MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival Sends Art on Tour
18 Mar 2008
by: Diane Wolfe
Fort
Worth ISD Art Apprentices coordinate a traveling showcase of the art of MAIN ST.
Fort Worth, Texas—Chesapeake Energy is giving a group of teens
$10,000 to spend at MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival as student curators of
Art on Tour presented by Chesapeake Energy, a year-round, traveling exhibit
coordinated by and for young artists.
A handful of Fort Worth ISD art students will spend
the next month researching art and artists bound for MAIN ST., then come to the festival April
17-20 with $10,000 in vouchers to buy new pieces for the exhibit.
Art on Tour, an extension of MAIN ST. Arts Festival,
is a traveling collection designed to bring fine arts education to young people
and adults where they are. Original works acquired from the
festival’s participating artists are exhibited in Art on Tour in schools,
libraries, community centers and other public venues. Art on Tour debuted in
2007 as an eight-piece exhibit, and works by MAIN ST. artists will be added to the
collection each year.
“Chesapeake Energy typically supports
education in the disciplines of math and science, but Art on Tour is an
opportunity to invest in learning in a beautiful way,” Julie Wilson, vice
president of corporate development at Chesapeake Energy, said. “The young
curators of Art of Tour work with professional artists at MAIN ST. as peers as well as buyers of
fine art and create the experience of a lifetime.”
This year, students from Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School will research and coordinate the acquisition of work for Art on Tour under the
supervision of art teacher Maria Patino. Fort Worth ISD
students ultimately will work hands-on in installation of the exhibit as it
travels and serve as docents, giving tours of the collection to other students
or the public.
For participating students, Art on
Tour is hands-on learning. Developed by art teachers, the program
introduces students to additional resources, intercurricular lesson plans and
activities. Students are schooled in medium, technique and process of each piece,
and learn in face-to-face negotiation with the professional artists whose work they’ll
buy for the exhibit.
In their first briefing on the program, art students at Diamond
Hill-Jarvis were dumbstruck by the chance to spend $10,000 on works of art they
will chose for a traveling exhibit.
“Anything we want to buy?”
asked Teddy Tavera.
The kids will spend the next month
researching artists’ media and history as well as choosing among a dizzying
array of paintings, drawings, sculptures, glasswork and more from which to buy
during the festival April 17-20.
The current Art on Tour collection will go on exhibit at the Firehouse Gallery March 28 through April 5; a gallery night is scheduled
March 29. Art on Tour moves to the lobby of Circle Theater April 7 for a run through
MAIN ST.
MAIN
ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival celebrates its 23rd year April 17-20.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, until 11 p.m. on Friday and
Saturday, and until 8 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free. More than $4 million
in art is sold at MAIN ST.
each year.
About Us
MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival is
produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. (DFWII) and presented by
Coors Light. It is listed as one of the top 10 art festivals in the country by
the Art Fair SourceBook and the Harris List. Official Sponsors for 2008
are American Airlines, Chase, Sundance
Square, Target and WaMu. Official Media Sponsors
include CBS 11/TXA 21, Clear Channel Radio and D Magazine. Supporting Sponsors include Chesapeake Energy,
Coca-Cola Bottling Company of North Texas,
Dallas/Fort Worth Professional Musicians Association, Fort Worth Transportation
Authority, Green Mountain Energy, The
Star-Telegram, and XTO Energy. Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives,
Inc. (DFWII) is a 501 (c) 3 organization formed in 1988 to complement the work
of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. and the Public Improvement District. DFWII
provides a funding pathway for charitable, educational and public purpose
activities such as community festivals, residential development and park
management focused on downtown, and produces the MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts
Festival, the Parade of Lights and the Fort Worth Christmas Tree in Sundance Square.
With an annual economic impact exceeding $20 million, these events attract more
than 500,000 visitors to Downtown.