Oak Ridge Arts Festival

[orenv]

I have often wondered why we don't have an arts festival. Though
parking would be a problem along the lake, wouldn't it be great to
have the festival along the hiking trail? I guess there is always the
park by the civic center.

With the success of Oak Ridge Earth Day showing us it can be done, I
think we can pull something really nice together.

[Julio Ibanez]

That's an EXCELLENT idea! Admittedly, I don't the logistics of
planing and executing such a festival, but if done properly, I'd
imagine that would be a bigger draw than some of our current events.

Can anyone provide any insight on what it might take to get something
like that off the ground?

[lostsc...@bellsouth.net]

Sounds like a fantastic idea.

--
Men marched asleep...

 

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[Elijah]

I love the idea! My only concern is that it would not be
environmental. I would love it if environmental practices would be
encouraged. I'm probably just being paranoid, but I think that would
make it a lot better. It should try to preserve that from which most
artistic inspiration comes.

E l i j a h

On Aug 10, 3:14 pm, lostscots...@bellsouth.net wrote:
> Sounds like a fantastic idea.
>
> --
> Men marched asleep...

>   -------------- Original message from orenv <rjgun...@chpconsultants.com>: --------------

[Brian Yount]

I think there is still the annual Rotary Club's Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival -sidewalk chalk drawing ( I think a fund raising event) held in OR that could be done on the hiking trail or parking lot near the water.  This could be done  in conjunction with an overall arts festival. .  It has been held at Roane State Oak Ridge campus the past couple of years.   Just a thought but I don't know who to tie in with the Rotary Club.  Just a thought to bring more artistic happenings to this festival idea. /Brian Yount --- On Sun, 8/9/09, orenv <rjgu...@chpconsultants.com> wrote:

[Elijah]

Interesting... it could be sort of partnered with the street painting
festival, but I don't know if that would work. It could be potentially
too crowded and not give the artists enough space.

And one thing, is the "hiking trail" Haw Ridge? Thanks.

E l i j a h

On Aug 10, 9:37 pm, Brian Yount <byou...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> I think there is still the annual Rotary Club's  Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival -sidewalk chalk drawing ( I think a fund raising event) held in OR that could be done on the hiking trail or parking lot near the water.  This could be done  in conjunction with an overall arts festival. .  It has been held at Roane State Oak Ridge campus the past couple of years.   Just a thought but I don't know who to tie in with the Rotary Club.  Just a thought to bring more artistic happenings to this festival idea.
>
> /Brian Yount
>

> --- On Sun, 8/9/09, orenv <rjgun...@chpconsultants.com> wrote:

[Robert J. Gunter]

What better environmental protection could there be than to have no power
outlets. There is no reason that a low impact could not be attained (ala
earth day type packaging and recycle bins). Of course more impact would be
made by people getting there than by the festival.....

I would expect the first year to be small, but you never know. I like the
sidewalk idea, but I think this should be separate as that is a very focused
event highlighting sidewalk art.

orenv

Subject: Re: Oak Ridge Arts Festival

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[Teresa Brittain]

Hi,

As a full-time artist (glass beadmaker), I would like to share some
thoughts from my perspective.

First, it is interesting that this discussion is taking place right
now. Several of us exhibitors at Lavender Festival were talking
about how nice it would be to have a similar festival in the fall, so
I know there is some level of interest among area artists/craftspeople.

There are five factors that really impact the success of the show:
the experience/abilities of the show organizer, the quality of the
exhibitors, the amount of money available to promote the show, the
location and the timing.

At this point, Barbara Ferrell is really the only person pulling off
a good show in Oak Ridge. The Lavender Festival continues to bring
in lots of shoppers who have money to spend and exhibitors who offer
quality crafts. The Pilot Club show is very low quality, the Art
Center show gets very few customers and the craft show at the Secret
City festival struggles each year to get enough exhibitors and enough
buyers. If Barbara would be willing to head up a second show (which
I don't think she would do), getting exhibitors would be much easier
because Barbara is well respected by area artists.

In order to attract good exhibitors, the show would need to be either
juried or invitational. The juried show application process is open
to all artists, but they must submit slides and be juried into the
show based on the quality of their work. For an invitational show,
the organizers invite artists whose work they have seen and liked.

