The 2014 Festival of the Arts will take place April 22-27 in Downtown Oklahoma City at the Festival Plaza and the Myriad Botanical Gardens.

Festival of the Arts | Arts Council OKC (http://www.artscouncilokc.com/festival-of-the-arts)

New job means I can probably attend this except that for I'll be on call for the first time that weekend. A weeknight sounds like a good idea!

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Time for my annual trip with set schedule...Eat, drink beer then leave

Can't wait to get me a Sammy's calzone.

Time for my annual trip with set schedule...Eat, drink beer then leave

My schedule is a little different. Drink beer, eat, drink beer then leave. :)

My schedule is a little different. Drink beer, eat, drink beer then leave. :)

Thank goodness you aren't on The Koala Schedule: Eats shoots and leaves.

(the Arts Festival is one of my all time favorite events. has been so for too many years to count. and with the recently refurbished garden area around the crystal bridge it can only be better than it was before.)

(is Braum's going to have a kiosk/hut down there this year? . . . =)

seriously: I think the case could be made that The Downtown Renaissance began with The Festival of The Arts, followed by Opening Night and Spaghetti Warehouse over in Bricktown.

(is Braum's going to have a kiosk/hut down there this year? . . . =)

I was driving right by that area today where they are starting the setup. I looked desperately for the big Braum's ice cream cone sign and didn't see one. :mad::mad::mad:

Will Deep Fork and their sliders not be back this year?

Will Deep Fork and their sliders not be back this year?

Doesn't look like it. Anybody know what Smoke Stack BBQ is (google wasn't much help)?

Culinary Arts | Arts Council OKC (http://www.artscouncilokc.com/culinary-arts)

Doesn't look like it. Anybody know what Smoke Stack BBQ is (google wasn't much help)?

Culinary Arts | Arts Council OKC (http://www.artscouncilokc.com/culinary-arts)

Well, that's a shame. Those things were so tasty!

No Sammy"s? Seriously?

No Sammy"s? Seriously?

There is no god.

There is no god.

I heard that, since Mutt's won't be there, word on the street has it that the correct phrasing would be: "There is no dog."
(but I've been wrong before . . . and some Koreans are outraged.)

To overcome the disappointment, be sure to stop by John Schirmer's tent.
He does some amazing (humorous/eccentric/bordering on odd and/or quirky) woodcuts/prints.
I actually have this one hanging on the dining room wall.

http://www.schirmerwoodcuts.com/images/pg_wine_and_cheese_whiz.jpg

It was a gift from an artist, now deceased, of a different type, who encouraged me to pursue my hobbies of cooking and social satire.

Thankfully, Mr. Schirmer wasn't "juried out" of this year's Festival.

All Rights Reserved and Respected:
Woodcuts by John Schirmer (http://www.schirmerwoodcuts.com/)

(the only thing that could move this year's Downtown OKC Arts Festival closer to perfect would be a reunion concert by the local (former) semi-Celtic band, Nonesuch. But that ain't gonna happen on account of there ain't no god nor dog . . . =)

Apparently this is some dog there but not sure of the pairing. Sounds very odd to me but is seems they are serving up French fries with hot dogs sliced up and mixed in.

Inca Trail Peruvian Restaurant & Red Earth Booth 21

Salchipollo (Fried Chicken w/ French Fries and Sliced Hot Dogs) -$7.00

Salchipapas (French Fries w/ Sliced Hot Dogs) -$5.00

“Even the forks are biodegradable.”

Festival of the Arts gets greener, begins Tuesday in downtown Oklahoma City | News OK (http://newsok.com/festival-of-the-arts-gets-greener-begins-tuesday-in-downtown-oklahoma-city/article/4053967)

RM. . .love his work!! I have "Time Out" (lady in a bathtub with wine and cheese) that I bought at AF 2006.

Doesn't look like it. Anybody know what Smoke Stack BBQ is (google wasn't much help)?

Culinary Arts | Arts Council OKC (http://www.artscouncilokc.com/culinary-arts)

I want to say Smoke Stack BBQ was at the Paseo Arts Fesitival last year..... If it is the same I can't recommend it.... We had Moink Balls and a Pulled Pork sandwich. The Moink Balls were passable but you can't really screw up a bacon wrapped beef meatball. The pulled pork was finely chopped mush.

