2018 Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival Bringing Nation’s Top Artists to Downtown Fort Worth

Only 223 of 1,273 artist applicants were selected to exhibit

FORT WORTH, Texas (March XX, 2018) – The 2018 MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival (MAIN ST.) is set to host 223 locally, nationally, and internationally recognized artists to Downtown Fort Worth on April 19-22. The four-day festival will also feature live music, authentic Texas cuisine, and arts-and-crafts activities fit for the whole family.

Downtown Fort Worth’s “Magnificent Mile” will be the stage for a wide variety of artistic mediums, ranging from photography to metalwork. Because it’s a juried arts festival, artists must apply to go through a judging process that selects one out of seven applicants. For the 2018 festival, 1,273 artists applied and only 223 were chosen. This exclusivity helps ensure an even balance of diverse styles and prioritizes quality of workmanship, originality, and artistic concept.

Awards totaling up to $10,500 are given to artists every year, including one “Best of Show” winner, one “Best Emerging Artist” winner, seven “Merit Award” winners, and 14 “Juror Award” winners. MAIN ST. will also continue their popular “People’s Choice Award.” This award, which was introduced in 2016, encourages festivalgoers and fans to cast their vote via Facebook for their favorite award-winning artist.

In addition, 20 emerging artists were selected to exhibit in the expanded “Emerging Artist” section along 3rd and 4th Streets, sponsored by Frost. This section is dedicated to new, budding artists based in Texas who have never juried into a large art show previously.

Award winners from MAIN ST. 2017 returning in 2018 include:

  • Marvin Blackmore (Durango, Colorado) – Best of Show Award – Ceramics – Booth 442: Inspired by his upbringing in the Southwest, Blackmore specializes in hand-etched pottery that focuses on each individual layer. The smallest of his pieces take a minimum of 130 hours to create.
  • Matt Tumlinson (San Antonio, Texas) – Best Emerging Artist – Mixed Media – Booth 412: By setting striking images on a canvas of brass bullets, Tumlinson invites viewers to contemplate the connection and consider different interpretations based on perspective.
  • Tai Taeoalii (Hannibal, Missouri) – People’s Choice Award – Mixed Media – Booth 527: Taeoalii uses his self-taught techniques to create art that evokes an honest & profound visual experience.
  • Thomas Diel (Fort Worth, Texas) – Merit Award – Mixed Media – Booth 428: Diel designs & makes art furniture edifices out of wood, metal, concrete, or most any material with an industrial-chic flair.
  • Joachim Knill (Hannibal, Missouri) – Merit Award – Painting – Booth 419: Knill’s most recent project, “National Treasure,” is a shipping crate containing a portrait room that follows the theme of ‘Anilife,’ a place inhibited by stuffed toy animals.
  • Richard Wilson (Greenville, North Carolina) – Merit Award – Drawing – Booth 528: Combining reality and creativity with soft pastels, Wilson’s narrative paintings nostalgically capture and express connections that are found through family.
  • Matthew Hatala (Danielsville, Georgia) – Merit Award – Wood – Booth 308: Hatala turns exotic woods and finishes them with a high gloss and distinctive handle treatment.
  • Bob McNally (Rockaway, New Jersey) – Merit Award – Wood – Booth 618: McNally creates unique, wooden instruments that provide functions and sounds that other instruments can’t replicate.
  • Nicario Jiménez (Naples, Florida) – Merit Award – Mixed Media – Booth 418: Also known as the “Artist of the Andes,” Jiménez creates altarpiece figurines by hand with a mix of boiled potato and plaster.
  • Brad Ruppert (Norwalk, Iowa) – Juror Award – Mixed Media – Booth 511
  • Gena Ollendieck (Cresco, Iowa) – Juror Award – Leather – Booth 404
  • Paveen “Beer” Chunhaswasdikul (Gadsden, Alabama) – Juror Award – Mixed Media – Booth 515
  • Ruben Fasani (Stone Park, Illinois) – Juror Award – Sculpture – Booth 436
  • Amy Flynn (Raleigh, North Carolina) – Juror Award – Sculpture – Booth 610
  • Michael Schwegmann (Bement, Illinois) – Juror Award – Ceramics – Booth 330
  • Dolan Geiman (Englewood, Colorado) – Juror Award – Mixed Media – Booth 508
  • Lisa Telling Kattenbraker (Olympia, Washington) – Juror Award – Fiber – Booth 420
  • Cliff Lounsbury (Tawas City, Michigan) – Juror Award – Wood – Booth 321
  • Lance Munn (Bloomfield, Illinois) – Juror Award – Wood – Booth 522
  • Jeffrey Zachmann (Fergus Falls, Minnesota) – Juror Award – Metalwork – Booth 501
  • Rick Elkin (Corrales, New Mexico) – Juror Award – Jewelry – Booth 324
  • Anne London (Mandeville, Louisiana) – Juror Award – Drawing – Booth 437

On top of the 223 juried exhibiting artists, the “Growing Young Artists” program is returning for its 10th year, sponsored by Tarrant County College. On Saturday (4/21) and Sunday (4/22), approximately 200 young artists (ages 7-17) from the Fort Worth community will be exhibiting and selling their own works of art at the Young People’s Art Fair, located at the north end of MAIN ST. in the “MAIN ST. Creates!” area. In 2017, these young artists sold nearly $10,000 worth of art.

MAIN ST. is annually produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., and is free to the public. The official hashtag for 2018 is #MainSt2018. Festival hours for 2018 are:

  • Thursday, April 19, 2019: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
  • Friday, April 20, 2018: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 21, 2018: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
  • Sunday, April 22, 2018: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

For more information, download the updated-and-free MAIN ST. iPhone or Android mobile app, or visit / follow MAIN ST. online at:

ABOUT MAIN ST. FORT WORTH ARTS FESTIVAL

The MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival is celebrating its 33rd year in 2018. Official sponsors for 2018 are Sundance Square, The University of Texas at Arlington, Tarrant County College, Michelob Ultra, and Wells Fargo. Media sponsors are Trinity Metro and 360 West. Radio sponsors are 92.1 HANK FM (KTFW-FM) and 95.9 The Ranch (KFWR-FM). Supporting sponsors are Chloe Wine Collection, Frost Bank, and the Music Performance Trust Fund. Hotel sponsors are Aloft Fort Worth Downtown, The Ashton Hotel, Courtyard Fort Worth Downtown/Blackstone, Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown Hotel, and TownePlace Suites Fort Worth Downtown. For more information, visit www.MainStreetArtsFest.org.

ABOUT DOWNTOWN FORT WORTH INITIATIVES, INC.

Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization formed in 1988 to complement the work of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. by providing a funding pathway for charitable, educational and public-purpose activities, such as community festivals, affordable residential development, park improvements and management. Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. produces the MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival each fall and Parade of Lights during the holidays. These events have an economic impact of more than $28 million annually and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to Downtown Fort Worth each year. For more information, visit www.DFWI.org.

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