Calling All Visual Artists

January 5, 2012 by Festi Team 249 Comments

Entries are now being accepted for ArtPark 2012.  Our juried, invitational show returns during LakeFest, a three day celebration for the arts, June 15th – 17th and is seeking artisans with original work, representing a breadth of media including functional and wearable art in the following categories: Ceramics | Clay, Drawing | Painting, Glass, Jewelry, Leather, Metal, Mixed Media, Photography | Digital, Textile, and Wood. In addition to ArtPark, Lakefest includes a variety of musical entertainment, sidewalk chalk art competitions, the always popular make-it/take-it kids’ arts and crafts tent, and much more.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Columbia Festival of the Arts hosts a summer season of world-class events, including gala performances, exhibitions, free concerts, family activities, master classes, workshops, community dialogues as well as LakeFest. Traditionally, ArtPark has drawn artists from all over the region and mid-Atlantic. There is no entry fee and no commission on sales. Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your original artwork! Deadline for entries is March 2, 2012. For more information and to apply, visit http://columbiafestival.com/2012ArtParkForm.aspx

Filed under: LakeFest Weekend, Participate, Visual Arts

Finding the Perfect Gift

December 20, 2011 by Festi Team 676 Comments

Now that we’re closing in on the holiday season, I’d be willing to bet that a great number of you have spent a significant amount of time making lists and shopping for the perfect gift for each of your friends and loved ones.

I’m not a big shopper, but I love trying to find the perfect gift for each person in my life. I enjoy making my own home made gifts, or, failing that, buying a unique handmade gift from a local and/or independent artisan.

It may seem odd to think about the winter holidays in June, but when I’m out at LakeFest each summer, I try to take a bit of time to walk around our fine arts and crafts show and sale, identifying those artisans whose products would make great gifts for my friends. If I’m shopping online, I try to check out websites like Etsy – an online marketplace where you can find creative people from all around the world selling handmade items. In fact, some of our ArtPark artists have their own virtual “shops” on Etsy. At the bottom of this blog post, I’ve included the links to some of these shops.

We at the Festival are also doing a bit of “shopping” this time of year too. We spend the months of December, January, and February trying to identify those performing artists who would be the perfect gift to our community in June. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait few more months to unwrap this present – but that doesn’t mean you can’t add the Festival to your gift list!

I’d be remiss in my role as Fundraising Coordinator if I didn’t mention that you can make a donation to the Festival by simply going online. Your contribution to the Columbia Festival of the Arts will help us to continue giving the gift of the arts to our community this year and in years to come. Plus, making a donation in honor of a friend or family member is a lovely gift for that person in your life who seems to have everything.

Happy Shopping!

Diana Fooksman

Fundraising Coordinator

 

As promised, here are just a few of our 2011 ArtPark artists with online shops:

never ever boutique

NAR Creations

B-Muses

Sara Knox Originals

Janice Fowler

Stephanie Grutzmacher Photography

Filed under: Uncategorized

It’s The Holiday Season

December 6, 2011 by Festi Team 106 Comments

So woop-de do, and hickory dock, and don’t forget to hang up your sock….holiday words of wisdom from Andy Williams, via The Holiday Season.  I am reminded of this holiday classic annually when I make my first holiday trip to the Mall.  It is forever burned into my brain from the time I spent working at an Italian restaurant as an undergrad, where it was piped in with other holiday fare on a seemingly endless loop.  I know the lyrics the way I know the national anthem.

If you braved the crowds for some post-Thanksgiving shopping, chances are you might have heard this tune, or others such as  White Christmas, The Little Drummer Boy (Bing Crosby & David Bowie – MUST SEE!), or the dreaded Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.  With the exception of the novelty Grandma tune (30 years old now) it seems there is very little contemporary music that has been absorbed into the holiday cannon.  I am not sure the reason for this, though I suspect it has to do with the role traditions play during the holidays.  Just try introducing a fake tree into a house that cuts down a live one every year.  Or maybe you’d like to be the family member who suggests ham instead of turkey?

