The Greater Augusta Arts Council held yet another massively successful Arts in the Heart of Augusta festival Sept. 15 -17, an annual downtown event that has a roughly $2 million annual impact on the city of Augusta over two and a half days and this was its biggest year yet.
The festival, which began in 1983 on the campus of (then) Augusta College, spanned four blocks on Broad Street plus the Augusta Common, included five concert stages and had 145 fine arts, crafts and international food vendors.
This year, the festival also had 100 kids participate in the Young Artist’s Market.
Brenda Durant, executive director of the Greater Augusta Arts Council says the festival has grown tremendously from its modest beginnings.
“It’s really amazing, when it was moved from the college to the Municipal Building parking lot and later the grounds of what was then the Augusta Museum of History, it grew; but when we moved it to the Common, that was when it really took off,” Durant said.
According to Durant, it normally takes over 700 volunteers to make the festival a reality. This year a whopping 928 people signed up to volunteer.
Durant says that the moment the curtain fell on the 2023 festival, she and her staff began working on planning the festival for 2024.
“We already have people requesting sponsorship packages for next year,” Durant said.
While the Arts Council is primarily known for the Arts in the Heart festival, the organization itself is anything but a one-trick pony.
The organization manages a grant program budgeted by the city of Augusta. According to Durant, grant applications are judged by an independent panel and the funds are managed through the Community Foundation.
Grant awardees for 2023 will be announced in October.
The group is also behind many of the murals, street art and sculptures seen throughout Downtown Augusta and the surrounding areas.
Charmain Brackett, former managing editor of The Augusta Press and publisher of Augusta Good News, says Durant and company have helped totally transform Downtown Augusta and created a character not seen in other medium-sized Southern cities.
“Their emphasis on public art raises the overall quality of life. They have stepped up in a lot of ways and people notice it when they come to our city, Augusta has become a real arts destination,” Brackett said.
Sometimes, there is a hidden educational component in the art that is created and displayed Downtown.
In partnership with Phinizy Swamp Educational Center, the Augusta Utilities Department and the Richmond County Board of Education, the Greater Augusta Arts Council launched the Storm Water Mural project, titled “It All Flows Into the Savannah,” in 2021.
Not only does the program complement the murals on the side of buildings and sidewalk electrical boxes in Downtown, but school children are taken on tours and taught the importance of water conservation and the prevention of litter.
According to the groups website: “Storm drains can also become a hot spot for illicit dumping – trash, grease, pet waste, paint, cigarettes, and more. These pollutants make their way to the Savannah River.”
The city of Augusta’s Sculpture Trail, which is managed by the Arts Council, has also been a major success. According to Durant, many of the sculptures have been sold and some of the new owners have allowed them to stay in place to continue to allow the public to enjoy them.
“The Sculpture Trail had an unexpected benefit in that, during Covid, it gave families a safe, fun way to go outdoors and not be cooped up at home,” Durant said.
The trail has been such a success that the city has tasked the Arts Council with installing sculptures at all city roundabouts and, according to Durant, the first one will be installed on Jimmie Dyess Parkway this coming December.
The ever humble Durant, who has been with the organization since 1997, refuses to take sole credit for the organization’s success, saying only, “it takes a village.” However, Bennish Brown, executive director of Destination Augusta, says Durant has shown she has a vision and knows the “flavor of Augusta.”
“I think we as a community should tip our hats off to Brenda, her staff and all of the volunteers. They have a plan and they stick to it,” Brown said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
