SaratogaArtsFest Brings 100 Art Exhibits and Performances to Saratoga Springs During Four-Day Festival: June 7-10, 2012
SaratogaArtsFest 2012 will bring nearly 100 performances and events to 54 venues throughout Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for this third annual citywide celebration of the arts, June 7-10.
The four-day festival will feature local, regional, and national artists spanning music, dance, visual art, film, theater, and literary art. The line-up includes the legendary Paul Taylor Dance Company; Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy; saxophonist Eric Alexander, named musician of the year by JazzWeek in 2003; Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble ACJW; the Stefanie Batten Bland dance company; the SITI Company theater group; and the Trilaterus Trio, featuring Ron Wasserman from the NYC Ballet Orchestra.
A celebration of local talent
SaratogaArtsFest 2012 will also celebrate a wide range of local talent, from acclaimed artists to young performers from area schools. Among the visual artists will be abstract painter David Miller and ceramist Regis Brodie, both Skidmore faculty members whose work has been shown widely. The Skidmore Dance Showcase will feature Skidmore faculty members Debra Fernandez, Ruben Graciani, and Mary Harney.
The area’s musical talent will include the Albany Symphony Orchestra’s brass quintet, led by trumpeter Eric Berlin; Lake George Opera of Saratoga; the Saratoga Chamber Players, and Albany rockers Big Nixon. The Albany-based New York State Theater Institute will present a production for children titled Letters from a Window in the Sky.
This year, the ArtsFest will add a jazz club to its offerings to provide an intimate nightclub setting for musicians and audiences alike. Held on Friday and Saturday night (June 12 and 13) at Tiz Now Restaurant, 54 Henry St., in downtown Saratoga Springs, the club will feature New York City-based jazz pianist Jason Domnarski, as well as area groups—the Pete Weise Quartet, Brian Petneaude, and the Ria Curley Band. On Friday night there will also be an earlier jazz performance by Kat Spina at the Wine Bar on Broadway.
Alliances make the ArtsFest possible
“We are extraordinarily proud to solidify SaratogaArtsFest as the gateway for the arts season and to become a tradition for Saratoga Springs, as we launch the third year of this annual event,” said Marie Glotzbach, president of the SaratogaArtsFest board of directors. “We hope to further establish Saratoga Springs as a center for culture and the arts.”
Glotzbach emphasized the growing partnerships that make the ArtsFest possible, noting a long list of alliances with groups representing the community, the arts, and education, as well as the support of sponsors and patrons. “The ArtsFest is a truly the product of a community collaboration, and seeing this wide array of groups come together with a common goal is fantastic,” she said. “There’s a lot of positive energy here, and it is exciting to share it and watch participation grow.”
Appeal to a wide audience
Designed for both the seasoned arts enthusiast and the casual arts consumer, including families with young children, SaratogaArtsFest will offer a wide array of events and performances. Venues will be located throughout Saratoga Springs, including theaters, museums, performance spaces, restaurants, galleries, and schools.
To appeal to a younger audience, SaratogaArtsFest will offer an extensive lineup of workshops, exhibits, and demonstrations for children including the Flying Kite Children’s Theater, the Amazing Kids Circus, storytelling, and dance workshops, as well as performances by the Saratoga Springs Youth Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble and other youth groups.
Through a new program titled Project YES! (Youth Experiencing SaratogaArtsFest), the festival’s organizers are teaming up with the Saratoga Springs City School District to give away complimentary ARTSPASS Admission Packages in each of the public schools, for a total of 250 in the district. Winners will get special back-stage access to some of the performers, as well as a half-price admission for an accompanying adult.
Purchase of the ARTSPASS Admission Package
The ARTSPASS Admission Package provides access to nearly 100 events and performances throughout the city. In addition, pass holders receive discounts and perks at area shops and eateries during the festival, as well as year-round benefits at area galleries, theaters, and museums.
The ARTSPASS Admission Package can be purchased online at www.saratogaartsfesrt.org or in person at the SaratogaArtFest Center and Gallery, beginning May 15 (details on location and hours to come). Adults $30
Seniors (65+) $25
Students and military $15
Youth (children 3 to 11) $5
(Free for children under 3)
Family Four Pack $65 (two adults, two youth)
There will be a bonus tote bag for the first 250 people to pick up their admission packages at the SaratogaArtsFest Center and Gallery, beginning May 15.
Goals and sponsors
The mission of SaratogaArtsFest is to establish Saratoga Springs as a premier arts destination with a comprehensive, community-wide arts festival that showcases local, regional, and national artists. SaratogaArtsFest is committed to increasing appreciation for the arts, expanding audiences, and strengthening cultural tourism in the region.
Major sponsors of SaratogaArtsFest include Adirondack Trust Company, CDTA,
Designsmith Studio, Interactive Media Consulting, Quad Graphics, Rotary Club of Saratoga Springs, Skidmore College, Star 101.3, Stewart's Shops, TheSaratogaLife.com, the Times Union, and WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
Established in 2007 as a means to deliver the brilliance and energy of art in its many forms – music, dance, visual art, film, theatre, and literary art, SaratogaArtsFest aims to expand appreciation for the arts with performances and exhibits by emerging and established artists with local, national and international reputations at diverse performance venues and exhibit spaces in Saratoga Springs.
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