Sat 8/9 @ noon-9PM
Five years ago, Cleveland artist/muralist Dayzwhun started a little festival he dubbed the St. Clair Art Fest, taking place on the corner of St. Clair Avenue and East 40th Street where his tattoo studio Red Lion (which doubles as a gallery packed with visual art) is located.
Now, in its 6th year, what began as a block party has outgrown the corner and will be a full-blown street festival sprawling from East 41st to East 45th Street. It’s the first year the street will be blocked off. He’s got some new partners too, including the Brownhoist, a vintage office building that’s now a hub for the arts, located at East 44th and St. Clair, plus city council persons Anthony Hairston and Stephanie Howse Jones. He says the nearby Ingenuity Festival will have a presence, and that the network of musicians and artists who will be present has expanded.
“It’s a celebration of the arts,” he says. “I noticed that not all of people were being represented in the arts, and I thought this would be a contribution as well to a scene to a community. I want to add something to it. Being that hip hop has been a strong contribution to my life I felt the need to do an event that would honor not only hip hop [music] but the artistic side of hip hop — graffiti art, dancing. It is the 50th anniversary of hip hop. We want to show the next generation the role the arts play.”
That will include more than 50 vendors, performers and artists of various types, including graffiti and mural artists, as well as hands-on artmaking opportunities with a chalk artist, ceramics instructor and more. Music will be provided by Joe Abrams & The Faces of BELMEZ, Muamin Collective, PEACHCURLS, and others; comedians Ramon Rivas and Dashawn will bring the laughs, Poetry Unplugged with bring the verbiage, and Deep Roots Collective, the art gallery in Fairfax, is putting together a “Word is Born” installation. There’ll be a Family Zone in the street and the Brownhoist will be open as an 18+ gathering place. And yes, there will be food trucks.
“There’s a little bit of nervousness,” says Dayzwhun. “It seems our date has become a little more popular as far as having events. We’re in competition with a lot, but it’s a nice-sized city with a lot of people. It’s amazing to have it in the street, let the kids draw in the street. Having performances in the middle of St. Clair is going to be exciting.”
“It’s about revitalizing the neighborhood,” he adds. “St. Clair has a strong artist community. Not just us, Ingenuity is here, a few other galleries. It’s the first year we’ve opened it up to neighborhood more — community through arts. Unity in the arts is building.”
The festival is free and open to all. Go here for more information.