Copyright 2010 The Midtown Festival of the Arts, Inc.  |  Photography by Jeffrey Keesee Photography  |   Website Design by Vertigo Graphic

Vendor, artist, volunteer and other non-media contact: Holly Mull & Associates, 678-644-5809
Media contact: Nick Wolaver, Edelman, nicholas.wolaver@edelman.com, 404-832-6353

July 9, 2010
Main Stage Music Performers Announced
Our Saturday and Sunday headline acts are set. We are excited to announce the two bands that will close each day’s performances on our Main Stage.   Saturday’s Main Stage line up will be capped off by a rare performance by the Raleigh, North Carolina-based jangle-pop outfit The Connells. The Connells have multiple albums to their credit including Darker Days, Boylan Heights, Fun & Games, One Simple Word, Ring, Weird Food & Devastation, and Still Life. Tracks "Seven" and "Hats Off," from the Darker Days album garnered MTV airplay, while One Simple Word scored an alternative radio hit with the single "Stone Cold Yesterday." The album Ring, highlighted by the single "Slackjawed," as well as "74-75," was a major hit throughout Europe.   

Sunday’s line up and the festival closing will be capped off by none other than The Breakfast Club, the most well-respected, well-traveled, longest-established 80's music tribute band in the USA—and the group that started it all. Formed in December 1993, The Breakfast Club was the very first tribute band of its kind in the country. Created by Jerry Finley, who has worked with such 80's music legends as The Romantics and The Hooters, the band continues to be the most requested and widely marketable 80's tribute band in the Eastern United States.

July 1, 2010
NEW MIDTOWN FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS IS COMING TO ATLANTA SEPT. 25-26
Mayor Kasim Reed and Festival Organizers Proclaim “Welcome to Peachtree Street and the Midtown Mile”

Atlanta area residents and visitors will enjoy a new regional arts event this fall when the debut Midtown Festival of the Arts opens Sept. 25-26.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and festival organizers today officially announced details for the new neighborhood arts festival which will celebrate Midtown Atlanta’s diverse arts and entertainment offerings.

The premiere festival will be proudly presented in and along world famous Peachtree Street between 5th Street and 10th Street. The road nicknamed the “Midtown Mile” will be temporarily transformed to showcase a vibrant artist market – including up to 100 visual artists – as well as stages for performing arts, literary arts offerings, and a culinary arts area featuring chef demonstrations, special tastings and retail booths from more than 25 outstanding restaurants.

“It gives me great pleasure to announce the new Midtown Festival of the Arts and to observe the widespread community effort that brought this Festival to fruition,” said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. “The two-day neighborhood event promises to be a joyous gathering that showcases the important cultural assets of our city, embraces all of our citizens, and positively represents Atlanta's diverse cultural tapestry.”

Created by Midtown Festival of the Arts, Inc., the event also includes a family friendly kid zone, Midtown Mile Road Race, a public art display and auction, a planned beer garden and other festival attractions such as street performers, spoken word events and film presentations.                

“Our goals are to showcase the best of Midtown Atlanta while celebrating the Southeast as a destination for arts, culture and entertainment,” said Leslie Johnson, president of Midtown Festival of the Arts. “The time is right to strengthen Midtown’s already vibrant neighborhood.”

The Midtown Festival of the Arts will be a free event accessible by MARTA’s Midtown and North Avenue stations. Festival hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. A festival kickoff event is planned for Friday, Sept. 24, with an Art Auction featuring 30 bar stools created by Midtown artists. On the morning of Saturday, Sept. 25, the Midtown Mile Road Race will take place from Colony Square to the Fox Theatre (with access to the starting line via the MARTA Arts Center Station). A Saturday evening outdoor film event on Peachtree Street at 10th is planned with a start time of dusk on Saturday.                

More than 75 volunteers from across Metro Atlanta are already on board to assist organizers through several committees – including membership, sponsorship, promotions/marketing, community relations, budget/finance and volunteer committees – that started gathering in late 2009. The volunteer-based Midtown Festival of the Arts already has more than 1,050 Facebook.com/MidtownFestival fans and more than 700 Twitter followers via Twitter.com/MidtownFestival.

