ArtWorks Committee well prepared for festival’s second year

Published 10:21 am Monday, July 15, 2013

Five banners hang from a building along Main Street. Among them is a banner for the second year of the Austin ArtWorks Festival which is fast approaching.

Five banners hang from a building along Main Street. Among them is a banner for the second year of the Austin ArtWorks Festival which is fast approaching.

The Austin ArtWorks Festival is just six weeks away, and the Austin ArtWorks Committee is prepared for its arrival.

“All the artists have been scheduled,” said the festival’s Executive Director, Jennie Knoebel. “We’re just setting up logistics.”

According to Knoebel, all that’s left now is getting advertisements out and attaining sponsors and volunteers for the event on Aug. 24 and 25. Bonnie Rietz, co-chair of the event, said people have already put much time into preparing.

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“There’s a lot of prep work,” Rietz said. “We’ve been meeting for several months getting ready for the festival.”

According to Knoebel, attendees are likely to notice a few changes. For instance, the festival is incorporating a set of garages across from City Hall this year for a glass blower and a potter to perform in. Other additions include a concert featuring Martin Zellar and Cloud Cult at 7 p.m., Aug. 24 in Marcusen Park, and a calligrapher scheduled to examine an ancient Bible. The ArtWorks Committee is also sponsoring the 5k Color Dash on Aug. 18.

According to Rietz, more than 5,000 attendees went last year, and she expects even more next month.

“It’s bigger and better than last year,” she said. “We’re expecting that it’s going to go very well.”

The festival is Aug. 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Aug. 25 from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets for the Martin Zellar and Cloud Cult concert are $20 before Aug. 1, and $30 after. For more information or to buy concert tickets, visit the website www.austin artworksfestival.org.