In order to have enough money available to adequately advertise/
promote the show, I'm guessing you would need at least 50-75
exhibitors to start. Typically, for an outdoor show, most of the
booth fee that each artist pays goes toward advertising the show.
Any show in Oak Ridge would need to be advertised in West Knoxville,
as well as locally. If corporate sponsors can be lined up to help
cover the costs of the show, more money would be available for
advertising.

As to the location, Jackson Square is great. There is plenty of
parking within a reasonable distance, the farmers market across the
street draws in a lot of people in season and the area works well for
a show, with all the booths in a very compact, easy to walk space.
Plus, customers are already accustomed to going to a show there. I
can't really see a show happening at the marina. First, you would
need parking for 50-75 exhibitors, many of whom drive large
commercial vans or pull trailers to carry their booth materials.
Then you would need parking for the 2000 or so customers you need
each day to make the show successful. I know that rowing events
manage to make do with whatever parking they can eke out, but that
doesn't really work for a art/craft show, especially since you would
want to leave Melton Lake Drive open so passersby would see the show
and possibly stop. Also, if the show is more than one day, there
would need to be overnight security, and it is easier to patrol a
compact show with defined borders than a show that stretches out a bit.

I think late September would work best for a new show. October is a
great month, but it is already busy with the Museum of Appalachia
Homecoming, the Foothills Fall Festival in Maryville, and a couple of
shows in NC that many Oak Ridge area artists participate in. Plus
there are two Oct. weekends contiguous to the school system's fall
break, and any show here should avoid those weekends, since many
families travel during that time. November is too late for an
outside show, plus that is the month of the Foothills Craft Guild
show in Knoxville and the Art Center and Pilot Club shows in OR. If
you wanted to do a spring show, that would be trickier. The weather
in April is very unpredictable so few artists are willing to do
outdoor shows that month. May might be a possibility, especially now
that Foothills Craft Guild no longer does a May show at Pellissippi
State, but that's getting awfully close to Lavender Festival.

As for the environmental aspects of the show, Lavender Festival
recyles, uses compostable paper products, offers water from coolers
rather than bottled water, etc., and Barbara is working to make the
show even more green.

I hope my thoughts are helpful.

Teresa Brittain

[Elijah]

Wow! thats amazing! I don't think anyone could have said it better. :)

Elijah

[Ellen Smith]

The Foothills Craft Guild fall show started out in Oak Ridge and was
held here in the Civic Center for many years, but moved to Knoxville
after it grew to be too big for the facilities at the Civic Center.
Maybe there would be an interest in putting on a Foothills Craft Guild
mini-show in Oak Ridge -- bringing the organization back to its roots.

Ellen Smith

[Teresa Brittain]

Ellen,

Yes, the Foothills show was in Oak Ridge for a number of years until
it needed more space. After Foothills moved to Knoxville, several
guild members who lived in OR started a new show here called the Oak
Ridge Invitational Art and Craft Show, which was held in the gym at
the Civic Center in early November. That show was essentially a
smaller version of Foothills, with many of the same exhibitors. It
did well for a few years, but then attendance really dropped off, and
the show finally disbanded four or five years ago.

Meanwhile, Foothills has made several attempts at staging a spring
show, none of which have been successful. These include shows at
Pellissippi State, in downtown Knoxville during Dogwood Arts Festival
and at Chilhowee Park, which is the site of the Guild's successful
fall show. Since the failure of the May 2008 show at Pellissippi
State, Foothills has adopted the position that, for awhile at least,
it will just do one show and do it well. Plus, the Guild is not
financially positioned to stage a show that might lose money.

That said, there might be some opportunity to partner with Foothills,
at least from the standpoint of offering Foothills members an
incentive to do an Oak Ridge show. Southern Highlands Craft Guild
just partnered with the Gatlinburg Fine Art Show in such a way. The
Guild actively encouraged its members to apply to the Gatlinburg
show. Guild members were automatically accepted into the show, did
not have to pay the $35 application fee and received a 50% discount
on their booth fees. The show, which has struggled to attract
quality exhibitors, was filled was great work, and the artists could
sell less, yet still make money, since their upfront costs were
lower. As long as Foothills doesn't perceive the Oak Ridge show as
competition (which it wouldn't if the show dates were far enough
apart), the organization should at least be willing to make this type
of cooperative effort.

