CONWAY — Conway will celebrate “the art of community” during the fourth annual Conway ArtsFest, set to begin Tuesday and continue through Sunday, Oct. 3, in and around downtown Conway. Most events are free, and all are open to the public.
“ArtsFest is an opportunity for us to do something fun for the community,” said Vanessa Simmons, chairwoman of the ArtsFest Planning Committee. “It’s also an opportunity to represent the vast number of local artists we have in the community. It’s a time to celebrate all of the arts — dance, visual, musical, literature and more.”
Simmons said two new activities at this year’s festival will be “ROAR (Riders of Arkansas Rally) 2010,” a motorcycle rally hosted by ABATE (Arkansas Bikers Aiming Toward Education), District 17, and Yarn Bomb, an activity in which knitters will cover Simon Park and a motorcycle in yarn swatches they have created.
Approximately 1,500 bikers are expected to attend ROAR, along with vendors and exhibits set up Friday through Sunday, Oct. 3 in Simon Park. The event will feature a biker parade on Saturday and conclude Oct. 3 with a “Community Biker Sunday Service” and “Blessing of the Bikes.”
Yarn Bomb is the brainchild of Gayle Seymour, chairman of the ArtsFest Planning Committee for the past three years, who continues to serve on the committee. Yarn Bomb will feature the work of members of Yarn-A-Holics, a group that meets weekly at the Faulkner County Library, joined by knitters from Hendrix College and the University of Central Arkansas.
“We will attempt to cover everything we can at Simon Park,” said Julee Jaeger, a member of Yarn-A-Holics and leader of the Yarn Bomb project.
The knitters will install their creations from 6-8 p.m. Thursday in Simon Park.
Seymour said that according to the book Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2010), “Yarn Bombing or ‘knit graffiti’ is an international guerrilla movement that started underground and is now embraced by crochet and knitting artists of all ages, nationalities, and genders. Its practitioners create stunning works of art out of yarn, then ‘donate’ them to public spaces as part of a covert plan for world yarn domination.”
“I think the word ‘bombing’ evokes the practice of installing large numbers of pieces by a group of artists in just a few hours, thus transforming space with a sudden bang of color and texture,” Seymour said. “It’s a sudden and unexpected action of care for the community, and because of its suddenness, it gets people’s attention. Of course, only the installation (for Conway ArtsFest) is sudden. The artists have been at work for weeks lovingly handcrafting every stitch.”
Seymour said one of the leading exponents of the Yarn Bombing movement, and one of its founders, Magda Sayeg, was a visiting artist at UCA last spring.
Also new on the agenda will be the addition of art for sale at the Conway Farmers Market from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Simmons said, and a children’s parade of art led by the University of Central Arkansas Marching Band at 6 p.m. Friday.
The Conway Symphony Orchestra and The Three Phantoms will perform at the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall at UCA.
Also featured on Tuesday will be Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, who will speak at 7 p.m. in Staples Auditorium at Hendrix College. There is no admission charge.
Scheduled daily events Tuesday through Saturday include the following:
• Conway Symphony Designer House, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Village at Hendrix. One-time tickets are $15 and are available at the door. The house will also be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
• “Finding the Mythic: Photographs by Julie Blackmon,” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Baum Gallery of Fine Art, McCastlain Hall, UCA. Free admission.
• From The Art School: Sculpture, Art in Architecture winners and selected works from the Arkansas Arts Center’s Young Artists Exhibit, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Treischman Gallery, Hendrix College. Free admission.
(The above-scheduled events may have abbreviated hours Saturday afternoon.)
Wednesday’s schedule includes a Conway Art Academy student show from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., continuing Thursday through Saturday in the Treischman Lobby at Hendrix, and a free 8:30 p.m. lecture, “Why White Kids Love Hip Hop,” by Bakari Kitwana, in the Student Life and Technology Center at Hendrix.
