MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival Adds Art Fair for Kids
05 Feb 2007
by: Sarah McClellan-Brandt
Fort Worth, Texas (Feb. 4, 2007) – As part of the festival’s mission to nurture artistic talent in people of all ages, the MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival, produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., has teamed up with XTO Energy to build a new program featuring youth artists from the Fort Worth area in the April 19-22 event.
Young people between the ages of 7 and 17 can apply to sell their artworks during the festival in a new exhibit space called, “Young People’s Art Fair presented by XTO Energy,” and will be located in a special tent in the popular MAIN ST. Creates! area, which is presented by Bank of America on the north end of Main Street. 25 of these young applicants will be selected by a jury to participate in this program, just like the adult artists who are featured each year in the festival, now ranked as one of the top ten arts festivals in the country according to several industry publications.
“We are very interested in exposing youth to the rigors of selling their own art to a willing public at this festival, to provide them with a taste of the commercial side of the art world,” said event producer Jay Downie. “This may seem like a small thing, but to young artists it’s a tremendous experience to have their work seen by thousands of people. It will also be an eye-opener to parents who typically hoard their youngster’s artworks and keep them in boxes on shelves in the basement.” He adds, “The goal is to get them excited about selling art early in their artistic lives in order to build the industry for the future.”
Joy Webster of XTO Energy says the company is excited to help provide young artists this opportunity. “We are very pleased to support the MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival in this way,” she says, “and to offer the chance for children to experience the art world in a way that they probably haven’t before. We believe that bringing youth into the mix is a much-needed addition to the festival.”
Entries for the Young People’s Art Fair, presented by XTO Energy, must be postmarked by March 15. Notices to accepted artists will go out April 3. The application process is free, and youth artists will not have to pay for a booth nor will they have to pay a percentage of sales to the festival. Each participating Young Artist will receive a free T-Shirt for participation. For an application, visit www.MainStreetArtsFest.org.
About MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival
Regarded as one of the nation’s premier fine art and fine craft fairs and winner of international awards, MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival is produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., and is presented by Coors Light. The festival hosts tens of thousands of people annually during the four-day visual arts, entertainment and cultural event. MAIN ST. showcases nationally recognized artists, savory food, live concerts, performance artists and street performers on the streets of downtown Fort Worth. This year’s festival will be held April 19-22, 2007, and is ranked 9th in the nation among fine art and fine craft shows by the prestigious Harris List and 10th in the Art Fair Source Book.
About Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc.
Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to assist in making downtown Fort Worth a vibrant, healthy and attractive place in which to work, live and visit. As a nonprofit, Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., relies on the contributions of its many corporate sponsors and individual supporters in order to maintain the quality of the special events it produces, including the Sundance Square Parade of Lights and MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival. These events recently won 11 Pinnacle awards from the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA), and five awards from the Texas Festivals and Events Association.
About XTO Energy
XTO Energy is a Fort Worth-based leader in the oil and gas industry. From its 1986 beginnings, the company has grown into one of the nation’s largest independent oil and gas producers. As part of the community-minded company’s culture, XTO supports local organizations such as Meals on Wheels, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, The Women’s Center, Boys and Girls Clubs and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s Tarrant County Race for the Cure. Nationally, they support organizations like the Ronald McDonald House and the American Cancer Society. A “Friend of the Festival” for many years, XTO Energy has stepped up its giving to become a “Supporting Sponsor” for the first time this year.