Individuals may also share their financial support through festival memberships, and there are more than 175 members already confirmed.

The Midtown Festival of the Arts also enjoys wide corporate support, with Audi signed on as the event’s presenting sponsor, the Loews Atlanta Hotel, Terrapin and The Coca-Cola Company as official sponsors, the Margaret Mitchell House as cultural alliance sponsor, Absolut, Emory Healthcare/Emory University Hospital Midtown, Fifth Group Restaurants, Gas South and Herradura as platinum sponsors, Jamestown as gold sponsor, and Cousins Properties and Georgia Power as silver sponsors.

Bronze sponsors include Community One, Noodle, Residence Inn Marriott, Robin’s Resumes, State Bank and the Woodruff Arts Center. Community level sponsors include Colony House, Cornerstone Properties, 805 Peachtree Condos, Metropolis, Spire Midtown and Viewpoint. Confirmed media sponsors include Atlanta INtown, Atlanta’s Finest Dining, NewsTalk 1160 WCFO-AM Radio, AM1690 WTLB Radio-The Voice of the Arts, Carma Productions, Comcast, Creative Loafing, 92.9 Dave FM, Georgia Voice, Marquee, Museums & Galleries, Peachtree Papers, and The Piedmont Review. Additional sponsorship categories are open.                

“We’ve enjoyed tremendous support from individuals, neighborhood businesses and residential groups, the corporate community and government officials,” said Johnson. “Each partner group is critical to ensure the success of the first Midtown Festival of the Arts.”                

Reed also emphasized the importance of community to create a successful event.

“As Mayor, I take pride in observing the broad based, generous and spirited support that members of our community have extended to the Midtown Festival of the Arts, and in knowing that hundreds of volunteers will make it a great success,” said Reed. “This Festival has my complete support, and I look forward to attending this new signature event in Atlanta.”                

Anyone interested in learning more about the event or how to get involved may contact the Midtown Festival of the Arts by visiting www.MidtownFestivalOfTheArts.org or by sending an email to info@MidtownFestivalOfTheArts.org.

About the Festival Organization
Midtown Festival of the Arts, Inc., is a member-supported nonprofit organization dedicated to producing an annual neighborhood arts festival. The organization aims to foster a sense of community and identity, and to support Midtown advocacy groups and safety initiatives. The festival is a volunteer-run event produced Midtown Festival of the Arts Inc. More details are available online at www.MidtownFestivalOfTheArts.org.

About the Artists and Performers
The Midtown Festival of the Arts will include artistic creations from about 100 artists, who will earn their places by selection from a national field of candidates. Works displayed will represent a broad array of art mediums including painting, photography, sculpture, jewelry, fiber, ceramics, leather, metal, mixed media, woodworking and folk/outsider art. Applications will be juried by a panel of respected local artists and art educators. Live performers are also invited to apply to be part of the festival. All applications and details are available online at www.MidtownFestivalOfTheArts.org.

June 24, 2010
A Message From the Mayor
Click HERE to read the full letter from the Mayor, supporting the Midtown Festival of the Arts! 

June 4, 2010
A Message From Our President
Dear members, volunteers, sponsors and supporters:

In April, we filed the special event permit application for the inaugural Midtown Festival of the Arts with the City of Atlanta. For the past six weeks, we have been engaged in the process of formal permit review and comment. May was a month of many, many meetings. Ultimately, the Midtown Neighborhood Association and the Neighborhood Planning Unit reviewed our application. I am happy to report that both groups voted not to oppose it. We also enjoyed a very positive meeting with all City departments, where we received only administrative comments, all of which have now been addressed.  

We recognize that an ambitious project like Midtown Festival of the Arts will impact many, many people, and we have worked relentlessly to make that impact positive for everyone. Since the very outset, we proactively reached out to everyone we can think of who might be impacted by this event—local businesses, residents, public safety agencies, neighborhood groups, churches and schools. Of course, there is not—and probably cannot be—consensus on every detail of the Festival, but in principle, we have received virtually unanimous support.  

