(FREE) Arts Festival 2024
(FREE) Arts Festival 2024
Story by Chelsea McConnell | Staff Writer
➡️ This article is one of the FREE preview articles included with our free membership option, we hope you enjoy this free content!
➡️ Do you love reading stories from Ponca City Monthly? Don’t miss a single article, sign up for our email newsletter and get them delivered directly to your inbox. You can subscribe here.
It is said that wisdom comes from experience. When planning a community event with a long and successful history, the collective experiences of the past are where one must go to glean wisdom needed for making future events a success. The sentiment of learning from those who came before him is not lost on City Arts Executive Director, Terron Liles. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Ponca City Arts Festival, making it the longest running fine arts festival in the state of Oklahoma. This year’s event will be held Friday, Sept. 27-Saturday, Sept. 28.
Co-Chairing this year’s event are City Arts President Chelsi Hendrickson and volunteers Liz Leaming and Rachel Stewart. Hendrickson shares, “I am really excited about the 50th Annual Arts Festival this year. I have attended this festival as a Board Member and Chair for City Arts for the past several years, and to have the opportunity to be a Co-Chair for the event is very fulfilling. City Arts dedicates their time to promoting, teaching and nourishing visual arts, and planning this festival allows us to aid in that endeavor.”
Liles, Assistant Executive Director, Kestrel Tinklenberg and the Co-Chairs have been working diligently to ensure this year’s event builds on the success of previous festivals. Liles says, “We try to carry on as many of the traditions from the original guardians of the Art Festival as possible. We have worked hard to continue their legacy.” Stewart adds, “We are excited to build on this success and continue to grow the festival, ensuring that it remains a highlight of our community's cultural calendar.”
As with any event or organization that has stood the test of time, City Arts and the festival have both evolved over the years. This evolution is critical to both the organization and the event’s longevity, as stagnation rarely leads to improvement. Liles says this of the festival’s more recent evolution, “It always pulled at our heartstrings to leave Soldani Mansion. But being able to get the festival to the Cann Gardens has been amazing because that allows for a true cement path. I can’t think of a more gorgeous setting, and it’s truly helped us with artist recruitment and retention.”
In honor of the festival’s 50th anniversary, they plan to grow their numbers and host at least 50 artists. There will be a healthy mix of local artists, as well as artists from all over the country. Artists will show in categories including oil, acrylic, watercolor, photography, pastel, pencil, printmaking, sculpture, pottery, ceramics, jewelry and textiles. Entry into the show is juried. City Arts strives to have a healthy variety of art for our community to enjoy. Liles shares, “It is important to be open-minded and remember art is subjective. We want to have something for everybody.” Stewart adds, “The festival not only brings a diverse range of artistic expressions to our city but also has further inspired creativity and appreciation of the arts within our city and surrounding areas.”
New to the festival this year is the Patrons on the Patio event that will be hosted Friday evening from 4-6 p.m. This VIP event is for patrons who have purchased $150 or more in Festival Dollars.
Festival Dollars are simply a commitment to spend money directly with artists participating in the festival. They can be purchased via the City Arts website by any individual or business. Liz says, “The Festival Dollars are a fabulous way to save slowly for a larger gorgeous piece of art to wear or hang or display. Plus, you get to attend a VIP event Friday evening!”
The Patrons event is being catered by Enrique’s Mexican Restaurant and will feature delicious snacks and margaritas. Beginning at 4 p.m., the Patrons event allows these VIPs entrance into the festival an hour earlier than the general public. Last year over $10,000 in Festival Dollars was sold! Liles is proud of the way local patrons support this event. He says, “The way Ponca City attends and shops the Art Festival shows that our community understands why they should invest in genuine art, originals or signed prints from artists. Ponca has always done a good job of appreciating the visual arts and trying to fund it as best they can, and I think the festival exemplifies that.”
Leaming adds, “The Arts Fest has had such a deep impact on Ponca City over the last 49 years. Hosting this 50th event in September holds special meaning for me personally. It was the (then Arts Association) Board of Directors that gave me a purpose and passion and connection to the Ponca City community nine years ago when I began serving. The community of artists, beautiful art, beautiful discussions that came from the art, the events, and the children that have been taught and impassioned through classes and camps over the years are only some of the reasons that this place is so special. The impact of the arts in our community has had a great effect on how we continue to develop – and the 50th Arts Fest feels like it will be the culmination of that beautiful work.”
Returning to the festival this year is the Saturday morning brunch with bottomless mimosas from 9-11 a.m. Tickets are $45 and will feature a decadent brunch catered by beloved local chefs Paul Muehlberg, Nancy Tyndall and Larry Bittman. Leaming says, “Saturday’s brunch is the best way to spend a Saturday morning in the fall – champagne, homecooked food by local chefs and a wander through a shady festival full of creatives.”
Another inventive aspect of the event coming back this year is the Member’s Booth. The Member’s Booth is a booth space set up and run by City Arts exclusively for their members. Members who don’t wish to have a booth of their own can submit pieces to hang for sale in the Member’s Booth. This is a great opportunity for novice and veteran artists alike. Tinklenberg explains, “It gives newer artists the confidence to step out of their comfort zone and be in a festival without the pressure of having to set up by themselves. I also love that we had some more experienced artists that showed in the member’s booth too because they don’t have the ability to set up on their own anymore. You have all levels of talent without all the extra pressure.”
Over $25,000 worth of art was sold at the festival in 2023, and sales are expected to grow this year. $1,500 in cash prizes will be awarded, as well. Best of Show receives $500. First, Second and Third place in both 2D and 3D receive $200, $150 and $100, respectively. The recipient of the Florence Riesen Novice award receives $100. Betty Scott shares more about this special award, “Florence was one of the original “Dabbers” that met in each other’s homes to paint. They all decided to buy the Art Center for Ponca City to have a place to make art. She was a long-time member of the Board of Directors. As a tribute to her an award was named The Florence Riesen Award, and it is given to the best up-and-coming artist at the annual art show.”
The Ponca City Arts Festival will start Friday, Sept. 27, with booths open to the public from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 28 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Make sure to snatch your Festival Dollars and Brunch tickets if you want to be included in any of the VIP events. For more information, visit City Arts website at www.pcarts.org. Be sure to also follow City Arts on Facebook as they share details about all the bonus events being held along with the festival, as well as announcements about artists who will be attending.
➡️ Opt in or out of different newsletters on your “My Account” page.
➡️ Learn more about Ponca City Monthly+
Ponca City Monthly is a locally owned media company that delivers hyperlocal news through in print and online.
Like what we are doing? Feel free to forward this along and tell a friend.
Sponsorship information/customer service: email editor@poncacitymonthly.com