Full Speed Ahead In August

Hello out there! I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. We are busy busy here at the Center. We have a new show freshly hung, and we're getting ready for our 47th?! Yup 47th Art-A-Fest! I've Also got some upcoming treats for any history buffs out there. Let us begin with our the artist of our current exhibit.

Helen Hunter

Helen is a treasure! I'm pretty sure I'm speaking for both Emily and myself when I say we had a great time hanging the show and hanging out with her. Helen works in watercolor and her subject matter includes landscapes, animals, flowers, and her "most popular" Iowa barns.

We once again didn't get to do a full reception with all of our fantastic members and friends . (I know, I know I'm missing the cheese-ball too!) Hopefully we can all get together very soon. Helen was very kind to give us a virtual tour however and you can check it out HERE. You can also come and see her works in person here at the Arts Center throughout August.

The Fest

We are also all busy preparing for our biggest annual event. Yes indeed its almost time for Art-A-Fest 2020! Just like the rest of this year, Art-A-Fest will be, "a little different". Currently our troops are busy setting up, meeting with artists, and photographing, and uploading those photos to the online store. Lazy right? You can learn more about it all in THIS article from the Charles City Press. All of this hard work is much appreciated. At the top of this post I exclaimed, and it has been fact checked, that this is the 47th anniversary of this event.

The history of Art-A-Fest begins back in 1963 with a show held in central park. The Harvest Festival was a gathering of local artists and their works. The location was changed to The Loft, the home theater of The Stony Point Players, around 1972. The next year, under the leadership of Janice Bergland (who has only missed one Fest since) the event became more of the event that it is today, with the art of visiting artists added.

The Loft had its drawbacks. Parking and visibility were equally dismal. The council decided to move into town and in 1976 the Art Fair On The Bayou was held at Bayou Bend Park in Charles City. The name changed again in 1977. We finally had "the" name. Art-A-Fest was chosen from a name that event contest. The Fest has been held mainly in Central Park. A couple of times, due to weather, it was moved into the former Cedar Mall. Last year we set up in Andres Memorial Park to join forces with the Floyd County Museum and the Carrie Chapman Catt group.

Originally this year, under the direction of Ashley Koebrick, the plan was to move back to Central Park and then.... That is why it is amazing to me that Art-A-Fest is happening at all. It's not the same but nothing has stopped us yet. No, not even you Covid.