FESTIVAL TIME

Art, music, food and more around Intown

The month of April is teeming with events, whether you love arts and crafts or food and music. Clear out your weekend calendar, put on some comfortable shoes and explore Intown’s neighborhood festivals.

Festival on Ponce

The spring version of the festival will be held April 2 - 13 in Olmsted Linear Park along Ponce de Leon Avenue. Visitors will enjoy fine art and crafts, folk and “outsider art” from more than 125 artisans, a children’s area, live acoustic music and a line-up of some of Intown’s favorite food trucks. For a full list of artists and events, visit festivalonponce.com.

Atlanta Dogwood Festival

The 80th annual event will take place April 8 -10 in Piedmont Park. Hundreds of artisans will be on hand along with live music, a kid’s village, food and more. The Backyard Barbecue & Brews will be Saturday and Sunday, featuring ‘que, stew and beer from local restaurants and vendors. Also returning this year is the International Village with cultural performances from around the globe. The annual Disc Dogs Southern Nationals, a 5K Race, Eco-Village and the Atlanta High School Art exhibition will also be part of the festival. For full details on all the weekend’s activities, visit dogwood.org.

Festival on Ponce

Sandy Springs Artsapalooza

The Artsapalooza will be held April 16 – 17 along Lake Forest Drive between Mount Vernon Highway and Hammond Drive. The event includes a children’s play area, local musicians and interactive art stations, plus up to 150 arts and crafts participants in every discipline. Visit sandyspringsartsapalooza.com for more.

Sweetwater 420 Festival

The annual music and beer festival returns to Downtown’s Centennial Olympic Park on April 22 - 24. This year’s music line-up includes Kid Rock, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Bastille, Ludacris, Disco Biscuits, Cypress Hill, The Roots, AWOL Nation and many more. The 420 Disco line-up includes

Paper Diamond, Emancipator and Minnesota, while Judah Friedlander will headline the comedy stage. For full details about the weekend and to buy VIP tickets, visit sweetwater420fest.com.

Atlanta Arab Festival

The 11th annual celebration of Arab culture will be held April 23 - 24 at the Alif Institute, 3288 Marjan Drive. There will be music, food, art and more. Details at alifinstitute.org.

Inman Park Festival

The 45th annual Inman Park Festival is set for April 30 – May 1 with more than 150 fine artists lining the tree-shaded streets of the neighborhood. The centerpiece of the festival is the annual parade – floats, bands, local nonprofits and residents – which steps off at 2 p.m. (rain or shine) on Saturday, beginning at Edgewood and Euclid, and running to Austin Avenue. Enjoy two days of live music on three stages, a Kidzone at Springvale Park, a dance festival at the Trolley Barn and food from local restaurants. The annual Tour of Homes will also take place that weekend, starting on Friday. Parking for the festival will be very limited, so visitors are strongly encouraged to take MARTA, bike, walk or use Uber or Lyft. For more, visit inmanparkfestival.org

High Museum opens children’s illustrator exhibition on April 2

Spanning decades, the exhibit consists of more than 80 original handpainted illustrations made out of a collage of pieces of paper that Carle would prepare ahead of time to use as needed. These delicate and priceless illustrations have been specifically loaned to the High by Carle’s own museum – the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts.

“Each page is a work of art,” Shearer added.

Influenced by Picasso and Matisse, and considered by many a collage connoisseur, Carle grasps what children want to read – simple stories with simple words told in colorful pictures.

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By Martha Nodar

A desire to enrich children’s understanding of different art techniques motivated two employees of the High Museum to come up with the idea of showing the work of renowned children’s picture book writer and illustrator Eric Carle, the creator of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

Virginia Shearer and Ginia Sweeney are co-managing curators of the High’s current exhibit: “I See a Story: The Art of Eric Carle,” running from April 2 to Jan. 8, 2017.

“Art is empowering,” Shearer said. “Picture books are a great way to introduce children to art.”

Originating from a French expression, the word collage means to glue together. A collage is a form of creative process that may include utilizing and recycling different materials that may otherwise be discarded.

The museum will hold the “Eric Carle Family Funday” on April 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. This event is free with the price of museum admission.

Another Eric Carle-themed activity, planned by the High for the summer, includes a collaboration between the High and the Alliance Theatre for the presentation of “Pancakes, Pancakes!” a musical adaptation of Carle’s book by the same title. For more information, visit high.org.

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