The 8th HopeArts Festival -- at last!

Here is the PSA our lyrical PR man, John Rasco, wrote up today and began sending out. A lot of work and a lot of hands have gone in to making this festival a success. Your team is everything and I've had an excellent one this year. God bless 'em. I'm proud of them. We've got a "zero embarrassment" festival on our hands: embarrassing ourselves neither as Christians nor as artists. Thank God for many years to learn our lessons well. We've needed every single one.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- June 21, 2007

8th HOPEARTS SUMMER FESTIVAL ANNOUNCED
(Community-Wide Festival, July 12-22, 2007)


AUSTIN, TEXAS – Any mention of Austin brings to mind images of creativity and a city which celebrates community through festivals. For many artists, dancers, poets and musicians, public performance is the whole purpose behind years of training and hours of practice—to see the gift of their creativity shared with an appreciative audience. It’s not surprising, then, that Christian artists—the group U2 are Christians who make art, not “Christian art”—have created a uniquely Austin festival, the 8th HopeArts Festival, running from July 12 through July 22, 2007.

From East Austin to Sixth Street to classic Austin neighborhoods, the HopeArts Festival intentionally goes where people are, bringing a unique contribution of passion, excellence, faith, jubilation and community. According to David Taylor, the festival’s founder and the arts pastor of Hope Chapel, many people first experience their spiritual nature in “an esthetic epiphany.” “Whether it’s a provocative film by Alejandro González Iñárritu or listening to a plaintive song by Patty Griffin, the beauty expressed by artists reveals the resonant presence of God, an echo of his own creativity at the dawn of time, in the life of Christ, in the ongoing work of his Spirit” said Taylor. “That’s worth celebrating, and not just annually.”

Schedule of Events

July 12 (Thu): Acoustic Showcase (The Parish Room, $5) 8 pm
July 13 (Fri): Visual Art Opening (Hope Chapel), 7-10 pm,
8 pm – performance art plus gallery talk
July 14 (Sat): Children’s Art Pavilion (Hope Chapel), 10 am-12 noon; Classical Music Concert (810 W. 31st St., $5), 8 pm
July 15 (Sun): Interview with Guest Visual Artist, Pamela Nelson (Hope Chapel), 9 am & 11 am; “5-Minutes Max with Artists,” (Hope Chapel), 3 pm

July 20 (Fri): Spoken Word (Café Mundi), 7 pm
July 21 (Sat): “Creativity Circus” (Hope Chapel), 9 am – 2 pm; “C.S. Lewis on Stage,” (Hope Chapel, $5), 7 pm
July 22 (Sun): Interview w/ Guest Performing Artist, David Payne (Hope Chapel), 9 am & 11 am

Note: Hope Chapel events are at 6701 Arroyo Seco. The venue is just a few blocks north of Koenig Lane, in the Brentwood neighborhood.

ABOUT THE HOPEARTS EVENTS

Acoustic Showcase (The Parish Room, $5) The 8th Annual HopeArts Festival presents its Acoustic Showcase Thursday, July 13 at The Parish Room, upstairs at 214 East Sixth. This evening of performances by local artists includes singer-songwriters, troubadours, and rockers with unique combinations of passion, excellence and faith. Join us for a one-of-a-kind concert event.

Visual Art Opening (Hope Chapel) This juried show showcases the work of over 30 local and regional artists, including the work of this year’s guest visual artist, Pamela Nelson, from Dallas. The reception, at Hope Chapel on Friday, July 14, opens at 7:00 pm, with performances at 8:00 – modern dance by Annette Christopher and electronic music by David Kline. Guest visual artist’s talk at about 8:20, and the reception closes at 10:00 pm. Notable for her passion for art in public places, Pamela Nelson has an eight year appointment to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which meets every month to review art and architecture in Washington. She was the design artist for four light-rail stations, a recent commission at DFW Airport.

Classical Music Concert (810 W. 31st St., $5) ‘Classical in the Hood’: This Concert takes place in Central Austin's Heritage Neighborhood at the historic Bellmont-Cogdell House, 810 West 31st Street, July 14, 2007 at 8 pm. Enjoy the home's gardens before the concert. Doors open at 7:30 -- seating is limited, so reserve your space by calling 459-8848 and show up by 7:45!

“5-Minutes Max with Artists,” (Hope Chapel) On Sunday, July 15, at 3 pm, artists selected for the HopeArts exhibition will have the opportunity to discuss their work and answer questions. Each artist will have 5 minutes, so it’s a great opportunity to get inside a wide range of some very creative minds.

Spoken Word (Café Mundi) Come join us for an evening of lyrical beauty as artists recite poems, essays, and reflections under the stars at Cafe Mundi. The cafe is located at 1704 East 5th Street, just a block east of Comal. Bring your outdoor chair, sip a latte, and enjoy some great cafe dining. The Spoken Word is one night only, Friday, July 20. The first artist will go on promptly at 7pm.

“C.S. Lewis on Stage,” (Hope Chapel, $5) Guest performing artist David Payne performs at Hope Chapel, 6701 Arroyo Seco. Inspired by C.S. Lewis' autobiography Surprised by Joy, "An Evening with C.S. Lewis" is an uplifting one man play about the victories and defeats that make a man a legend. With his trademark wit, the world-renowned author, played by David Payne, shares the remarkable events that shaped his life, including his journey into faith and the tragic death of his wife that made him question it all.

About HopeArts
Launched in 1998 as a celebration of visual, poetic and performance art, the HopeArts festival grew out of founder David Taylor’s desire to foster a community of artists committed to producing a kind of art he called “gracious subversive.” As Arts Pastor at Austin’s Hope Chapel, a small church in the middle of a central-city multicultural neighborhood, Taylor has spent the last eleven years shepherding believer artists away from a utilitarian mindset and toward a more holistic and hospitable esthetic. Austin’s eclectic creative landscape has proven the perfect environment for Hope Chapel’s reformative ministry through the arts.

PS: Many thanks to Samantha Wedelich for the festival design/logo. She's a bang-up designer with a mean eye for color. I've always found her artwork imbued with a poignant emotion, like a kind of sad longing; but very beautiful.