I want to say Smoke Stack BBQ was at the Paseo Arts Fesitival last year..... If it is the same I can't recommend it.... We had Moink Balls and a Pulled Pork sandwich. The Moink Balls were passable but you can't really screw up a bacon wrapped beef meatball. The pulled pork was finely chopped mush.

I believe we have the same thoughts on BBQ, I trust your opinion, I'll let my wife know to be cautious of them, she was going to try them this year (she works downtown, so she goes often), thanks.

Just got back from the Arts Festival. It was great except for the $10 parking for two hours. We went straight from Ingrid's so we didn't get anything at the Food Court except for some Strawberries Newport for a dessert. We ate that while listening to Edgar Cruz perform his miracles on the guitar. We (and by we I mean my wife) bought a print from an amazing Colorado photographer. It's a picture of a lake and some trees that looks like it could be a hundred miles out in the wilderness but is actually in the middle of the Urban Sprawl of Ft. Collins, Colorado. Apparently, it used to be a gravel pit but is now called Kingfisher Point. I'll have to Google it. John Schirmer and his woodcut prints were there and we said "Hi" to him. And I bought an Edgar Cruz CD. It was a lot packed in to two hours of parking. =) Maybe I'll post a couple of pics later. Now, it's off to a Dance Competition over at Rose State. As others have observed, The Downtown OKC Arts Festival (along with Opening Night and the Spaghetti Warehouse) were the seeds of the Renaissance of our fair City. (now if they could just do something about the parking. I know, I know, we should have taken the bus . . . =)

I went today too. Parked in the garage just to the north of the elementary school for a lowly $6! Had just enough cash left for a water, gyro sandwich & beer, and then another water. I looked at all the tents. Most interesting art to me was the tent that had paintings of outdoor settings with stuffed animals as the subjects. Quite funny. On the NE corner there was a painting of downtown from Park & Hudson that went for a measly $7400. Really, I went down for food and people watching. I ended up taking a lot of pictures.


On edit: I do want to go back tomorrow--not by myself like I was today--and partake of the wine tents.

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There are towers . . . And then there are Towers. The tents are occupied by wandering bands of Food Gypsies and Vagabonds . . .
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/10153115_680893661957902_7493176218448633219_n.jpg

The Guitar Genius, UnPosed
https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/10157138_680894835291118_1348191248273212958_n.jpg .0

Strawberries Newport (a just dessert at just $7.00 =)
https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/10153208_680895225291079_1350512899472893388_n.jpg

(the Edgar Cruz CD is GREAT and I love the artwork we purchased. Now I need to go buy a frame for it.)

I went to the show the first day before leaving town on business. I was not very impressed with the show this year. This show is considered one of the top shows in the country primarily due to the business supporters who spend a lot of money purchasing art on the first day. It is a very difficult show to get into also. I participate and apply to a few shows a year as an artist and have at through the jury selection process for shows like Main Street in Fort Worth which is one of the top 5 shows in the country. I have been accepted at shows like the Bayou Arts Festival in downtown Houston which is one of the better shows in the nation and is hard to get into. In the Art Festival community, there is a big difference between fine art shows and craft shows. You will not see a lot of crafts at the bigger art shows and certainly not commercial booths like Direct TV or Sign up here to win a free car. Those type of booths/displays cheapen shows and are selling out to commercialism. I generally only see them at shows that are struggling financially which there isn't reason for the OKC show to be struggling. OKC is one of the few shows that actually take a % of the artists' sales which in turn causes artists to raise the price of their work to cover the commission. Most shows only charge booth rental ($300-1200 depending on show)as well as charging 25-45 dollars for every person that applies (Shows like OKC may have 750-1500 applicants all paying the jury fee.)

In this year's show, there were several booths selling clothing (dresses, scarfs, and flip flops) which are nice and creative but are more craft art than fine art. There was one booth where the artist simply hung a few small pictures on the metal grid of the booth. I am curious how she got selected as they require a booth shot to check display as well as a large and consistent body of work. There were some excellent artists at this year's show but overall, the show was not up to the level that this show is known for.

