Saratoga ArtsFest is entering its fourth year and is quickly becoming an artistic tradition in Saratoga Springs. Keeping with its mission to entice and engage city youth and families, this year’s festival from Thursday, June 10 to Sunday, June 13, has a hefty lineup of events geared toward the younger crowds.
We want to attract young people as much as we can to the arts, so we have stuff for tots and teenagers. Many general events are still great for kids, even if not tailored for them, such as studio tours, dance performances and the center stage downtown, but they do have their own designated events as well, said Robert Kimmerle, media relations coordinator for Saratoga ArtsFest.
Youth events will be designated with a special symbol on ArtsFest guides to make them easier to find, said Kimmerle.
On all four of the ArtsFest days there will be an Art Rally for Kids, organized by the Children’s Museum at Saratoga, which will send children and their parents on an art and architecture scavenger hunt around town. Hands-on art activities will include book illustration workshops, jewelry-making from recycled materials, a circus arts workshop, veggie stamping at the Farmers Market and Family Sunday at Skidmore College’s Tang Museum were local artists will demonstrate skills like weaving, glassblowing, silversmithing and painting.
There will be music performances by the Empire State Youth Orchestra’s Jazz Ensemble 2 and the World’s Largest Kindergarten Concert, featuring students from three local elementary schools. The ArtsFest Center Stage will feature ongoing entertainment on Friday and Saturday at the corner of Broadway and Division Street, from music to musical storytelling and family dances.
Theater productions for young audiences will include `An Aesop Adventure` performed by students from Greenfield Elementary School and `Scenes in Flight` by the Flying Kite Children’s Theater. There will also be a dance programs, TAKE Dance/Family Dance Performance, which will present three short works by a Japanese choreographer.
Skidmore College will be the site of Family Day on Sunday, featuring a cabaret by the Saratoga Children’s Theatre, the Amazing Kids Circus, activities, a guided nature walk in Skidmore’s North Woods and musical performances by students from Saratoga Springs schools.
Kimmerle said the quantity and variety of events the festival offers has helped ArtsFest move closer to being an annual festival people travel specifically to the region to partake in.
`Our number one goal is to bring the arts together, that’s why we have all these different genres. It’s a festival across what spans most of the arts, in one place. We bring them together and bring them to the community,` said Kimmerle. `With tourists beginning to come in here for the festival, it brings the region together, not just the community. In addition to providing a wide array of activities for the community, we’re hoping to draw people to the region and boost cultural tourism.`
ArtsFest is also coming to signify the beginning of summer, said Kimmerle.
`Our other goal is to kick off the official summer arts scene in Saratoga Springs, which is really firmly established as an arts center and environment, but this gives it a kick start,` said Kimmerle. `People visit places not only because it’s beautiful and fun, but because of a strong presence of the arts. Saratoga Springs has that, plus we have history, a wonderful racetrack, health. ArtsFest is an integral part of that and enhances the reputation of the city and builds upon its already strong arts reputation.`
There are a total of 75 events at ArtsFest 2010. New this year is a working artist studio walk where people can go on self-guided tours and watch artists work their craft behind the scenes. There’s also a new indoor and outdoor sculpture project and the always popular open air draw-out where artists work on the streets of the city.
For a full schedule of events and information about ArtsFest passes and admission prices, visit www.saratogaartsfest.org.
“