The Third Annual O+ Festival Coming Soon, October 5, 6, 7, Kingston, NY
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Elissa Jane Mastel
Sep 14, 2012, 3:18:12 PM9/14/12
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- Third annual O+ Festival takes place this October 5, 6 & 7, providing an opportunity for uninsured musicians, artists and filmmakers to exchange their craft in exchange for healthcare services at a special O+ pop-up clinic.
- Headlining performers include The Felice Brothers, Richard Buckner, Hopewell, The Parlor, Lucius and the Hungry March Band
- Admission requires and advance purchase of a wristband, available for $25 on the O+ Festival webiste, opositivefestival.org
KINGSTON, NY -- The third annual O+ Festival of art, music and wellness will take place in Kingston, NY this October 5, 6, and 7. The event provides uninsured musicians, artists and filmmakers an opportunity to exchange performance and visual art for healthcare services at a pop-up clinic staffed by art-loving volunteer doctors and wellness practitioners. This year’s festival features 35 regional, national and international musical acts. The full roster is listed at opositivefestival.org, and includes The Felice Brothers, Richard Buckner, Hopewell, The Parlor, Lucius, The Hungry March Band, as well as over 30 visual artists, including paste-ups, installations, performances by Linda Montano, Too Much Information, and a drawing workshop hosted by Dr. Sketchy’s. In addition, the 2012 festival will feature a parade, children’s activities, film, yoga classes, and more at various venues throughout uptown Kingston.
O+ organizers, all of whom volunteer countless hours of their time in a stunning display of dedication and selflessness, are quick to explain that there are two stories to be told here. The first is that of an annual exhibition in a picturesque upstate New York town, where visitors can enjoy a wide variety of visual art and musical performances over the course of an autumn weekend. The second, and perhaps the more noteworthy, is the story of an innovative, grassroots solution to inaccessible healthcare for the arts community in the form of a public festival.
Participating musicians and artists receive a variety of health and wellness services in exchange for their contribution to festival programming. A coalition of doctors and wellness professionals donate their time and efforts, providing uninsured artists with direct basic care in the form of teeth cleaning, eye exams, general physicals and chiropractic work. More broadly, health care providers create an access point for community services and ongoing health care, while artists actively craft a much-needed solution for themselves. O+ volunteers also receive benefits from the O+ pop-up clinic.
To determine if this post partisan model for health care can succeed, one need look no further than last year’s numbers. At the 2011 O+ Festival, 121 patients were seen at 277 medical appointments over a three-day period. This equates to $38,600 in medical services and $17,600 in dental work – a total value of $56,200 in free services provided to uninsured musicians and artists. The movement is growing steadily. In addition to funding provided by individuals and small business in the local community, the 2012 festival proudly lists among its sponsors HealthQuest, the largest healthcare system in the mid-Hudson Valley, WDST Woodstock, Chronogram, and Evolving Media Network.
For admission to the 2012 O+ Festival, full-access, all-weekend wristbands are available for a donation of $25. A variety of free performances, shows, and workshops will be free and open to the public. For admission to the Friday night headlining show at the Old Dutch Church featuring The Felice Brothers and Richard Buckner, guests must purchase wristbands in advance via Eventbrite on the O+ Festival website, opositivefestival.org.
"Effective questioning brings insight, which fuels curiosity, which cultivates wisdom." - Chip Bell
Elissa Jane Mastel
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