Bonfires, art to light up Riverfront Arts Festival

Amy Macynski
Tue, 24 Sep 2013 04:26:05 +0000
Campus, art, bonfires, festival, preview, riverfront arts festival

The Riverfront Arts Festival is set to take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Genoa Park.
Credit: Courtesy of Sarah Gaylor Photography

The Riverfront Arts Festival will light up the river this weekend.

The third annual festival is set to feature more than 200 local artists with styles ranging from pottery to textiles and jewelry to photography.

In order to keep the showcased art diverse, the Riverfront Arts Festival is a juried art festival. This means artists must send in pictures of the art they would like to showcase at the festival so three panelists selected by the Dispatch Shows Group can review the art and extend invitations to the selected artists.

“The job of the jury is to make sure there is a great range of different types of art and types of medium and to limit each category of art,” said Stephen Zonars, general manager of the Dispatch Shows Group.

The festival is slated to feature the final two lightings of Waterfire Columbus Friday and Saturday night from 7-10 p.m., according to the event website.

Waterfire Columbus takes place along the Scioto River, east of Genoa Park where the festival will be held, according to the Waterfire Columbus website. Zonars said it will consist of around 30 bonfires lit on the river at dusk while live music is playing.

Waterfire is scheduled to feature the band The Randys Friday evening and The British Invasion Saturday evening.

The festival will also include a different band each hour during the weekend, Zonars said.

Items for sale at the Riverfront Arts Festival will range in price, with many items priced under $100, Zonars said.

“There are some art festivals where people come and walk and look, but there is nothing they can afford,” Zonars said. “We have a lot of items at this festival that are priced under $100.”

Part of the Riverfront Arts Festival is chances for festival-goers to win Art Buck$, provided by the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

The GCAC is set to provide $5,000 worth of Art Buck$ over the weekend. Those attending the festival will be given the chance to spin a digital prize wheel and will be notified immediately if they win, according to Jami Goldstein, vice president of marketing, communications and events for the GCAC.

Art Buck$ is a program supported by the GCAC in which gift certificates to local artists will be provided to winners at the Riverfront Arts Festival.

The money will be given out in the form of up to $100 gift certificates which winners can use to purchase work from artists that participate in the Art Buck$ program, Goldstein said.

“The idea is to get people excited about art and giving them the chance to purchase more art than they might be able to otherwise,” Goldstein said.

The festival also includes a happy hour and beer tasting Friday evening, a wine stroll Saturday and brunch drink specials Sunday.

The Riverfront Arts Festival is scheduled to be held at Genoa Park Friday from 5-9 p.m., and Saturday 12-9 p.m. and Sunday from 12-5 p.m. Admission is free.