Fort Worth, Texas—MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival (MAIN ST.), downtown’s main event presented by Coors Light and produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., will hit the streets April 16-19 as one of the top three fine art shows nationwide, according to one of the rankings artists respect most.
MAIN ST.’s top three ranking in the 2009 edition of Art Fair SourceBook is based on artists’ sales at last year’s blockbuster event. Among fine art festivals, Art Fair SourceBook ranks MAIN ST. third in the nation, placing it in the top three along with the Sausalito Arts Festival in Sausalito, CA and Art on the Square in Belleville, IL. MAIN ST. ranked sixth among fine crafts fairs, its first appearance in that category.
“Art Fair SourceBook has confirmed what artists and collectors have known for years: MAIN ST. is a major venue for fine artists across the nation, even the world,” said Richard Ruddell, festival and events committee chair for Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., which produces MAIN ST. “Exhibitors coast to coast rate MAIN ST. a must-enter show, and tens of thousands of North Texans have made it one of the most anticipated events of the year.”
Art Fair SourceBook ranks shows by net average sales per artist and, by identifying the events most profitable for artists, ultimately speaks to the quality of art shown in top-rated events, local artists said.
“With MAIN ST.’s new rating, the application process becomes more competitive and the invitation to exhibit even more valuable,” Pam Summers, a MAIN ST. exhibitor and member of its Artists Advisory Committee, said. “As an artist, this means that only the best fine art and fine crafts will be found at this show. Our patrons are selective, and MAIN ST. offers them only the very best.”
The local arts community may also take pride in the ranking.
“Over the years I've been a volunteer, a juror, a fan, and now an artist at MAIN ST., and I feel a huge amount of hometown pride in the show breaking into the top three,” ceramics artist Gregory Story, another member of the Artists Advisory Committee, said. “I've been doing art festivals all across the country for five years, and I can honestly say that MAIN ST. is one of the best run shows in the nation. There is a reason the finest artists in the country compete so fiercely to get into this show--it is because this show listens to its artists, supports its artists, and gets collectors into our booths!”
Exhibitors at MAIN ST. are chosen in a juried process so competitive that less than one in seven artists who applies receives an invitation to show.
Exhibiting artists work in media ranging from sculpture, painting and photography to woodcarvings, glasswork, jewelry, fashion, multimedia and more. More than $4 million worth of art may be sold during the festival at prices ranging from $50 for signed, limited edition prints to thousands for original works.
MAIN ST. packs downtown Fort Worth each spring with a celebration of fine arts and crafts, music, film and food stretching from the Tarrant County Courthouse to the Fort Worth Convention Center. More than 200 juried artists and fine crafts exhibitors will line red brick-paved Main Street, joined by musicians and dancers on three stages. Performance artists and food and drink vendors complete the scene, and Fort Worth’s signature skyline blending turn-of-the-century buildings and modern skyscrapers frames this regional favorite. Admission is free.
2009 festival preview
Native son Jimmie Vaughan will headline the 2009 Music on Main schedule with his performance at 9 p.m. Saturday, April 18 on the Sundance Square Stage. MAIN ST. jams with live music on three stages starting at noon daily during the festival, and an eager public can watch the concert line-up take shape at www.MainStreetArtsFest.org.
The 2009 show also will feature an expanded emphasis on environmental awareness thanks to a partnership between MAIN ST. and the green team at The University of Texas at Arlington and the third annual Fearless Film Festival (a.k.a. 3F3) of fabulous film shorts.
For information on event sponsorship, contact producer Jay Downie at 817-336-ARTS, ext. 21.
MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival celebrates its 24th year in 2009 and is presented by Coors Light. It is produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. (DFWII), a 501 (c) 3 organization formed in 1988 to complement the work of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. and the Public Improvement District by providing a funding pathway for charitable, educational and public-purpose activities, such as community festivals, residential development and park management. DFWII produces MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival and the Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights, which includes lighting ceremonies for the city’s Christmas tree. These events have an economic impact of more than $19 million annually and attract more than 500,000 visitors to downtown Fort Worth each year, all building to a sterling celebration of 25 years on MAIN ST. in 2010.
# # #