2012 will mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Festival.  And while it’s hard to compete with holiday traditions, we are very grateful for the opportunity to serve in some small part as a summer tradition for patrons of the arts here in Columbia, Howard County, and greater Maryland.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  Enjoy the weeks ahead as you sit back and relax with friends and family and celebrate your favorite holiday traditions.  I know my season will have officially started just as soon as CBS airs A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Happy Holidays

Josh Stoltzfus, Programming Manager

Filed under: Uncategorized

Thank You!

July 11, 2011 by Festi Team 47 Comments

Filed under: Uncategorized

LakeFest 2011!

June 15, 2011 by Festi Team 206 Comments

Wow.

Wise Fool New Mexico. Photo by Gary L. Brown

If you weren’t at Lake Kittamaqundi this weekend, you truly missed out on what we think was one of the best LakeFest weekends EVER!

Friday in our office was a flurry of activity as we began setting up for the weekend. Our crew and the terrific team from Columbia Association got to work setting up the stage and all of the various tents and food booths that we would need throughout the weekend while we packed up stuff in our office and started carting things down to the lakefront.

In the midst of all of this activity our Programming Manager, Josh, met up with the terrific performers of Wise Fool New Mexico at HCC for a small group workshop – Moving Through Physical Theatre (Wise Fool taught an additional workshop, Partner Acrobatics for the Whole Family to nearly 45 participants on Sunday morning).

Wise Fool New Mexico’s Sunday Workshop

When the events at the Lakefront kicked off with a parade through the Festival grounds from the March Fourth Marching Band we knew we were in for an exciting weekend. The musical groups represented styles from Southern Soul to Gypsy to Irish to Reggae to Blues and Jazz. The headlining performances by March Fourth and Wise Fool had people coming back to LakeFest night after night.

 

March Fourth Marching Band. Photo by Gary L. Brown.

For people interested in the visual arts, this year’s Festival featured more than 65 artists participating in our ArtPark invitational show and sale, more than half appearing for the first time. Also in ArtPark were three different wineries offering tastings and a number of new delicious food offerings.

This event was extra special thanks to our many Festival partners. HoCoPoLitSo shared the literary arts with everyone in attendance, the Howard County Office of Tourism and Promotion once again presented the Chalk-it-Up street art contest, and  KidzArt provided free arts and crafts activities and instruction for children and their families. Also for the young (or young at heart) were clowns, face painters, balloon artists, and more.

But we’re not done.

LakeFest was just our kick-off weekend, and we still have more in store for the 2011 season. Check out ColumbiaFestival.com for more information!

What was your favorite part of LakeFest? Share in the comments below!

Filed under: Behind the Scenes, Festival Ticketed Events, LakeFest Weekend, Visual Arts

Festival Workshops – Get Involved!

June 3, 2011 by Festi Team 39 Comments

This year the Festival will offer five different opportunities to learn from Festival performing artists, the majority of which are FREE to the public.  The acrobats of Wise Fool New Mexico will be offering two workshops, Moving Thru Physical Theater and Partner Acrobatics for the Whole Family while MarchFourth Marching Band will be offering two FREE workshops outdoors at LakeFest including a Group Dance Party where they will teach attendees the moves to their interactive Bollywood song and reveal the secrets behind Stilt Walking.  And Lastly, the master Irish musicians of Celtic Crossroads will give you a behind the scenes look at their stage show with a very special Master Production Workshop.   Don’t miss any of these unique opportunities to meet and work directly with these master artists.

 

Filed under: Behind the Scenes, HoCo Local Arts, LakeFest Weekend, Uncategorized Tagged , , , |

Celebrating Mardi Gras in May!

May 13, 2011 by Festi Team 39 Comments

Today has been a busy day in the Festival office!

We’ve spent most of the afternoon getting ready for tomorrow, setting up the room (with help from the great team at Howard Hughes Corporation), putting out linens, and preparing the centerpieces for the tables.

Our transformation of the space finishes tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll be updating our Facebook and Twitter pages with more photos as the room comes together.

This year marks the 5th year that the Columbia Festival of the Arts has hosted a comedian or comedic group as part of a special evening at the Howard Hughes Corporation’s Spear Center.

