FLORENCE-On May 20th and 21st, downtown Florence, Alabama will transform into one of the largest art markets in the state as more than 80 juried artists converge on leafy Wilson Park to sell their work from colorful booths.
For thirty-seven years the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts Volunteers organization has celebrated local and regional artists, and raised money for art scholarships and grants, by hosting this festival.
A longer-term component of the festival is the Arts Alive Gallery Exhibition. From May 20th to June 29th the galleries of the Kennedy-Douglass Center are filled with works by artists who utilize diverse materials from the traditional to the modern. Recent award winners included textile art, wooden furniture, and kudzu vine sculpture. The Arts Alive Gallery Exhibition represents the best of every artistic category.
The festival is committed to eliminating barriers and is dedicated to the inclusion of artists and patrons of every race, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic background. This is the second year in which festival supporters will sponsor four young artists of color through the Emerging Artists of Color Scholarship. This year the scholarships are wholly sponsored by Bank Independent.
The purpose of the Arts Alive Festival is to raise money for the sponsorship of workshops and scholarships for art teachers and students in northwest Alabama. The Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts Volunteers, a 501(c )3, awards funds to qualified applicants and programs throughout the year.
Media Release/Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts/Arts Alive/Debra Dombrowski, Chair
