The upcoming Arts in the Heart festival was embroiled in controversy, Wednesday, amid a back-and-forth between the Greater Augusta Arts Council (GAAC) and Drum Circle Augusta, a performing arts and crafts community that has participated in the festival for some 10 years.
On Sunday, Aug. 4, Ami Fry McKenzie of Drum Circle Augusta posted on the group’s social media that it had been denied participation in Arts in the Heart this year and that, after multiple inquiries, the GAAC said this was because there would not be room for the group.
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Another member of the Drum Circle, later that day, started an online petition via Change.org to protest the exclusion, which as of the writing of this article has 100 signatures.
Greater Augusta Arts Council responds
On Wednesday, GAAC released an official statement on its social media and its website, entitled “Addressing Concerns and Misinformation about the Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival,” responding to comments surrounding the Drum Circle’s original post and the petition suggesting that GAAC and Arts in the Heart show preferential treatment to out-of-town performers and vendors.
The statement stressed that 95% of the festival stage performers are local, as well as all of the Fine Arts & Crafts jurors and Young Artist Market vendors.
Responding to concerns about what artists must pay to participate, the GAAC statement noted that artists fees are $300 for the weekend, “which our research shows are on the low end of the scale, with many festivals charging over $500 for the privilege of setting up a booth.”
The GAAC also stated that that it has “decided not to publicly speak about the details of last year’s festival surrounding the disregard for rules and regulations of the festival,” noting, moreover that the event’s return to Broad Street from Telfair Street this year left with “less space than anticipated,” causing the organizers to reduce the number of performers allotted.
Drum Circle issues response
Within hours, McKenzie issued a response to GAAC’s statement, saying that when the Drum Circle applied to participate this year, the council responded by email alleging that the group had broken several rules, and that a date was set to discuss these allegations.
McKenzie admitted she was unable to attend this meeting, but that her request for an alternative arrangement—such as talking via Zoom or on the phone—was denied. She also made sure to mention that her posts were not to encourage boycotting Arts in the Heart.
GAAC would release a final statement claiming it had “attempted to offer resolve and transparency in a space of love and honesty.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
