamilton County School art education programs. The day will include live performances from several musical acts as well as a performance by the East Tennessee Symphony.
- Erica Tuggle
The entrance to the Arts in the Park Festival is hard to miss, says event chair Mike Newberry. Just look for the 40-foot banner between Apison Pike and Little Debbie Parkway in Collegedale.
With the Hamilton County School system budget basically nil for educational art programs, the Arts in the Park festival will try to ensure that school children in the area are exposed to the arts, he says.
The event will be held from noon to 7 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Park in Collegedale alongside the Hobby Rally, a soapbox racing and model event. While the city is bringing Hobby Rally out to bolster attendance to both events, the Ooltewah/Collegedale Chamber of Commerce has been developing the idea for the Arts in the Park festival for several years.
Jennifer Johnson, president of the Ooltewah/Collegedale Chamber council, says the idea originated in the council to do something for the local community that was going to be family oriented, fun and become an annual event. When the idea became more of a reality in planning dates, Newberry stepped in to lead the event with previous experience in bringing 12,000 school children and 40,000 others to a Florida festival of a similar nature.
Newberry says there are a few basic objectives for the festival: to enhance public involvement in the arts, grow the region’s business base, give children a vision for the future involving their talent in the arts and raise money for schools’ art education programs.
The predicted 18 percent population growth for the Ooltewah/Collegedale area from 2009 to 2014 with the introduction of the nearby Volkswagen is within 15 miles of the festival site, he says. Should this become an annual event, this will provide a payoff in the long run in this area, he says. The middle and high school children that are the focus of the event are the ones who are starting to look at future careers, and this event can give them an idea of how their talents can be explored and developed, he adds. Furthermore, the event is free to the public, but donations will go into the school art education programs.
Twenty-five public and private schools from across Hamilton County have submitted 320 pieces of art for judging at the festival. The money from festival donations will be divided among the schools with winning artwork that will be judged by professionals of the Association for Visual Arts. First, second and third place winners of each grade will also receive ribbons, and all participants will receive a media card of participation and to show their art was exhibited for their portfolio. All art to be judged is required to have been done within this school year.
Several musical acts, including the East Tennessee Symphony and Orchestra, will be a part of the event, says Mathew Graham Miller, the executive vice president of the symphony. Six other acts will also perform including two former Riverbend acts: the “Cadillac Saints” and “Lou Wamp & Bluetastic Fangrass.”
Miller says, “We have a cappella, bluegrass, Southern rock n’ roll, symphonic music; basically all the genres covered. The symphony will have a visual element, with an artist named Zach Jones who will be doing a large live art painting with his team that will unfold as the music progresses.”
During the event, art vendors from many different mediums will be on site to display and sell their works. Food vendors and other local business tents will be set up, and the Readmobile will be on site.
Newberry says he sees this festival as an opportunity to recognize the achievements of children as well as introduce them to professionals in the art profession and to show the community the Chamber’s dedication to promotion of the arts.
Miller says, “I think it is nice when you can get kids involved in any kind of artistic endeavor. Anytime you get a child involved in the opportunity to create something, you give them a chance to showcase, and that is great for their self esteem and motivation.”
The growth in the eastern portion of Hamilton County, combined with the timing of the Chamber’s great idea, with symphony’s performance and Collegedale donating the Veterans Memorial property to public use, have all come together to make this event a reality, Miller says.
Newberry says, “This gives children a vision for their future, and giving that vision is something that takes public involvement. Next year, there will be a second annual Arts in the Park festival because it is based on all the right principles that the community will embrace and it should move forward and get better and bigger every year.”
The festival is still looking for vendors, volunteers, sponsors and donations. More information can be found at www.artsintheparkfestival.com.
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