Filling the downtown streets with savory, exotic scents, color, music and enthusiastic performers, the annual Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival has returned for another captivating weekend with a galore of local and unique items available for purchase.
The festival began on Friday, Sept. 15, at 5 p.m., and will continue on Sunday, Sept. 17, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Featuring hundreds of artists, musicians, vendors and more, the event not only offers foods and desserts from around the globe, but also showcases a large variety of performances spread across five different stages, which could be found throughout the festival grounds.
Organized in partnership by the City of Augusta and the Greater Augusta Arts Council, manager Deidra Miller said profits from entry passes would go towards funding more future events and missions by the Greater Augusta Arts Council.
“This is to support the arts of Augusta and local artists – the entertainment of Augusta,” said Miller. “It helps bring revenue to our city as well, and we really need it because it helps us grow. It also gives people a chance to come out and see what Augusta is about.”
Voted best festival in the Southeast, interested parties can enter the event in the 600 to 900 blocks of Broad Street after purchasing entrance tickets for $15 per person, which allow entrance for the entire weekend. A family-friendly event, children ages 10 and under are admitted for free.
“It’s very important to have kid-friendly events, because it gets your family out of the house and you can spend all weekend out here,” said Miller. “Even if you don’t have to spend [at the booths], you can just gaze and look at the art or listen to the music together.”
Miller, who has been involved in the festival for seven years, said she has heard firsthand that travelers come from all over the southeast region to experience the event.
“Even the vendors, they come from hundreds of miles away,” she said. “They travel from across different states just to come here. So, it’s really nice and it seems like it’s becoming a nationwide event. It’s a lot.”
Expecting around 100,000 festival goers, Miller also said there were almost 200 fine arts and craft booths present for the weekend.
As food tents aligned the entirety of the Augusta Commons, located at 836 Reynolds St., several groups and individuals took to the Global Stage on Saturday, Sept. 16.
Also located in the Commons area, a favorite stop for many is the festival’s “Artzilla’s Live Painting” tent, which encourages attendees to speak with and watch local artists at work; all works created within the tent are also available for purchase in an ongoing silent auction.
“I feel like there’s a lot of people who come from out of town, which is awesome, and it gives us an opportunity to be in the public eye,” said participating live painter, Tiphiknee De Herrera. “It’s important because art is the foundation of everything; I believe creativity and expression is the foundation of everything.”
Along with promoting themselves as entrepreneurs, De Herrera also said the festival gives artists an opportunity to connect with locals and potential customers. As an artist who specializes in creating portrait style works, De Herrera also said it gives the especially niche painters an outlet for community engagement.
“Having conversations with people and having them see our inspiration is a big reason why people end up buying our art,” she said. “Having this is so wholesome and it can bring everyone together from something other than work.”
To Gina Konn, a local vendor from Aiken, S.C., selling her handcrafted, unisex accessories and bags at the festival offers a great outlet for feedback, which allows her to improve her products while earning some income.
“Everyone is just so friendly. I love it and it probably helps the local businesses here too,” she said. “I can get all kinds of feedback.”
Most importantly, Konn said customer input and interactions, opened her eyes to a whole new section of interested buyers.
“When I first started, all I thought about was making these for women, but I have so many men that come in here to buy bags. I have a masculine look on a lot of the shapes, and men want masculine bags to carry around,” she said. “They say, ‘Yeah, I can carry a leather one around, but I don’t want that. I want something that is a story or is a conversation piece.’”
Like many other participating artisans, Konn’s accessories are heavily inspired by history. In between interactions, Konn said she loved soaking up inspiration from the downtown area, likely bringing home ideas for more future creations.
“I do love the history of this downtown; I just wish they would build it up,” she said. “I love looking at these buildings and wondering what it would’ve looked like in the 50s, when it was hopping.”
Konn said herself and other local vendors put their “blood, sweat and tears” into their art, which is why individuals should support community businesses.
“I think 90% of the customers realize that – we don’t get paid for the hours we put into it,” she said.
Festival goer and mother, April Curtis, said she brought her daughter to the event because she strongly believes in exposing her child to the importance of different forms of art and music, as well as getting familiar with one’s environment.
“I’m a big supporter of the arts. I love music, but I definitely wanted to expose my babygirl to it, because we’re new here from California,” she said. “She’s been loving looking at all the pieces, and she even wants to stop back by the one that makes jewelry out of coins.”
Returning to the area in late June after some years away, Curtis also said attending the festival also forced her to notice the vast amount of changes made to the downtown area. From the paintings on the electrical boxes to the giant murals displayed on the sides of buildings, Curtis said she was impressed by the additional culture highlighted in the city.
“I love all the artwork that’s strategically placed around, and I’ve noticed some new buildings in the area too that I definitely want to support while I’m here,” she said. “It looks a lot different, especially with the Riverwalk too and the new bridge.”
Along with noticing the major differences, Curtis said she was delighted to see such an enormous effort towards something that was near and dear to her heart.
“I wanted to come out and support while sharing my passion for the arts; for me, music is life because I come from a family of singers, and art is a form of expression,” she said. “It can capture the things we can’t say and how we feel, whether that’s in a painting or a song. It’s very important that kids are able to tap into that kind of expression.”
For more information about the Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival, such as stage schedules, parking, menus and more, please visit: https://artsintheheartofaugusta.com/about/.