This is strictly my personal opinion and others may differ but it is based on what I have learned actually participating/applying/displaying at shows and researching shows to apply to. It isn't cheap applying and participating in shows so you spend time figuring out the better shows so you don't lose money.

I've not heard the the Arts festival is struggling in the least. Do you have evidence of that other than being concerned about the types of things being sold?

I didn't say they were struggling...just that they shouldn't be struggling as they have great sponsorship from the art patrons and they collect a commission from the art which is why there isn't a need for them to sell space for a DirectTv booth or sign up for a free car at a top level show like OKC. Usually you only see that at shows that are struggling which OKC shouldn't be. Sorry if my comment came across otherwise. This type of commercialism as no place at a show like OKC.

I didn't say they were struggling...just that they shouldn't be struggling as they have great sponsorship from the art patrons and they collect a commission from the art which is why there isn't a need for them to sell space for a DirectTv booth or sign up for a free car at a top level show like OKC. Usually you only see that at shows that are struggling which OKC shouldn't be. Sorry if my comment came across otherwise. This type of commercialism as no place at a show like OKC.
You did a wonderful and amazing work on your building on Film Row. (imho)
I don't think this year's Downtown Arts Festival was disappointing.
Here's the Work of Art we purchased (in hope that posting it doesn't violate one rule or another).

https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/988854_680926248621310_6152298462772930681_n.jpg

It sorta makes ya' reflect on stuff . . . don't it?
the dude was from south of Ft. Collins, CO fer cryin' out loud and that used to be an abandoned gravel pit. geez. =)

I didn't say they were struggling...just that they shouldn't be struggling as they have great sponsorship from the art patrons and they collect a commission from the art which is why there isn't a need for them to sell space for a DirectTv booth or sign up for a free car at a top level show like OKC. Usually you only see that at shows that are struggling which OKC shouldn't be. Sorry if my comment came across otherwise. This type of commercialism as no place at a show like OKC.
If I was a potential exhibitor I might agree with you but, as a visitor and patron, I'm very happy with what's happening. I really like the diversity of the exhibitors and think the quality is outstanding.

You did a wonderful and amazing work on your building on Film Row. (imho)
I don't think this year's Downtown Arts Festival was disappointing.
Here's the Work of Art we purchased (in hope that posting it doesn't violate one rule or another).

https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/988854_680926248621310_6152298462772930681_n.jpg

It sorta makes ya' reflect on stuff . . . don't it?

RM, is that the final resting place for your purchase?

That is a great piece. (You should probably credit the artist) There were two photographers that I was very impressed with. The one with a lot of Italian scenery prints and the artist that took close up pictures of glass artwork showing the swirls and details. I find the husband/wife team where the husband take the photo and the wife then extends the photo onto the mat by painting extremely artistic and great use of mix media, All three were fantastic. My point is that this is a nationally respected and highly ranked fine arts show of which cheap commercial spaces do not belong in this level of a show.

Thanks for the building compliment. :)

My point is that this is a nationally respected and highly ranked fine arts show of which cheap commercial spaces do not belong in this level of a show.

Jeep, I understand where you're coming from but I have no problem with it. If that's the worst criticism of our great Festival of the Arts, we are in great shape. The vast majority of the visiting public could care less and that's what is important in its continued success.

That is a great piece. (You should probably credit the artist) There were two photographers that I was very impressed with. The one with a lot of Italian scenery prints and the artist that took close up pictures of glass artwork showing the swirls and details. I find the husband/wife team where the husband take the photo and the wife then extends the photo onto the mat by painting extremely artistic and great use of mix media, All three were fantastic. My point is that this is a nationally respected and highly ranked fine arts show of which cheap commercial spaces do not belong in this level of a show.

Thanks for the building compliment. :)

Some guy from Colorado, properly vetted, with an artist's eye.
(the recent flooding, up there, didn't negatively effect him)
His first name was Dana.
We really wanted the "loss leader" (the original) but couldn't afford it so we settled. On a print. =)

Thank You, Sir, for Your Building Into The Proper Environment. of Historical OKC.

