Verge september 14 arts in the heart

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By Jennifer Reynolds

No visit to Arts in the Heart is complete without trying food from several different countries’ tables.

—Stefanie Newhall

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icking a favorite part of Augusta’s annual Arts in the Heart festival is no easy task.

“My favorite thing about Arts in the Heart of Augusta is a toss-up between the arts and crafts vendors, and the food,” said Stefanie Newhall, an Augusta resident. “I love to stroll through the artists’ market and see the original creations on display for sale.

No visit to Arts in the Heart is complete without trying food from several different countries’ tables.”

That is exactly what Arts in the Heart, Augusta’s favorite festival, is designed to do: Highlight the diverse cultural heritages of Augusta residents.

The annual two-and-a-half day event, put on by Greater Augusta Arts Council features various local cultural groups who serve traditional food and perform music and dance. This year the iconic Augusta event is Sept. 19-21 on Augusta Commons (836 Reynolds St) and Broad Street in downtown Augusta.

“It is a lesson in the celebration of the diversity of our city,” said Brenda Durant, Executive Director of the Greater Augusta Arts Council. “Arts in the Heart is a model. There is no race, no age that isn’t represented. I don’t think anyone could come here and think I’m not represented here.”

There are more than 50 arts and crafts booths featuring a variety of mediums and price points. A children’s section gives kids the opportunity to be hands-on and the Young Artists Market sells handmade items from artisans aged 18 and under.

The decision to expand the celebration to Broad Street has delighted many patrons of the event.

“The move to Broad Street was smart as it supports local business as well,” Augusta resident Paige Patton said. “I love the diversity of

“They have a good reputation in the festival scene,” said Durant.

When selecting a band for the event, Durant wanted a group that was known in festival circles and had a strong social media presence. She believes a group with both attributes will draw the largest number of attendees to Arts in the Heart.

The addition of The Revivalists was brought about by a grant received by the Arts Council.

The grant is aimed at promoting Arts in the Heart outside the local community and drawing guests who will stay overnight in area hotels. Its approval was contingent in part on bringing in a national act.

Another major musical addition to the event is the Jazz Stage. It will join the other four stages that have been part of Arts in the Heart. The Global Stage holds dance and music performances that feature the traditional dance and song of the participating cultural groups. The Family Stage has kid-friendly events. The Troubadour Stage holds low-tech performance such as storytelling and acoustic music. The Community Stage highlights local performers and hosts Augusta Chronicle’s 2014 AMPED music contest featuring local bands

and musicians.

The Jazz Stage will, of course, feature jazz. Karen Gordon of Garden City Jazz organized the performers.

Festival-goers can expect to hear local favorites such as John Hobbs and Buzz Clifford on the jazz stage. There will be a special presentation of music and spoken word from the Harlem Renaissance. The Augusta Swing Dance Group will perform. There will be a jam session of jazz and blues music on Friday night. Karen Gordon will do her Clap, Wiggle and Shake presentation for children.

“We are extremely excited to showcase the creative talents of jazz artists and musicians in this area. We hope that everyone will come out and enjoy the entire festival,” said Karen Gordon.

While Wycliffe Gordon will not be able to attend Arts in the Heart due to travel, Karen Gordon said “his influence will definitely be present because so many of the musicians in this area have worked with him and been influenced by his work.”

An Arts in the Heart tradition is the Unity Dance.

Each year, two members of each cultural group are selected to learn a dance that they then perform together as a group.

It was during the organization of this dance at a past Arts in the Heart that something happened which summarizes what Arts in the Heart means in the Augusta community.

“An African American woman who was older held up her hand,” Durant said. “’I want to dance,’ she said. ‘I always wanted to be a dancer.”

When the woman was growing up, segregation still fractured the south. The dance studios only allowed white children. At Arts in the Heart many years later, the woman danced the Unity Dance in the heart of downtown Augusta with dancers of many races.

It is an example of the healing and unifying spirit of Arts in the Heart.

The Global Village celebrates a diversity of cultures through food. Here, local community groups centered on cultural heritage – such as German Friendship Club of Augusta – staff tents. Each group serves authentic cuisine and wears traditional dress. Commercial ventures and restaurants are prohibited.

Stefani Newhall loves the food choices.

“Indian Samosas, Pancit from Guam, seasoned meat on a stick from the Phillipines -- there is just no other weekend in Augusta like it,” she said.

In recent years, the Global Village occupied the Augusta Commons. This year it has been expanded to also include the 700 block of Broad Street and will include groups new to the event such as Cyprus, Indonesia/Micronesia, Lebanon and Sweden.

The interactive family area has also been expanded and a stilt walker has been brought in to lead off the parade.

When it began in 1981, the Greater Augusta Arts Council created Arts in the Heart as a way for art-

FRIDAY, SEPT. 19

artists, vendors, performers, and crowds coming together as a community. It’s a wonderful grassroots celebration!”

This year there will be even more to celebrate as the festival promises to be the largest one yet.

It will feature classic favorites plus some exciting changes.

For the first time in its 34 year history, Arts in the Heart will feature a national music group as the event’s concert headliner.

The Revivalists, a six-piece group from New Orleans that “rounds out traditional rock instrumentation with horns and pedal steel guitar” will perform as the main event Saturday night and later for the Arts in the Heart After Party at Sky City (1157 Broad Street).

