Salem Arts Festival: Socially Distanced Edition – Safe Community Arts Celebration
The Salem Arts Festival returns this year with special socially distanced programming devoted to the arts in our community. Although gathering in person isn’t possible for this year’s event, the Salem Arts Festival committee was committed to supporting Salem’s creative community and is excited to share that #ArtWillHappen. This annual event typically draws about 6,000 attendees and brings a major economic boost to our historic seaport, and we’re all looking forward to this year’s socially distanced version and plus 2021’s event which is set to be bigger, better, and stronger than ever!
The 2020 Salem Arts Festival will include:
Mural Slam – This year’s mural slam is still on (just not in public!) Thanks to the Salem Public Art Commission and the festival committee, a dozen local artists will be creating new murals for Artists’ Row during a virtual festival. They’ll be sharing their progress on the murals via the @salemartsfestival Instagram, and the murals will be installed in the week following the festival. Follow the festival on Facebook and Instagram for artist announcements!
Tiny Dances – Festival committee member Betsy Miller is creating five original dance pieces that will be recorded in different locations around Salem. The dances will be released virtually during the weekend of the festival!
Chalk Art – This year’s festival will also celebrate the Salem Public Art Commission’s Chalk Art Initiative by asking our community to make their own art. On Saturday, June 6, join Studioful Design and artist Maia Mattson by creating your own chalk masterpiece with the theme #ArtWillHappen (which can mean anything!)
More ways to get involved:
To spread the word that #ArtWillHappen, Salem Arts Festival is looking for you to share examples of what that means to you! Join the festival by sharing…
- Videos or photos of art-making, performance art, readings, etc…
- Information about livestreams by local performers during the virtual festival
- information on art-making or art-loving events scheduled for the weekend of the festival
SUBMIT YOUR ART-MAKING HERE!
Don’t forget to follow the festival on social media to take in all of the weekend’s virtual events and tag @salemartsfestival and #ArtWillHappen, #SAF2020 and #WeAreSalem in your own posts!
The Salem Arts Festival is organized by Salem Main Streets and is co-produced by the Creative Collective and would not be possible without the generous support of sponsors and volunteers. The Salem Arts Festival is just one part of Salem Main Street’s effort to promote Salem’s downtown neighborhood as a destination for attractions, community projects, dining, shopping, and cultural events throughout the year. For more information about the Salem Arts Festival visit SalemArtsFestival.com or follow the event on Facebook.
