The Festival of the Arts and 20 other cultural organizations that make up the Grand Rapids Arts Working Group will be working together to host a Virtual Arts Festival.
The event will stream live on WOODTV.com from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. June 5 with an encore June 6.
The Virtual Arts Festival is happening on the same weekend the Festival of the Arts was scheduled for in downtown Grand Rapids.
“Partnering with over 20 arts and culture organizations, the production/design team of Sidecar Studios and Well Design, and hundreds of artists and performers on the Virtual Arts Festival showcases the collaborative spirit of our community,” said David Abbott, executive director of Festival of the Arts. “The recent restoration project of Alexander Calder’s La Grande Vitesse celebrates the restorative power of the arts for us all.”
The virtual event will feature local artists in performing, visual and culinary arts, including the Grand Rapids Symphony, Ebony Road Players, Grand Rapids Ballet, Opera Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Mighty Wurlitzer Organ and more.
“People need the arts now more than ever as we begin to process this epidemic and move forward,” said Emilee Syrewicze, executive director of Opera Grand Rapids. “The ingenuity of Festival of the Arts by creating this virtual event signals a wonderful opportunity for healing in our community.”
“It’s been a privilege for the Grand Rapids Symphony to serve as honorary co-chairs for Festival of the Arts this past year,” said Mary Tuuk, president and CEO of the Grand Rapids Symphony. “Though it won’t be the same, we’re just as thrilled to share our gift of music with the community at the Virtual Arts Festival. Music not only is one of our greatest joys, it’s one of our greatest sources of comfort in trying times. When we need it, we can count on music to nourish our soul and lift our spirits.”
Interested performers can submit a video to festivalgr.org/virtual-art-festival by Friday. Submissions must be original work or public domain to be considered.
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