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SATURDAY, SEPT. 20

—Coco Rubio

SUNDAY, SEPT. 21

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I love the move to Broad street.....and the music.

Stage Schedule

Community Stage 5 – Pinckney Sisters of North Augusta 6 – The Hollerers 6:45 – The Gilded Youth 8 – Livingroom Legends Global Stage 5 – Paine College Concert Choir 5:30 – Augusta Hoopers 6 – Opening Ceremonies 7:30 – Mixed Motionz 8 – Pyroteque 8:30 – Eastwind Under Flame Family Stage 5 – Stephanie’s Dance Explosion 5:30 – Celtic Rhythm Irish Dancers 6:30 – Rhythm & Class Cloggers 8 – Envy Dance of Augusta

Community Stage 11 – Dee Dee Love 11:45 – Breaking News 12:30 – Motherlickas 1:30 – Low Creek Killers 2:30 – Double D 3:30 – Billy S Power Trio 4:15 – Artemia 5 – Amped 8 – Mountain Express Acoustic Global Stage 11 – 5,6,7,8 Studios Performance Group 11:30 – CSRA Zumba Instructor Group 12:15 – Dance Xtreme 12:45 – Odyssey Greek Dancers 1:30 – Cutno Dance Center 2:15 – Drake Irish Dance 2:45 – CSRA Belly Dancers 3:30 – Shofusion Dance Arts Studio 4:30 – Chinese Dancers 5 – Eastern Star Dance Theatre 7 – Awards for Food, Fine Arts & Craft, SGI 7:30 – The Revivalists Family Stage 11 – Michelle’s Magical Poodles 12 – Davidson Fine Arts Improv Troupe 12:30 – Davidson Fine Arts Acting II 1 – Forte Step Team 1:30 – Savannah Winds Middle Eastern Dance Troupe 2:30 – Musical Theatre Workshops 4 – Augusta Flow Arts 5:30 – Kane and Company 6:45 – Augusta Prep Chorus 7:30 – Tori Langham 8:15 – Higher Definition Community Stage 12 – Cloud Formations 12:45 – Pure Love Music 2 – Second Chance Rising 3:15 – Chris Hardy 4:30 – She N She 5:30 – Celia Gary 6 – Carey Murdock Global Stage 12 – Indonesia and Micronesia 12:30 – Grupo Reolucion Juvenil de Aiken 1:30 – Mangelly Belly Dancers 2 – Hindu Temple Society 3 – Abatsu and Ajadaco 4 – Augusta Players 4:30 – Suzuki Strings 5:45 – Greater Augusta Arts Council 6 – Savannah River Stringband Family Stage 12 – Show Stoppers 1 – Saidi and Friends 1:30 – Pulse Dance Center 3:30 – Davidson Fine Arts Musical Theatre Ensemble 4:15 – Davidson Fine Arts Junior Advanced Acting 5:15 – Allison Skipper

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“I love the diversity of artists, vendors, performers, and crowds coming together as a community.

—Paige Patton

ists to watch each other perform.

Thirty-four years later, it has grown to a two-and-a-half day festival that requires a planning committee of more than 30, thousands of volunteers and its own logistics team.

Durant said she and her colleagues at the Arts Council “could work full time on just this project.”

The planning committee meets year round.

The logistics team works hard to make the event seamless. Even things such as drainage are considered to ensure the event runs smoothly. “[They plan] all that sexy stuff that hopefully no one thinks about because it’s working well,” Durant said with a laugh.

No detail is overlooked. There are bar managers to organize the beer tents, stage managers for each of the five stages, a person who will attend

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the needs of The Revivalists, a finance team to count and collect money and sheriff’s deputies to provide security.

The event is so expertly managed that there is even a logistics person dedicated solely to ice.

It helps to have volunteers and planners who participate year after year.

The organization runs more smoothly and they give essential feedback.

“I believe in keeping people on as long as they’ll stay with you,” Durant said.

Another part of planning is selecting which vendors can participate in the Arts and Crafts booths.

Artists submit applications and a jury made up of artists and people with a strong art background decide who to invite. They meet for one day in July and review more than 200 applications to select artists for roughly 60 spots.

“We push to have local artists,” Durant said.

But since Arts in the Heart was recognized as a Top 200 Event by Sunshine Artist magazine, the event’s popularity with artists has boomed.

Arts in the Heart has expanded to include artists from throughout the southeast.

The jury’s hard work ensures that visitors to Arts in the Heart are exposed to numerous artistic mediums and because the jury seeks artists in a variety of price points, purchasing original art is accessible to all.

One tradition of the festival that was eliminated was featuring a specific country.

Durant said this practice caused confusion, particularly to out of town guests who were unfamiliar with the festival. For example, if the featured

country was Germany, people mistakenly believed Arts in the Heart was a German festival instead of a cultural festival. “[It’s] still a cultural experience but we don’t focus on one culture,” Durant said.

Through the years, Arts in the Heart has grown and added new features.

Durant hopes to expand the concert aspect of the event in the future and to expand the children’s area possibly by bringing in artists and crafters with a special appeal to kids.

She also hopes that the food served at the event will draw recognition.

“I’d love to be recognized by food,” she said. “It would be great to have someone from Food Network come down and cover the food aspect.”