HIGHLAND - Over 50 talented artists will paint the streets of Highland for the 2024 Highland Street Art Festival on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Local artisan vendors, activities for kids, and much more await attendees of all ages.
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Executive Director Hillarie Holzinger and Assistant Director Taylor Sheeley with the Highland Chamber of Commerce shared more details about the festival on Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com.
“The artists show up about 9 a.m. and they start drawing on the streets,” Holzinger said. “Then we have a lot of activities throughout the day to keep everybody busy, and it’s just a great event.”
The day’s main attraction is the Street Art Competition from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with judging commencing at 4 p.m. and awards being presented at 5:30 p.m. Several artists will put their chalk drawing skills to the test as they compete for the coveted title of “Best in Show,” including a $100 cash prize.
Artists will be judged by an independently-appointed panel of judges, with points being awarded based on various criteria including “creativity, complexity, emotion, overall impression, and finish.” Cash prizes also await the first and second-place winners in multiple categories by age and skill level. $75 will go to the first place winners, while $50 prizes await the second-place winners in each of the following categories: Professional, Amateur (Age 24+), Amateur (Age 19-23), and “Budding Artists” (Ages 18 and under).
Holzinger said even more professional artists have signed up for this year’s festival than last year. The “Professional” category is reserved for experienced artists who teach art or sell their own artwork. While the festival mostly draws in local art enthusiasts, Sheeley pointed out the day’s full schedule of activities offers something for everybody.
“It is centered around the art, which is so much fun - beautiful, really exciting, [and] a lot of fun for the artists and the people coming to observe it, because you get to watch them making it live,” she said. “But also, we have the Maker’s Market, we have a lot of craft vendors, local artisans, and we have a lot of food, we have games, some performances by local dance teams - so somebody could come and spend all day there.”
Attendees can check out hand-crafted items made by local artisans at the Makers Market from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Kids can join in on the artistic activities in the "Kreative Kids Korner," featuring opportunities to make their own masterpieces, play fun games, enjoy an on-site bounce house, and more.
Live entertainment will be provided by local dance/cheer studios for this year’s festival, which also offers plenty of food for purchase, including bratwursts, hamburgers, hot dogs, barbecue, nachos, ice cream, snow cones, funnel cakes, and more. Sheeley said a gourmet popcorn vendor and a candy shop with eccentric offerings will also make appearances at the 2024 festival.
The event, which first began in 2001, carries on a tradition started in 16th-century Italy, where traveling artists would create temporary masterpieces in the first forms of “street paintings.” While the rain would eventually wash away these works of art, the practice of street painting itself would endure for centuries to come.
The 2024 Street Art Festival will be held at Highland Square, located at 930 Main St. in Highland. After a successful event in 2023, organizers hope for an even bigger and better festival in 2024. Of course, the event’s ongoing success wouldn’t be possible without the support of several local businesses, who will be sponsoring the pavement squares as they’re transformed into works of street art.
To find out more about this year’s Street Art Festival, visit the website or event page on Riverbender.com or see the full interview with Holzinger and Sheeley at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
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