ARTreach Festival Coming to Long Reach on June 20

The Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) is pleased to announce ARTreach, a free, outdoor, community arts festival at the Long Reach Village Center on June 20, 2015 from 11 AM to 4 PM.

From world music to watercolor, ARTreach has something for everyone! Talk with artists in a variety of disciplines and watch them practice their craft. Participate in drop-in, hands-on arts activities for all ages. Listen to a lively selection of music on two festival stages. Visit a gallery exhibit or experience outdoor art installations. Witness the unveiling of new artwork for the village center. Be entertained by stilt walkers, magicians, mimes, balloon twisters, face and body painters, caricaturists, and more.

Musical performances range from classical hip hop to multicultural fusion to global percussion. Attendees can also enjoy demonstrations of Capoeria, an African-Brazilian martial art incorporating music and dance-like movement, and performances by the Celebration Church dance ministry and Beale Street Puppets. At 12:00 PM, County Executive Allan Kittleman, Council Chair Mary Kay Sigaty, and Council
member Calvin Ball will join Columbia Festival of the Arts Director Todd Olsen and Howard County Arts Council Executive Director Coleen West to speak about efforts to revitalize Long Reach. A detailed performance line-up will be available on the ARTreach website.

Visual arts demonstrations scheduled to date include: blacksmithing with Ken Strosnider; ceramics with the Columbia Art Center; chainsaw-carved sculpture with Evelyn Mogren; Chinese brush painting with Yolanda Koh; fiber arts with the Weavers Guild of Greater Baltimore; glass bead-making with Mid Atlantic Glass & Fire (formerly Mid Atlantic Glass Beadmakers); watercolor with Joyce Bell, Stephanie Lyon, and Chaya Schapiro; and woodworking with the Mid-Maryland Wood Turners Club.

In addition to enjoying performances and demonstrations, festivalgoers can participate in a hands-on community mosaic project to beautify the village center, as well as the ARTreach Totem Project, “Moving Forward Together.” Workshops to make piñatas, tie dye t-shirts, prints, paper masks, puppets and more round out the day.

The arts are vital to building positive, thriving places to live, work, and play. ARTreach is a partnership between Celebration Church, Columbia Association, Columbia Association Art Center, Columbia Festival of the Arts, Howard County, Howard County Arts Council, and Long Reach Community Association. Help us engage the community and re-imagine Long Reach—the village with a heart—by infusing its center with visual, literary, and performing arts.
To learn more or to get involved, contact 410-313-ARTS (2787) or outreach@hocoarts.org, visit www.artreachhoco.org, and follow ARTreach on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ARTreachHoCo and Twitter: @ARTreachHoCo.

IMAGE (courtesy of the artist): CAISO Steel Drum Band is just one of the musical acts that will perform at ARTreach on June 20