On June 2, our application completed the review process. We delivered it to Mayor Reed, along with a thick book filled with your letters of support. Upon final review, Mayor Reed approved our special event permit—the festival will officially take place on Peachtree Street, on September 25 and 26!

Please join me in expressing heartfelt appreciation to those who have committed hours upon hours to completing documentation and advocating for the Festival during this process.  

The Festival is now four months away, and plans are starting to really take shape. This is an exciting time! Thank you for all that you have done to get us to this point. Please continue to spread the word so that the first Midtown Festival of the Arts can come galloping out of the gate and set a high standard for future Festivals.  

Best regards,                
Leslie Johnson
President
Midtown Festival of the Arts, Inc.

New Membership Giveaway
Congratulations to John Tribble for winning the May New Membership Giveaway!  Enjoy your print from Jeffrey Keesee Photography! 

For June, the New Membership Giveaway Prize is sponsored by ~Nioshii~.  Become a new member or refer a new member to be entered into the giveaway. For every new member mentioning a referring member, both the new member and the referrer will be entered into the drawing for a lithograph by ~Nioshii~!  And each new member that you refer will give you an additional entry into our monthly giveaway!  Encourage your friends, family and neighbors to support the Midtown Festival of the Arts! Visit our membership page to sign up or forward it to a friend. Memberships make a great tax-deductible gift, too!

About ~Nioshii~, “True art expresses and touches one’s soul.”  With self-discovery and engaging others through her art as the primary forces that drive her to create, ~Nioshii~ has pursued a broad range of artistic disciplines throughout her career including oil paintings, mosaics, murals, silk paintings, fabric collage, architectural woodworking and art photography. Her representational abstract style has evolved from her thoughtful, deeply emotional and spiritual, avant garde viewpoint, yet reflects her respect for traditional principles and techniques of art. Visit her website at www.nioshii.com.

Midtown Mile Road Race Presented by Emory University Hospital Midtown
Emory University Hospital Midtown (EUHM) is sponsoring the inaugural Midtown Mile Road Race of the Midtown Festival of the Arts. Saturday morning, September 25, 2010, runners will participate in a one-mile race and fitness event, beginning at Colony Square, continuing down Peachtree Street and concluding at the Fox Theatre.

The race features one wave for competitive runners and another for recreational runners, families, children and walkers. Race awards will be presented to the top finishers in three categories: men, women and children 12 and under. EUHM is located at 550 Peachtree Street, just south of the race finish line.  

Emory University Hospital Midtown is a 511-bed, community-based, acute care teaching facility and full-service hospital located in Midtown Atlanta. More than 23,000 inpatients and 144,000 outpatients receive treatment at Emory University Hospital Midtown each year. A part of Emory Healthcare, the largest and most comprehensive health system in Georgia, the hospital offers a full range of services, including general medicine, maternal and infant care, orthopedics and surgery. Women's services include prenatal and postnatal education, bone density testing, mammography and obstetrics, with a specialization in high-risk pregnancy. The hospital is well regarded for its services in cancer, cardiology, cardiac surgery, gastroenterology and emergency medicine.


May 24, 2010
New Midtown arts festival wants to close off Peachtree Street to cars Sept. 25 and 26
Maria Saporta @ 11:39 pm By Maria Saporta

Closing Peachtree Street could become contagious - in a good way.

Plans are underway to launch the Midtown Festival of the Arts during the weekend of September 25 and September 26.

The festival is scheduled to take place on Peachtree Street between Fifth Street and Tenth Street, and it already has lined up a variety of offerings - about 100 visual artists, stages for the performing arts, literary events as well as culinary arts area that will feature chef demonstrations and local restaurants.

Sounds great, right?

All that stands in the way of the Midtown Festival of the Arts is the city approving its permit applications - including the closing down of Peachtree Street to cars during the weekend festival.

As I've said before, a festival on a street dedicated to pedestrians helps bring life to a city.

The Midtown Festival of the Arts plans to do just that. There will be a family-friendly kid zone, and Midtown Mile road race, street performers and film screenings during the free event.

The organization putting on the festival believes it will help foster a greater sense of community and identity, and it will help support Midtown advocacy groups and neighborhood safety initiatives.

