The calendar's about to flip to May, and with that comes a splash of color and creativity courtesy of the Kingsport Cultural Arts. For those who appreciate a touch of the arts in their weekend plans, the 2nd annual Kingsport Arts Festival is poised to unfurl its canvas on May 3, turning Shelby Street into a veritable gallery of regional talent.
Gearing up for a day that promises an explosion of artistic activities, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., attendees can expect to marvel at live iron pouring with WNC Sculpture, glassblowing with Ryan Gothrup and the fiery ceramics Raku Firing with the Clay Gurus, and these are just a few hints at the sensory feast in store for the festival-goers.
Families and art enthusiasts alike will be treated to tie-dye festival shirts provided by Engage Kingsport, along with chalk art, large canvas finger painting for those budding Picassos in the making, and for the detail-oriented crowd, miniature painting courtesy of the Kingsport Library. If that's not enticing enough, more than a dozen vendors will line the block, complemented by a gallery crawl and a scavenger hunt that could leave participants with more than just a new appreciation for the arts.
An unmissable highlight, a spectacle sure to draw the eye, "The Carousel Horse Brigade," a parade of six fiberglass carousel horses painted and curated by local businesses and organizations, is on the docket, ready to spin its magic and imagination; the concept is not foreign to Kingsport's artistic ventures, reminiscent of the fiberglass goats that starred during the 2023 GOAT Festival.
"Our focus this year is still on creation and involvement," Linore Huss, Kingsport Cultural Arts Program Leader, laid out their mission in a recent announcement, as per the City of Kingsport, "Showcasing creative techniques is something not typically found at other festivals, so we believe people will come away excited and hopefully inspired by what they saw demonstrated."
