April is for Arts in North Mecklenburg

Downtown Davidson, Inc. Presents
Art on the Green April 19 - 20, 2008
(Click Here for Sponsor List)

(Press Release - Printable Version)

Creativity takes flight this April when Downtown Davidson presents it's third annual Art on the Green Festival. . The Art on the Green will take place on Saturday, April 19, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, April 20, from noon to 5 p.m. This free festival will include artist's exhibits, demonstrations, food and live music.

Ce Scott, Director of Residencies and Exhibitions for the McColl Center for Visual Arts, will be this year's juror for the art festival. Her juror's expertise will serve as a guarantee that the selection of works is of the highest quality.

"Downtown Davidson Inc. and the Arts and Science Council are very excited about this year's Art on the Green. This is the third year for Art on the Green, and the festival gets bigger and better with each passing year," explained Margaret Martens, this year's event coordinator for Downtown Davidson Inc. " With the help of the Cultural Project Grant money from the Arts and Science Council and the participation of local sponsors, including WDAV, Saussy Burbank, Ryan Homes, Knox Realty, The Wooden Stone, Davidson College Friends of the Arts, and People's Bank, we have taken this from a one day show of local talent to a weekend long event, featuring regional and local artists as well as great live music and food."

There will be a variety of music played throughout the weekend. On Saturday, singer/songwriters Kate Minogue and Kelley Gardner combine their voices in a duo full of heart. Their distinctive harmony and finger-style guitar playing are featured in original songs as well as those of other folk artists. Also On Saturday, Billy Jones will be playing with his trio. Billy Jones has been making his way across the Carolinas with a six-string and a suitcase full of well-crafted tunes for the better part of the last decade. Equal parts folk and rhythem and blues, his songs paint streetscapes of downtown Americana and offer reflections of a journey well-traveled.

Off Main Jazz Quintet will round out the day on Saturday. The Quintet, made up of Davidson College students, plays jazz standards, jazz arrangements of contemporary popular music, and original compositions.

On Sunday, you will again be treated to the sounds of Kate Minogue and Kelley Gardner and Billy Jones. To top off the festival, the Merrows Celtic band will perform. The band, a blend of Celtic and folk rock, consists of guitar, vocals, fiddle and djembe. This popular band plays many venues in the Charlotte area. A wide range of food choices from area restaurants and schools will be available to visitors as they stroll through the artists' booths or sit to listen to the music. Artists from the Creative Art Exchange and the juried show will be on hand demonstrating their work.

The 2008 Art on the Green artists are:

Ceramics
Cathy Walling
Suzie Council
Darla Hudson
Robin Briggs
Marilyn McGowan
Cindy Brown
Karla Chambers
Julie Wiggins

Pastels
Bill Gramley

Jewelry
Nancy Snyder
Patricia VanHeyniger
Bonnie Boardman
Louise Mohamed
Mary Alice Mitchell

Woodturning
David Kaylor
Richard Siegal
James M. Moore
Jim Miles

Photography
Ying Molander
David Boraks
Jamie Azevedo
Jill Davis
Glass Roni & Michael Ziegler

Watercolor
Susan Crouch
Sergey Zhiboedov
Jane Ellithorpe

Paper
Jennifer Jarrett
Belinda Armstrong

Printmaking
Natalie Moroz

Schedule for Musicians

Saturday, April 19
11:30 –12:30 Kate Minogue
1:00 – 2:00 Kate Minogue
2:30 – 3:30 Off Main Jazz Quintet
4:00 – 5:00 Billy Jones Trio

Sunday, April 20
12:30 – 1:30 Billy Jones Trio
2:00 – 2:45 Merrows Celtic Band
3:00 – 3:45 Merrows Celtic Band
4:00 – 5:00 Kate Minogue and Kelley Gardner

This project was made possible, in part, through a Cultural Project Grant from the Arts & Science Council and the Grassroots Program of North Carolina Arts Council (a state agency). Also, Check out the following sites:

www.ArtsandScience.org

www.CharlotteCultureGuide.com

Downtown Davidson, Inc. is a non-profit association of retailers, businesses, and property owners in Downtown Davidson. It's mission is to strengthen downtown Davidson as a community center a unique area destination while maintaining it's historic, pedestrian-friendly character.  

Questions?
Contact Margaret Martens at events@downtowndavidson.org
or call 704-658-8730.