The year was 1967. Something was in the air. And, it wasn’t just pollen. In Oklahoma City, it was a confident moment of civic improvement in which an intrepid band of arts leaders led by the mighty Marion DeVore arrived at the time-tested idea: “Let’s put on show!” In a remarkable three weeks, the nascent Arts Council of Oklahoma City, with seed funding from the Symphony and Art Center, marshaled their art, food, and entertainment resources into the City’s first community celebration of the arts. Now appropriately located in OKC’s Bicentennial Park, between City Hall and its sister arts organizations at the Civic Center, with the Museum of Art next door, this celebration of the visual, performing and culinary arts comes back to blossom annually. Sixty years and counting, the Festival of the Arts is the Arts Council’s signature fundraising event that helps support arts programming year-round. Heck, as of a couple years ago Festival of the Arts ranked in the Top 25 Fine Arts Festivals in the country out of more than 1,000. We’re lucky. By all appearances it is mature, healthy, and growing in the wind. Not only have local creatives and audiences flocked to the event year after year, undaunted by the unpredictable April weather, but the participating artists from around the U.S. continue to give the event high marks for being both well run and attended. The event attracts 525,000 visitors who spend $1.8 million on art. With thousands of applications and a final lineup of 144 visual artists, these hard-working professionals apply and undergo an intense jury process. Artists attend from 30 different U.S. states. Fifty to sixty artists tend to return year after year. More than half of the exhibiting artists are showing for the first time in Oklahoma City. Almost the same number are Oklahomans. So, there is plenty of fresh talent and art work to discover. One of the strengths of fine art festivals “in the street” is that it levels the playing field between jewelers, woodworkers, fiber artists, and more traditional makers in painting, sculpture or photography. There are many masterful artists working in unusual media or materials like Wyoming’s Chad Aldridge. His exquisite cutlery, blade to handle, is perfect if you’re into slicing carrots with functional fine art. For parents out there, it’s worth mentioning the dozens of kid-friendly artists exhibiting this year, which is ideal for introducing fine art to the screen-addled youngsters. They can have an enriching time visiting booths and interacting with artists while picking out — curating we call it —something amazing for their living space. I daresay some of my first meaningful art experiences and purchases were at this very festival. Thanks, Mom and Dad – shout out to Greg Burns! If you or a family member are inspired to make some art, there are no shortage of experiential opportunities to create or collect. Get your hands dirty at the Pottery Place, pick up a brush at the Paint Mural Project, or create a collaborative structure that evolves over the weekend in the Children’s Art Field. Creators Collective, a new initiative from 2025, returns to the festival with cool local makers. Turn off your AI chatbot and go peruse the marvels of locally handcrafted body skin care products, delicious local honey, flowers, plants, and home goods. Support your local entrepreneurs who are making our city a tastier, better smelling place. Performing artists will be lighting up the Main Stage and City Stage with singing, dancing, theater, magic and hopefully top-notch jazz hands. You can find a nice spectrum of musical genres over four full days of hourly performances on both stages including RB, funk, country, pop, blues, bluegrass, indie folk, several decades of rock acts, and some DJ sets.Where else can you witness the range of dance companies in this city? We’re talking clogging, tapping, stomping, hip hop, folkloric, and classical forms. Don’t forget the Art Moves area which has a more intimate feel suitable for poetry, art demos, face painting, magicians and jazz artists. Culinary Arts are always well represented at this festival and seem to get better every year. International Food Row features nearly two dozen food booths catering to practically any taste: fat, salt, sweet, sour, spicy. Check ‘em all off. Sure, you’re going to want Indian taco, funnel cake, or Strawberry Newport, but consider branching out with a spicy tamale, dumpling, or a shrimp boat in a pineapple bowl. African cuisine was hot last year, taking home two of the Festival of the Art Food Awards. Who will stand out this year? Only tasting will tell. The hardest part is finding a free table. Out of many worthy participants, here are a few names to check out, organized by medium, that caught my eye: Painting/Water Media:Jonah Ballard, Phoenix, AZPiper Bridwell, Edmond, OKEric Gonzalez, Tulsa, OKLaurie Huff, Rockwall, TXJason Wilson, McAlester, OK Jewelry:Carol Bryan, Ft. Worth, TXCarlos Iglesias Sergio Bello, Miami, FLAdam Tessier, Carbondale, COToni Tischer, Salida, COMolly Strader, Frisco, TXMeghan Riley, Brooklyn, NY Paper/Drawing/Prints:Keith Buswell, Lincoln, NEJen Foster, Lawrence, KSDouglas Fulks, Lees Summit, MO Robin Whalan, Houston, TXNha Vuu, Fort Collins, CO Photography:Timm Chapman, Phoenix, AZMichael Chen, NYJohn Kennington, Tulsa, OKSondra Wampler, Santa Fe, NM Kristin Schillaci, Santa Fe, NM Fiber:Megan DeSmidt, Woodland Park, COVeronique Loggins, Blue River, OR Ceramics:Jeff Duerksen, OKCZi Li, Stillwater, OKAmy Sanders de Melo, Tulsa, OKKyle Osvog, Jackson, GA Glass:Sharon Fujimoto, Amherst Junction, WIRobin Kittleson, Geneva, ILJackson Ocheltree, Tucson, AZ Woodworking:Harrell Anne Adams, KSAnna Bailey Nathanael Bailey, Duluth, MNCaleb Calloway Sean Gomez, OKCRobert Wing, Santa Fe, NMGregg Standridge, Norman, OK Emerging Artists:Elizabeth Czaplinski, Norman, OKCherri Ledbetter, OKC The 60th Festival of the Arts kicks off with the Angels Friends Celebration on Wednesday, April 22, from 4-8pm at Bicentennial Park. The Festival is open Thursday 11am- 9pm ; Friday through Saturday 11am-10pm; Sunday 10am-7pm. The post Rite of Spring appeared first on Oklahoma Gazette. ...read more read less