By the way, when Foothills left Oak Ridge, it lost a number of good
loyal OR patrons who were appalled that the show moved and who have
boycotted the show ever since.

Teresa Brittain

[Robert J. Gunter]

Too bad it cannot be October. October has the lowest rainfall of the year I
think. Jackson Square is a proven performer as a location. Doing the show
on a Saturday with the farmers market going would be great. I like the idea
of partnering and allowing those authorized by the Guild to show (makes any
organizers job a lot easier. It is obviously too late for this year, but
maybe next year would be a good time.

Of course there is always the ........ mall.......

Orenv

Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.58/2309 - Release Date: 08/17/09
06:08:00

[Julio Ibanez]

I think some very good points have been made. But to offer an
outsider's perspective, my only concern is that, while it has been a
proven performer, Jackson Square just has a rundown feel to it. After
hearing about all the things held there, I was excited to go check out
my new hometown's town center and was very disappointed in it.

It certainly is a practical space with some nice retail options and
good points have been made on that front, but if that's the face we
want to show outside consumers via various festivals, maybe we should
spruce it up a bit. Is it privately held? Or is this a matter for
public discussion?

That said, in my humble and relatively uninformed opinion, the marina
provides a better backdrop for such a show. And, depending on the
numbers that attend the fireworks displays and how easy/difficult
those events have been, it might at least work while such an event
gets started.

Julio

On Aug 18, 1:17 pm, "Robert J. Gunter" <rjgun...@chpconsultants.com>
wrote:

> ...
>
> read more »- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Ellen Smith]

In partial answer to your question about the "rundown feel" of Jackson
Square:

The buildings at Jackson Square have multiple private owners. Some of
the businesses own their own shops, but several of the businesses are
tenants. Unfortunately, not all of the property owners have been equally
committed to maintaining their properties -- or, in the case of
landlords, supporting the initiatives of their tenants.

If I remember correctly, the parking lot in the center of Jackson Square
belongs to the city (which is an unusual situation).

Ellen Smith

[Robert J. Gunter]

In fact, the parking lot and half the sidewalk belong to the city. They city could do a few things to spruce it up a bit, and I think the tenants have been on the city about a sign (which would be in the parking lot - city property...) to no avail.

Are there any tactics that are used by cities to incentivize landlords into making improvements, or finding renters (can there be a higher rate of taxation for unoccupied properties? Seems like unoccupied properties are more likely to require city services (fire, bad pipes, theft, etc) and generate no business income (lost business tax revenue from occupants).

Personally, the peninsula at the marina would be a great venue.

Orenv.

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[kelly...@comcast.net]

I think these are all prudent points, however I'm not seeing ideas, just talk of the problems we are all knowledgeable of due to our community activism.  I would invite you to look at doing a series of editorials that could highlight these problems but also offer possible ideas, and then mobilize those ideas into action.  I like the higher tax rate idea, however the problem is we are dealing with unmotivated landlords, not necessarily non-law-abiding or tax-paying individuals.  My landlord always has had a history of paying all taxes on time, and he gives leases that state that that is literally his only responsibility.  I think making ugly stabs at landlords publicly will only make it worse for us merchants and it becomes talk.  Maybe organizing some sort of public, nonviolent protest and contact all media to "take back our heritage/city (insert word of choice here)"?  For instance, there aren't any unoccupied spots in Jackson Square currently, however there is no argument that the quality of the square is suffering.

Also, Jackson Square isn't the only part of Oak Ridge in need of help, granted, but moving the event to the marina is showcasing something that doesn't need showcasing.  We all appreciate the marina, and it is a valuable resource and location.  But, I thought the point of these type events were to constantly make community aware of quality stores, etc in these squares?  Technically we'd be supporting small businesses because the two restaurants are privately owned, but....

