Sunday, October 11, 2009
Arts & Extras: Emerging, breathless, from 5 days of festival
Arts & Extras column
Mike Allen, arts columnist
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Arts&Extras blog
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Were you part of the barbecue-sampling crowd who danced to Delbert McClinton's crooning at the Big Lick Blues Festival? Or one of those who grooved, hooted and hollered as Christian McBride's fingers flew up and down the upright bass seven days ago at Jefferson Center? Or part of the 1,600-strong audience who listened rapt as Natasha Korsakova played her three-century-old violin Monday night with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra?
Then you attended the third annual Roanoke Arts Festival, also known as "City Soul!" — and it's likely you didn't even know it.
I was one of 11 people who bought a festival pass (for $57.50) and went to all five performances (the other two were Studio Roanoke's "Soul of the Studio" and Southwest Virginia Ballet's "TIES"). I can testify it was absolutely worth the money — provided you had the time to set aside.
In an effort to keep the festival concept alive after the city abandoned the event — which had failed to break even — in March, the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge created a "Roanoke Arts Festival" pass this year that allowed access for a single price to several events happening the weekend of Oct. 1.
As a result, after five days straight of festival going, I'm exhausted. A person who commented on my blog referred to this year's "City Soul!" arts festival as an "arts marathon," and it's an apt phrase.
"We are not opposed to arts or festivals, some people aren't available for 72 hours straight and don't want to pay for 6 events when they are available for one," Karita Kinsley wrote on my blog last week, adding that she'd prefer to see them "spaced out, so you can enjoy and savor the flavor of each one."
Though the poor pass sales make the arts council's effort seem like a complete wash at first, look again.
RSO reported a record 1,600 tickets sold for its season opener. The Big Lick Blues Festival boasted 2,100 attendees and sold out hotels.
"TIES" and Christian McBride & Inside Straight sold 481 and 385 tickets respectively, nowhere near enough to fill the Shaftman Hall at Jefferson Center, but in line with organizers' expectations. Free events such as the Roanoke City Art Show and the Downtown Roanoke Harvest Festival reported higher turnout than last year.
Only Studio Roanoke created an event specifically for the festival — the variety show "Soul of the Studio." About 60 people came, but studio officials weren't bothered, in part because the show, stocked with volunteer performers, cost little to produce.
Maybe these things would have happened whether or not the arts council printed those passes, but the extra publicity couldn't have hurt. Arts council Executive Director Laura Rawlings said that 6,900 people attended the "City Soul!" events.
In addition to the festival, the arts council was also promoting its monthlong arts event, "40 Days and 40 Nights (an arts festival explosion)," which began Oct. 1 and ends Nov. 9 with the anniversary of the opening of the Taubman Museum of Art.
This year, the arts council made efforts to aim "40 + 40" — an umbrella name for all the arts and cultural events happening in the Roanoke Valley over 40 days and nights — at tourists as well as locals. Rawlings said that hotels have reported booking "4040 Fall Get-Away Packages," though final numbers won't be available until the promotion is over.
Rawlings has said she wants to attempt a Roanoke Arts Festival again next year -- maybe even try for something more like a traditional festival, with all events happening the same day at a single venue. So far, the festival has held multiple events at multiple venues over multiple days, and it hasn't caught on.
The arts council is hoping for guidance from the community.
Roanoke artist Sherrye Lantz commented on my blog, "The Arts Council is to be applauded for taking on the project after the city backed off. Now whether a festival is viable is open for discussion. Perhaps the economy is a factor, or multiple venues, or even many events on similar nights. What seems needed is cooperation among all the arts programs in the valley to make it work. How that would be accomplished, I have not a clue."
Can an arts festival work in Roanoke, and if so, what would the successful model be? Join the discussion that's been taking place on my blog, blogs.roanoke.com/arts.
Roanoke City Art Show
On Oct. 1, the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge announced the winners of the 30th annual Roanoke City Art Show, which opened on the second-floor gallery of Center in the Square.
Best in Show: "Who's Next?" Ed Dolinger, Bassett.
Second place: "Do You Want or Do You Have?" Roy Baugher III, Roanoke.
Third place: "Stories of Seeds," Annie Waldrop, Salem.
Awards of Excellence: "AMUN-RA," Gerry Bannan, Roanoke; "Postwar Family #4," Ann Glover, Roanoke.
Emerging Artist Award: "Ferris Wheel," Kendra Portnova, Roanoke.
Commission's Choice Award, given by the Roanoke Arts Commission: "Turned Around," Nancy Stark, Roanoke.
City of Roanoke Purchase Awards: "Do You Want or Do You Have?" Roy Baugher III, Roanoke; "Summer Garden," Nancy Dahlstrom, Fincastle.
The Best in Show and second- and third-place award winners were chosen by University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill art professor Beth Grabowski, who selected the 50 works on exhibit in the show.
The People's Choice Award, a $150 prize, will be given once the show ends Nov. 8.
To see images of all the winning works, visit the Arts & Extras blog.
Wagner in the Valley
Opera Roanoke's 2009-10 season starts 8 p.m. Saturday with "Wagner in the Valley," in which artistic director Steven White will conduct a concert consisting of highlights from Richard Wagner's ambitious operas.
The performance at Jefferson Center's Shaftman Hall will include the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and singers from the Evelyn Lear and Thomas Stewart Emerging Singers Program of The Wagner Society of Washington, D.C.
Tickets are $20 to $90. For more information, call 982-2742 or visit www.operaroanoke.org.