Tomorrow night, Jon Reep will take the stage (following a New Orleans-inspired meal from Linwood’s) and share his supersonic energy with the more than 200 guests in attendance. Jon appeared at the 2010 Festival with two other winners of NBC’s Last Comic Standing and had the audience rolling in the aisles as he told stories about his life growing up in Hickory, NC and the transition from the deep south to the glitzy world of Los Angeles, CA.

This is one event we look forward to each year as the kick off to the Festival season! In less than one month we’ll be in full swing, and this helps to get our whole team excited for what’s next!

We’ll see you tomorrow as we “let the good times roll” all night long!

For those of you who can’t join us tomorrow, here’s a great video of Jon doing stand-up.

 

Diana Fooksman, Fundraising Coordinator

Filed under: Behind the Scenes

LakeFest Lineup Available Now

May 12, 2011 by Festi Team 104 Comments

The last contract was dropped in the mail this morning, completing the booking process for this year’s bands at LakeFest.  Heading in to my fourth season with the Festival I am constantly amazed at all the great bands we are discovering for the first time.  With only two returning acts, the majority of bands will be making their Festival debut. Check out the complete schedule of free music here and let us know what local acts you are diggin’ on.

Lots of great ticketed music this year as well, particularly looking forward to soul legend Bettye LaVette at the Smith Theatre on June 21.  Bettye came up during the golden age of soul music in the 1960s and is currently experiencing an career resurgence do in no small part to her Kennedy Center Honors and Obama Inauguration performances.   Even if you aren’t familiar with Bettye, you might know a lot of tunes off her new album, Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook which features stunning new takes on tunes by the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and many more.

 

Filed under: Behind the Scenes, LakeFest Weekend

Laugh In

April 29, 2011 by Festi Team 37 Comments

Waiting at a traffic light on my way to lunch today, I happened to turn to my right and see one of those GIGANTIC pick-up trucks.   Sitting in my little Saturn I was of course reminded of that old Dodge campaign where the guy leans out the window and inquires “That thing gotta Hemi?” The actor in the commercial is none other than Jon Reep, the headline performer at the Festival’s Mardi Gras in May special event, May 14th.   Paula Poundstone, who is playing the Festival June 25th, was the headliner at this event three years ago (also the first act I ever booked for the Festival!).

Comedy has played a strong role in the Festival the last few years, in part because it routinely scores high on our audience surveys, but I also imagine  because folks are looking for a respite from the ongoing bad news on the economic front and various natural disasters.  One of my personal favorites working today, and a comedian currently experiencing some long overdue success, is Kathleen Madigan.  Until we can get her here to the Festival,  enjoy this clip of Kathleen to finish off your Friday.

Josh Stoltzfus

Programming Manager

 

Filed under: Behind the Scenes, Festival Ticketed Events

Happy Birthday Billy!

April 23, 2011 by Festi Team 259 Comments

Today marks William Shakespeare’s (generally accepted) birthday.

I spent a significant portion of my pre-Festival career working in organizations that produced the works of Shakespeare and learned more than I ever thought possible about the man, the myth, and the legend.  The Bard would be 447 years old, and while school children across the country wish that his entire cannon of work was lost to time, it’s undeniable the influence that Shakespeare continues to have even today.

Year after year books, movies, and plays are produced that retell the stories of Shakespeare’s plays such as “West Side Story” (Romeo and Juliet), “10 Things I Hate About You” (Taming of the Shrew) and even “The Lion King” (Hamlet).

It’s hard to believe, but even George Lucas was influenced by Shakespeare when he created the science fiction world that was Star Wars. Lucas has often said that his epic saga was inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress.” An influence of several Kurosawa films? William Shakespeare. Want more evidence of how Shakespeare influenced Lucas? There is a great moment in “The Empire Strikes Back” where Chewie holds up C-3PO’s head as if he were Hamlet holding up Yorick’s skull.

Chewie holding C-3PO's head. From starwars.com

If you’re looking to experience terrific Shakespeare here in Howard County you can check out the upcoming season for Chesapeake Shakespeare. Other theatres in the DC and Baltimore area also produce the works of the Bard.

Not in to Shakespeare? Star Wars a bit more your thing? Check out One-Man Star Wars Trilogy at the 2011 Festival.

Diana Fooksman, Fundraising Coordinator

Filed under: Festival Ticketed Events, HoCo Local Arts