RM, is that the final resting place for your purchase?

I was thinking about donating it to Braum's . . . =)
Or maybe . . . Sonic? =)

(Whole Foods or Sprouts/Whatever probably wouldn't be interested . . . )

(As a Semi-Zenlike reminder of "Quality" =)

I went to the show the first day before leaving town on business. I was not very impressed with the show this year. This show is considered one of the top shows in the country primarily due to the business supporters who spend a lot of money purchasing art on the first day. It is a very difficult show to get into also. I participate and apply to a few shows a year as an artist and have at through the jury selection process for shows like Main Street in Fort Worth which is one of the top 5 shows in the country. I have been accepted at shows like the Bayou Arts Festival in downtown Houston which is one of the better shows in the nation and is hard to get into. In the Art Festival community, there is a big difference between fine art shows and craft shows. You will not see a lot of crafts at the bigger art shows and certainly not commercial booths like Direct TV or Sign up here to win a free car. Those type of booths/displays cheapen shows and are selling out to commercialism. I generally only see them at shows that are struggling financially which there isn't reason for the OKC show to be struggling. OKC is one of the few shows that actually take a % of the artists' sales which in turn causes artists to raise the price of their work to cover the commission. Most shows only charge booth rental ($300-1200 depending on show)as well as charging 25-45 dollars for every person that applies (Shows like OKC may have 750-1500 applicants all paying the jury fee.)

In this year's show, there were several booths selling clothing (dresses, scarfs, and flip flops) which are nice and creative but are more craft art than fine art. There was one booth where the artist simply hung a few small pictures on the metal grid of the booth. I am curious how she got selected as they require a booth shot to check display as well as a large and consistent body of work. There were some excellent artists at this year's show but overall, the show was not up to the level that this show is known for.

This is strictly my personal opinion and others may differ but it is based on what I have learned actually participating/applying/displaying at shows and researching shows to apply to. It isn't cheap applying and participating in shows so you spend time figuring out the better shows so you don't lose money.

Agree 100%. The quality of the art was down this year. Lot of cheesy "dogs playing poker"-type stuff. Also, how many different artists featured paintings of Venice? There's usually a better balance of fine art and crass commercial crap; this year, the crass won out. There were a few stand outs, but it was less engaging than in past years.

Agree 100%. The quality of the art was down this year. Lot of cheesy "dogs playing poker"-type stuff. Also, how many different artists featured paintings of Venice? There's usually a better balance of fine art and crass commercial crap; this year, the crass won out. There were a few stand outs, but it was less engaging than in past years.

Well . . . That sucks. I'm glad I went to a different Arts Festival.
(could this be one of those "Beauty Is In The Eye of The Beholder" or "Perception is NOT Reality (only perception)" deals?)

In all honesty, the ten dollars for two hour parking enabled us to "cut to the chase" rather than being overly critical of the offerings.
Of Actual Artists rather than online "commentators".

ps: a sentence using "the quality of the art" is . . . indefinably bad. for lack of a better term.
(and you call yourself a guru?)

RM, I guess I'm blind. I missed the dogs with a full house in your purchase.

Everyone is an art critic who fails to get "engaged"

And a sonic would be perfect for yours. It's too high class for Braum's. :)

On my attorney's advice, I should note that the artist who captured that scene (one that most people would never ordinarily notice) is Dana Echols from Windsor, Colorado. He seemed to be a super nice guy and had some other nice photos for sale as well. The temporary placement of the picture, in my picture, is where I do the nearest thing to "art" that I do. (the cooktop) =)

oh. btw: for the mundane among us here is where the photo was taken. I don't think actual "Kingfishers" live in Colorado. The name probably involves artistic license.
https://www.google.com/#q=kingfisher+point+fort+collins

p.s.: and at the risk of "gilding the lily", so to speak, there's this:
http://www.danaecholsphotography.com/

My wife and I were just discussing our visit to this year's Festival of The Arts and she made a couple of excellent observations and suggestions. While the closest thing to "art"--that I do--is cooking and dabbling in music, her artistic talent resides in the ability to work with fabric. She is an excellent seamstress, for lack of a better term. Her thought, especially in response to the well considered observations of, among others, Jeepnokc, was, "It's ALL art."