Atlanta has been crying out for such an event for years. For decades, the city had the annual Atlanta Arts Festival in Piedmont Park. But the Piedmont Park Conservancy and the city discouraged the expansion of major events in the park for the fear that it was being overused and abused.

The Atlanta Arts Festival then moved to downtown - embarking on an ambitious effort to take over vacant buildings and turn them into temporary art galleries. But the festival ended up spending much more money that it raised, and the Atlanta Arts Festival simply died.

A couple of years ago, a much smaller group decided to resurrect an Atlanta Arts Festival at Piedmont Park, but it is intentionally limiting the size of its festival so it won't be at odds with the conservancy's policy against have new large events in the park (unless it's a fundraiser for the conservancy, ie: the Paul McCartney concert).

That festival is scheduled to occur in Piedmont Park the weekend before the Midtown Festival of the Arts.

Locating a festival on Peachtree Street has its advantages. First of all, the area between Fifth and 10th streets is served by two MARTA stations - North Avenue and Midtown.

By closing down Peachtree Street, artists will have plenty of room to place their booths without having to worry about the potential damage to an existing green space. The street also provides ample space for thousands of people to stroll along the corridor.

In a statement Leslie Johnson, director of the Midtown Festival of the Arts, and the idea already has taken hold along the route.

"We've enjoyed overwhelming support of the businesses in the area immediately impacted by the Festival," Johnson said in a statement. "We also are fortunate that almost 200 individuals have stepped forward with individual support through memberships."

"100 percent of the business owners between 5th Street and 10th Street have signed letters in support of the festival. Now, all we need is for the city to approve the permits."

(SaportaReport)


May 6, 2010
501(c)(3) Status
The IRS has approved our application as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization. The approval confirms that donations to the Midtown Festival of the Arts are tax-deductible—including all donations made since we formed.

The IRS raved about how well organized we are and how well we have incorporated financial responsibility provisions in our charter and bylaws. They were particularly impressed that we proactively addressed matters like conflicts of interest, nepotism and financial responsibility before we started conducting business.

Festival Permit Review Coming Up!
We have BIG news to share this month: we have filed our comprehensive special event permit application with the City of Atlanta! The permit application includes details about every aspect of the Festival, from security to advertising to recycling. The permit will be reviewed by several influential neighborhood groups and city departments before going to the Mayor for a final decision.   

Speak up for the Festival
We need YOUR help!  The City of Atlanta is ready to review our festival permit and we need community opinion to support staging this outstanding event. That’s where YOU come in!

We’ve provided a way for you to make your voice heard with a minimum of effort on your part. Follow the link to our website and take a few moments to complete the Speak Up for the Festival Web form with your name, street, and (we hope) a supportive comment about your enthusiasm for  the festival—let’s tell Atlanta why the Midtown Festival for the Arts is the premier arts event in the city.

Remember “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”? A supportive letter campaign can work wonders…“Yes, Atlanta, there is a Midtown Festival of the Arts!”  Send your support today and help build a groundswell of support for the inaugural event.

Your comments will be collected via a private email address (speakup@midtownfestivalofthearts.org) and used this one time as a show of support for Midtown’s newest festival, featuring the Southeast’s best visual, performing, culinary and literary artists. Your enthusiastic comments about the festival and its celebration of the arts, businesses, residents and lifestyle of Midtown will influence your Mayor, City Council Representative and other City committees who are evaluating the Festival permit.  

Important dates in the review process:

• Midtown Neighborhood Association (MNA) License & Permits Meeting: The meeting with the MNA License & Permits Review Committee will be held on Monday, May 24, 6:30 p.m., at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.

• MNA Board Meeting: The MNA Board Meeting will take place on Thursday, May 27, 6:30 p.m., at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.

• NPU-E Meeting: The NPU-E Meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 1, 6:30 p.m. at Peachtree Christian Church.

You can make a difference. Your voice matters. Speak up for the Festival, today!

NEW MEMBERSHIP GIVEAWAY!
Become a member or refer a new member today to be entered in a giveaway for a great prize from May’s feature artist Jeffrey Keesee Photography!

We love every one of our members…we couldn't have this Festival without you! In fact, we'd like to have more members, and we're asking for your help.