Thursday’s schedule includes “When Words Aren’t Enough,” featuring student art and poetry, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Black Box Student Gallery of Schichtl Art Studio at UCA, continuing through Saturday; a free lecture by Frank Hamrick, photographer, in the Hendrix College Art Building, Room A, 110 Front St.; readings from banned books in observance of American Library Association Banned Books Week, 7 p.m., Faulkner County Library, 1900 Tyler St.; a free public lecture by Julie Blackmon, photographer, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 143, McCastlain Hall at UCA; and readings at the Hendrix Word Garden and Hog Pen Barbecue.
Several downtown venues will host art shows on Thursday, including U.S. Pizza from 4-9 p.m., with a portion of profits going to ArtsFest; a Community Art Exhibit from 5-8 p.m. at ThatChurch, 1105 Deer St.; Fashion Illustrations by The Art School Students from 5-8 p.m. at Mike’s Place; and Meet the Artists at Carmen’s Art and Antiques, featuring works for sale by Weldon Ball, Kevin Bell, Andrew Dycus, Lois Giorgis, Gene Hatfield, Renee James, Pat Larsen, Maryann Schiqur, Gary Scroggs, Cecilia Sloat and Rand Smith, with a portion of sales going to ArtsFest.
An ArtWalk will be held from 4:30-7 p.m. Friday in downtown Conway. Events will include Conway League of Artists’ displays at PK’s and Fletcher Smiths; street corner musicians at eight locations; “Spontaneous Shakespeare” — vignettes from the Bard at various locations by Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre actors; student art from Conway schools at American Management Corp.; The Arts School student art at Mike’s Place; Court Appointed Special Advocates of the 20th Judicial District’s Festival of Chairs, represented by several chairs displayed in various businesses; Independent Living Services Profiles artists at Bob’s Grill; works by local artists at Carmen’s Art and Antiques; Arkansas Arts Beautification Society’s 10th-year celebration; “Community Open Show” at ThatChurch; artwork at U.S. Pizza; Night of 1,000 Drawings exhibit at City Hall, with a reception set at 5 p.m. at City Hall; Pictures Et Cetera representing Barry Thomas, Heather Mainord, Bill Garrison, Arden Boyce, Bonnie McKay, Jean Turley, Jason Huselton, Gloria Garrison, Bill Ward, Cheryl Payne, Maura Weir and Mark James; and the Conway Film Festival, 5-7 p.m., ThatChurch.
Friday night’s features will include the UCA Marching Band joining special guests The Dirty Dozen Brass Band from New Orleans, at 7 in Simon Park; a dance presented by the Hendrix Theatre Arts Department at 7:30 at Hendrix College; and a concert by Six Strings Down at 9 in Simon Park.
Hands-on activities for children of all ages will be highlighted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in Simon Park, as will an antique motorcycle show hosted by ROAR from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Additional Saturday events include “Soulspeak,” presented by the Conway Community Dance Theatre at 10 a.m.; the “second ever” Conway Civic Club Chili Cook-off Challenge, offering bowls of chili for $5 to benefit CAFTA and desserts and hot dogs at $1 each to benefit Rotary Polio Plus; soft drinks and hot chocolate offered by the Conway Community Arts Association; “Wooed and Won,” presented by the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre from 1- 2 p.m.; Advocates for Bicycling tour of historic Old Conway homes from 1-3 p.m. (bring your bicycle); Conway Film Festival from 2-4, ThatChurch; Tim Trawick with his fiddle and string students, Simon Park Stage; CASA Festival of Chairs, 6:30, Centennial Valley Event Center, ticket required; and concert by Breaking Eden Band, 7, Simon Park Stage.
Events on Sunday, Oct. 3, will include ROAR vendors opening at 10 a.m., followed by the Sunday service from 10-11 and the Blessing of the Bikes at 11; and a Faculty Collage presented by Blackbird Academy at 2 p.m. in Staples Auditorium at Hendrix College.
For the most recent schedule of events, visit www.artsinconway.org.