She said that what sets some art apart from other art is the fact that it is one of a kind and not some knockoff or copy. She indicated that she saw some jewelry and other stuff that appeared to be mass produced. (unlike each of her fabric creations).

My translation of Her suggestion is that perhaps different areas of the Fesitval Venue could be set aside for various levels of "'artistic' 'integrity'".

In other words, keep the [trash] off of the main Artists' Walk yet have the other stuff available for less picky (or selective) individuals. Another thing she said she noticed--and about which she was concerned--was that there weren't any "Artists of Color"--except for Asians--on Artist Tent Row. And she is a dyed-in-the-wool Tea Party and Sarah Palin supporter, so this is probably another flaw with the plan for a different day. Personally, I wasn't paying any attention to that sort of demographic so I didn't notice it. I guess it's one of those Mars/Venus deals.

We aren't saying that the Downtown Oklahoma City Festival of The Arts should be a redux of The Great State Fair of Oklahoma--except without a monorail, a midwestern space needle or a racetrack--yet sometimes, perhaps, the best integration involves unbiased segregation. None of which has anything to do with "race" "creed" or "color".

Put the Car Giveaway and the Direct TV hype as far from Artists Row as possible. Maybe over in Bricktown or over around 10th and May Avenue. =)

To me, the best part of Festival of the Arts is the chance to talk to the artists and listen to them tell about their medium and methods.

To me, the best part of Festival of the Arts is the chance to talk to the artists and listen to them tell about their medium and methods.

I think you nailed it, amigo.
It's sort of like a "brush with greatness" even if they don't use a brush.

I was really hoping to "meet again" with the incredible sculptor (in bronze) whose work at least equaled that of Frederick Remington. Some of which we hope to see during our upcoming Staycation Visit to Woolaroc later this week. He didn't "copy" Remington . . . He took what Remington did to the next level. (imho). He wasn't there this year . . . probably on account of some of the factors Jeepnokc introduced into the discussion.

I used to work with a guy who kept a 1-minute timer on his desk. Regardless of who the visitor to his office was, he'd start the timer and if you didn't get his interest or your point across in the one minute, you would be dismissed. My kids know this guy and have started bringing a timer with them when we visit this type of event. They forgot the timers at the last Chuckwagon Roundup at the Cowboy Hall of Fame and I got to talking to a weaver there. They just showed me their cell phones and walked away. I did get distracted in the discussion and had to phone them to find them later.

Indeed, Dubya . . . We are on the cusp of a Brave New World . . . with an attention span limit of about thirty seconds.
In fact, I think a lot of people are tripping over the cusp on account of there isn't a warning sign.

I sort of missed not seeing Greg Burns at this year's exhibit . . . and that guy who used to live in Norman with those interesting black and white, profound message etchingesque drawings. But other stuff made up for it, so I didn't miss them too much. Didn't like having to check my watch to see if my "Two Hours For Ten Dollars" parking validation was close to expiring but I didn't worry about that too much either. =)

My wife and I were just discussing our visit to this year's Festival of The Arts and she made a couple of excellent observations and suggestions. While the closest thing to "art"--that I do--is cooking and dabbling in music, her artistic talent resides in the ability to work with fabric. She is an excellent seamstress, for lack of a better term. Her thought, especially in response to the well considered observations of, among others, Jeepnokc, was, "It's ALL art."

She said that what sets some art apart from other art is the fact that it is one of a kind and not some knockoff or copy. She indicated that she saw some jewelry and other stuff that appeared to be mass produced. (unlike each of her fabric creations).

My translation of Her suggestion is that perhaps different areas of the Fesitval Venue could be set aside for various levels of "'artistic' 'integrity'".