Encourage your friends, family and neighbors to support the Midtown Festival of the Arts! For every new member mentioning a referring member, both the new member and the referrer will be entered into the drawing. You encourage two new members to refer you? You are entered twice into our monthly giveaway! Visit our membership page to sign up or to refer a friend.  Memberships make a great tax-deductible gift, too!

For May, the Membership Prize is sponsored by Midtown photographer Jeffrey Keesee. Jeff is an Oregon-bred, Atlanta-based photographer who loves interpreting what he sees around him with his camera, creating work to be enjoyed as handmade gift cards and larger, matted prints.  See what people love about Jeff’s work, from weddings to nature to travel, at www.jeffreykeeseephotography.com. The winner will select a photo off his website and receive an 11x14 matted, signed print.

Congratulations to Jeremy Bright for winning the April New Membership Giveaway!  Enjoy your Mark Edge jewelry!

April 8, 2010
We are on the search for 30 local Midtown artists to participate in a  Public Art Display and Auction for the Festival. Because Midtown is THE destination for great food and drink in Atlanta, we've selected unfinished wooden bar stools to be transformed into works of art by 30 different Midtown artists. These pieces will be displayed around Midtown for all to see and admire. Just imagine all the possibilities of enhancing one of these bar stools with your creativity! Each stool promises to be a unique and fantastic conversation piece. If you are an artist or know of one, we would like to hear from you! Don't delay, because we can only take 30 participants.  Contact Patsy now to take part.

April 8, 2010
We love every one of our members . . . (we simply couldn't have this Festival without you). In fact, we'd like to have more members, and we're asking for your help. Each month, new members will be entered into a monthly giveaway for a fantastic prize! We have new prizes lined up for each month. Memberships make a great tax-deductible gift, too! Click here for details.

For April, the Membership Prize is sponsored by Midtown's own Mark Edge, renowned jewelry designer! See why Mark's fashion-conscious AND eco-conscious interpretations have attracted a loyal celebrity following at www.markedge.com.

April 8, 2010
We are now taking applications for local and national artists to perform during the Festival for general audiences and in the Kid Zone.  We will be scheduling performances at our multiple stages and venues, including our Main Stage. We are looking for musicians, bands, singers, dancers, actors, comedians, magicians, jugglers, acrobats, filmmakers, poets, storytellers or any unique performing artist.  Ready to become a part of the Midtown Festival of the Arts? Fill out the application form before the deadline date of July 1st.

April 8, 2010
We think that Midtown is the most exciting, beautiful and diverse neighborhoods in all of Atlanta, and we want you to help prove it.  We’re launching a new campaign called Picture Yourself On The Midtown Mile, and asking you to take a picture of yourself (or you with your friends or loved ones) at any point along the Midtown Mile. Email your picture to pictureyourself@midtownfestivalofthearts.org. 

April 1, 2010
Welcome to the new Midtown Festival of the Arts Web site! Learn more about the festival and ways you can help plan, volunteer, support, participate and sponsor!

April 1, 2010
Picture yourself on the Midtown Mile! Email a picture of you in front of your favorite spot on the Midtown Mile and we'll post it on our Web site! Email to: PictureYourself@MidtownFestivaloftheArts.org.

December 16, 2009
The search for sponsors is in full swing! Join other great businesses and organizations like Georgia Power, Woodruff Arts Center and The Colony House by sponsoring a great, community festival in Midtown! Click here to go to the Sponsorship Page or email a Sponsorship Team Member at info@MidtownFestivaloftheArts.org.

December 16, 2009
Calling all Midtown Residents! Midtown deserves this kind of celebration for the arts, but we can't do it without a cast of thousands. The Midtown Community is strong, and becoming a Founding Member of this festival is a great way to give-back to your community! Become a member by January 31, 2010 and have all the prestige of not only being a member, but being a Founding Member! Click here to view our Membership Page. Join today!

December 16, 2009
Great businesses support the Midtown community! Click here to see the businesses and organizations sponsoring the Midtown Festival of the Arts. Check back often to see the great businesses and organizations who support the Midtown community!

.