Slingshot Festival Organizers Apply for $15,000 Grant

Kai Riedl and Eric Marti have each been to arts and music festivals around the country, and the world, for years. They decided that Athens should have its own version of something like Austin's South-by-Southwest, and this past spring launched Slingshot.

Held in March during spring break, the celebration of music, electronic arts and technology drew about 500 people. There were bands and events in downtown clubs and venues, and outdoor art installations. Visiting artists came from Italy to participate.

Now, the two men are applying for a $15,000 grant through the Georgia Department of Economic Development to expand the festival, hoping to attract 3,000 people next March. They've raised a matching $15,000, mostly from various UGA sources.

The Athens Downtown Development Authority Board voted Monday to approve letting the authority be the pass-through agency for the grant application. Awards will be made in mid-September.

Riedl is a Ph.D. candidate in music at UGA, while Marti is a faculty member in the art school, as well as a composer and sound artist. The two plan to bring even more international artists and technology entrepreneurs to Slingshot next spring, and are working with cultural attaches from Italy, France and Germany to do so.

"When I look at Athens, I realized it's overdue to open the gates," Riedl said.

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