Opportunities for Coverage

26 Mar 2008

by: Diane Wolfe

Stories from MAIN ST. include fine art finds, creative kids and the greening of the festival

Fort Worth, Texas— There’s a story every five feet during MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival (MAIN ST.) presented by Coors Light and produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., April 17 - 20, 2008 in downtown Fort Worth.

More than 200 juried artists and hundreds of fine crafts exhibitors will line red brick-paved Main Street, joined by musicians, dancers, performance artists, and food vendors at MAIN ST., a four-day art and entertainment showcase. Tens of thousands of people flock annually this celebration of fine arts and crafts, music, film, theater and food that reaches from the Tarrant County Courthouse to the Fort Worth Convention Center in downtown Fort Worth.

Consider these opportunities for coverage:

$4 MILLION IN ART SOLD ANNUALLY
More than $4 million in fine art is sold annually during MAIN ST. at prices from $50 to thousands for limited editions and one-of-a-kind works. The festival is one of the nation’s top art marketplaces, thanks in part to a juried process so stringent that less than one in seven artists to apply are selected to exhibit. Sculpture, paintings, photography, glasswork, and more fill a magnificent mile of opportunity for the collector during MAIN ST. Talk to artists about what it takes to make the grade at MAIN ST. and get their tips on buying art for the home or office.

NEW! OFF MAIN
Turn off Main Street to tour a glass studio, take in an art lecture or symposium, check out the Art on Tour exhibit or make at night of it among the pillars of the downtown theater district with Off Main, a series of performances and exhibits in venues both on and off Main Street this year.

ART ON TOUR presented by Chesapeake Energy
Chesapeake Energy is giving a group of teens $10,000 to spend at MAIN ST. 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 of works acquired from the festival’s participating artists that is designed to bring fine arts education to young people and adults where they are.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: YOUNG PEOPLE’S ART FAIR presented by XTO Energy
MAIN ST. helps youth channel their creative energy and grow in the process as participants in its Young People’s Art Fair presented by XTO Energy from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 19 and 20. The Young People’s Art Fair showcases original works of art created by youth ages 7 to 17. Part of the “MAIN ST. Creates!” youth activity area presented by CHASE, the Young People’s Art Fair allows up to 30 young artists from the Fort Worth area to exhibit and sell their own, original works of art to MAIN ST. patrons

FEARLESS FILM FESTIVAL 2 (3F2)
Duck indoors if you dare for Fearless Film Festival 2, the sequel to last year’s premiere of this short film festival that brings moving pictures into the fold of MAIN ST. Jurors from the Lone Star Film Society will select film shorts to be screened at the downtown Fort Worth Central Library auditorium from noon to 8 p.m., April 19 and 20 during MAIN ST. 3F2 is open to all genres, including animation, narrative, experimental, documentary, music video, and dance films.

THE GREENING OF MAIN ST.: ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS
MAIN ST. has dramatically reduced its carbon and environmental footprint by adding a major recycling initiative, using biodegradable plates, cups and utensils and adopting bio-diesel fuels in all equipment used on site. Use of public and alternative transportation is encouraged through the festival’s partnership with the Fort Worth Transportation Authority. Park and ride to MAIN ST. on the Trinity Railway Express, or bike to the festival and secure your wheels at the popular Bike Corral presented by Bikes, Inc. and the Fort Worth Bicycle Association where cyclists can enjoy valet parking.

MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival hits the streets from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and until 8 p.m. on Sunday April 17-20. Admission is free. Pets are not allowed. For information on parking and transportation, visit www.MainStreetArtsFest.org or www.fortworthparking.com.

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, WaMu and XTO Energy. 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, and The Star-Telegram.

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.