NORWICH, NY — 2018 was a banner year for Colorscape Chenango, the premier arts festival in Central New York. Colorscape enjoyed excellent attendance approaching 12,000 visitors, and received recognition from Sunshine Artist Magazine, a national arts publication, of the festival’s ongoing success: Colorscape was named one of the 100 Best Fine Art and Design Shows in the nation.
Building on this momentum, organizers are announcing some important dates as they plan Colorscape’s 25th anniversary.
March: Colorscape is still accepting artist applications through March 8. Because it is a juried show, the work lining up the artists must take place well ahead of the festival dates. Interested artists can access application materials on the Colorscape website: https://colorscape.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019-trifold-lo-res.pdf
April: Promoting student art has always been a goal of Colorscape and this year the festival is making a “big” statement about the importance of arts education. Colorscape and co-sponsor Golden Artist Colors, Inc., are hosting a billboard art challenge for high school students titled, “Art Can Change the World.” The contest asks Chenango County high school students to create two-dimensional work in any media, 12 inches high x 25 inches wide, to express that theme. Submissions are due Friday, April 26, 2019. The winner’s work will be displayed as a 12 foot x 25 foot billboard on Route 12 in Norwich from July to October 2019. Five finalists will receive $250 gift certificates from Golden Artist Colors. Interested students may obtain applications at https://colorscape.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Billboard-Challenge-permission-form.pdf
May: On May 16, festival organizers will host an invitation-only 25th Anniversary event called “The Fete” to be held at the Colonia Theater in downtown Norwich, NY. Building anticipation for Colorscape itself, the Fete will honor current, past, and forthcoming volunteers, and corporate and business partners. Attendees will celebrate the festival’s history and celebrate the tremendous growth of recent years while enjoying food, drink, door prizes, and the unveiling of a unique video about all-things-Colorscape. To join the festivities, you may pledge to be a “C-Scaper,” or supporter, by calling 607-336-3378. Current and past volunteers and partners/sponsors can RSVP by contacting Board President Melissa DeCordova at nmdec3@gmail.com.
Colorscape’s 25th anniversary year promises to be a thrilling one. Watch for upcoming announcements about this year’s national recognized headlining musicians and performance poet.
About Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival: Recognized as being one of the top 200 arts festivals in the country by Sunshine Artists Magazine, Colorscape has been celebrating premier artists in downtown Norwich since 1995. The two-day, always FREE, rain-or-shine festival in September features well over 100 creators displaying and selling their paintings, fabric art, fine crafts, photography, jewelry, and more. Colorscape also offers nationally renowned musicians on two stages, poetry and literary arts, puppetry, food, and hands-on activities for families. The 2019 Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival will be held September 7 and September 8 in the East and West Parks in downtown Norwich, NY. For more information, visit www.colorscape.org.
[See also the Tuesday, March 5, 2019 edition of The Evening Sun: Chenango County’s Hometown Daily Newspaper.]