In other words, keep the [trash] off of the main Artists' Walk yet have the other stuff available for less picky (or selective) individuals. Another thing she said she noticed--and about which she was concerned--was that there weren't any "Artists of Color"--except for Asians--on Artist Tent Row. And she is a dyed-in-the-wool Tea Party and Sarah Palin supporter, so this is probably another flaw with the plan for a different day. Personally, I wasn't paying any attention to that sort of demographic so I didn't notice it. I guess it's one of those Mars/Venus deals.

We aren't saying that the Downtown Oklahoma City Festival of The Arts should be a redux of The Great State Fair of Oklahoma--except without a monorail, a midwestern space needle or a racetrack--yet sometimes, perhaps, the best integration involves unbiased segregation. None of which has anything to do with "race" "creed" or "color".

Put the Car Giveaway and the Direct TV hype as far from Artists Row as possible. Maybe over in Bricktown or over around 10th and May Avenue. =)

I think there was an "Artist of Color" from Chicago with pictures from Chicago. I saw some Latino artists also. I wonder how many African American artists applied to be in the festival?

Bigray in Ok

I think there was an "Artist of Color" from Chicago with pictures from Chicago. I saw some Latino artists also. I wonder how many African American artists applied to be in the festival?

Bigray in Ok

Part of the problem is that the jury process is blind. You are not allowed to have people or any signs or other identifying items in the booth shot you submit for jury selection. Thus, unless the juror was familiar with the artist's work by sight or the art was clearly ethnic art (couldn't think of better term), the jurors would have no way of knowing the ethnical background of the artist. They literally put 4-8 jurors in a room and they flash up the artists' work (usually 3-4 slides of work plus a booth shot) for a few seconds and they go through hundreds and sometimes thousands of applications on the first pass. Usually they are just given a number or a yes, no, maybe to do the original sorting and then the second round will go into more detail. I have not watched a second round as most are closed to the public where we can attend the first round. The voting though is not known at time of voting but sometimes they will let you know the general voting afterwards of your work. (ie...made 2nd round, 2 yesses, one no, three maybes. etc) As a photographer, I could distinguish what I thought was original, creative photography when they were going through but all of the jewelry applicants looked the same to me.

Part of the problem is that the jury process is blind. You are not allowed to have people or any signs or other identifying items in the booth shot you submit for jury selection. Thus, unless the juror was familiar with the artist's work by sight or the art was clearly ethnic art (couldn't think of better term), the jurors would have no way of knowing the ethnical background of the artist. They literally put 4-8 jurors in a room and they flash up the artists' work (usually 3-4 slides of work plus a booth shot) for a few seconds and they go through hundreds and sometimes thousands of applications on the first pass. Usually they are just given a number or a yes, no, maybe to do the original sorting and then the second round will go into more detail. I have not watched a second round as most are closed to the public where we can attend the first round. The voting though is not known at time of voting but sometimes they will let you know the general voting afterwards of your work. (ie...made 2nd round, 2 yesses, one no, three maybes. etc) As a photographer, I could distinguish what I thought was original, creative photography when they were going through but all of the jewelry applicants looked the same to me.

Is "ethnical" actually a word? =)
Sorry . . Yet at least it proves (or perhaps indicates) that I read what you wrote and was paying attention. =)
I bet you are a very good photographer, too.

Is "ethnical" actually a word? =)
Sorry . . Yet at least it proves (or at least indicates) that I read what you wrote and was paying attention. =)
I bet you are a very good photographer, too.

Actually, yes it is. :)

Ethnical - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnical)

Actually, yes it is. :)

Ethnical - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnical)

Dang. =)

http://putative.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/27/pwn3d_2.jpg

Nice ride. Sort of like some sculpture on wheels.

We were intrigued by the work of this artist:
Mood Modern Lamps by Will Richards (http://www.moodmodernlamps.com/)

http://www.willrichards.net/images/lamps500/WCR0169.jpg

Perhaps it's because one of my brother's hobbies is creating one-of-a-kind lamps out of various types of metals and other components. They are very interesting and take untold hours to create. It has to be a labor of love because he could never price and sell them for what they are worth in terms of time and skill and imagination invested. He gave us one a few years ago as an anniversary or Christmas present and it stands proudly in one corner of our living room. I don't know much about art, but I know what I like. (as the old cliché goes . . . =)