Just my two cents...and I'm feeling the movement of "If you don't like it, fix it: if ain't broke, don't."  I am constantly interacting with people of Oak Ridge that are quick to judge but suddenly when there are actions to be made, and commitments to be completed, everyone dissipates.   If you are one of the "haves" then find a way to use your money investments to use in the town that you wish to see renovated and pulsing again.  If you are one of the "have nots," use your resources to be on planning committees and non-monetary means.



Kelly L. Ayers
Library Director
Oliver Springs Public Library
Oliver Springs, TN 37840
kelly...@comcast.net
www.oliverspringscity.com/library

[Julio Ibanez]

Thanks for the clarification, Ellen. I know this is going to just
throw the cover off my ignorance of local history, but does Jackson
Square have any sort of historical significance? If so, are there any
sort of preservation grants that can be applied for at a state or
local level? Yup...I'm totally reaching.

Kelly, you make some good points about the festivals showcasing local
businesses as opposed to the town itself. I was just curious about
what we could do to make things look nicer in a highly-used space like
Jackson Square yet preserve some character as well. But if it's
between having an arts festival and NOT having an arts festival, I'll
not fight the venue too hard.

Julio

On Aug 24, 4:47 pm, kellyay...@comcast.net wrote:
> I think these are all prudent points, however I'm not seeing ideas, just talk of the problems we are all knowledgeable of due to our community activism. I would invite you to look at doing a series of editorials that could highlight these problems but also offer possible ideas, and then mobilize those ideas into action. I like the higher tax rate idea, however the problem is we are dealing with unmotivated landlords, not necessarily non-law-abiding or tax-paying individuals. My landlord always has had a history of paying all taxes on time, and he gives leases that state that that is literally his only responsibility. I think making ugly stabs at landlords publicly will only make it worse for us merchants and it becomes talk. Maybe organizing some sort of public, nonviolent protest and contact all media to "take back our heritage/city (insert word of choice here)"? For instance, there aren't any unoccupied spots in Jackson Square currently, however there is no argument that the quality of the square is suffering.
>
> Also, Jackson Square isn't the only part of Oak Ridge in need of help, granted, but moving the event to the marina is showcasing something that doesn't need showcasing. We all appreciate the marina, and it is a valuable resource and location. But, I thought the point of these type events were to constantly make community aware of quality stores, etc in these squares? Technically we'd be supporting small businesses because the two restaurants are privately owned, but....
>
> Just my two cents...and I'm feeling the movement of "If you don't like it, fix it: if ain't broke, don't." I am constantly interacting with people of Oak Ridge that are quick to judge but suddenly when there are actions to be made, and commitments to be completed, everyone dissipates. If you are one of the "haves" then find a way to use your money investments to use in the town that you wish to see renovated and pulsing again. If you are one of the "have nots," use your resources to be on planning committees and non-monetary means.
>
> Kelly L. Ayers
> Library Director
> Oliver Springs Public Library
> Oliver Springs, TN 37840

> kellyay...@comcast.netwww.oliverspringscity.com/library

[Ellen Smith]

Jackson Square is the original retail center of Oak Ridge from the
Manhattan Project days.

Merchants have pursued the idea of "Main Street" revitalization money,
but as I understand it, the area doesn't meet the criteria for a main
street.

[Robert J. Gunter]

I would consider everything from the Turnpike - Tennessee Ave - Jackson Sq and from about La Maison (Georgia Ave) to Methodist Medical center to be the main street. This area is mostly made up of small shops in various states of repair, but would be an ideal place to showcase small business. In addition, there is plenty of parking and it is compact enough to be a walking neighborhood. Right now there is some retail/restaurants, but there is plenty of room for more.

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[obri...@comcast.net]

Tomorrow morning (friday) at 8am Mr Boatman, owner of Alexander Inn, is scheduled to be in court for codes violations.  Those of you concerned about the fate of the Alexander Inn might want to show up as a way of showing support for a beloved Oak Ridge  institution. 

[Elijah Fetzer]

What was the outcome of the court session?

E l i j a h

[Ellen Smith]

I wasn't there, but thanks to Facebook I saw a news report on the
session at
http://www.oakridger.com/breaking/x1373210169/Alexander-Inn-Next-hearing-Sept-28-potential-buyer

Ellen Smith