Roxborough 'Art Is Life' Spring Street Festival Is Sunday

ROXBOROUGH --The Roxborough Development Corporation is hosting its second annual “Art Is Life” festival on Sunday, April 17, 2016 from 12 noon until 6:00 pm along Ridge Avenue between Green Lane and Leverington Avenue in Roxborough, they announced in a press release.

“Art Is Life” is a free, unique spring street festival that celebrates the myriad ways in which art enters our everyday lives. The three performance stages will feature culinary arts presented by Two Chef’s, fashion and performing arts hosted by Philadelphia-based musician Ben Arnold, and visual art presented by DesignBlendz and hosted by Philadelphia-based mural artist Alloyius McIlwaine.

“We are proud to bring the Art Is Life spring street festival concept back to Roxborough for its second year,” said James Harry Calamia, RDC Executive Director. “We’re excited to be able to showcase many of Philadelphia’s most dynamic artists in the fields of music, fashion, visual and culinary arts. The festival will illuminate the many ways in which the arts inform and inspire all of us every single day.”

The “Art Is Life” live stage presentations are as follows:

FASHION & PERFORMING ARTS STAGE - See the area's most eclectic, eccentric, fashion-forward boutique Kandichet, as well as powerhouse vocalists and soothing singers. Ben Arnold, a Roxborough native and Philadelphia-based musician, will be hosting American singer-songwriterAdrien Reju, Kevin Hanson of the Fractals, Jeannie Brooks Jazz Duo and Steve Butler and Fran Smith of Smash Palace.

VISUAL ARTS STAGE - Philadelphia mural artist and fashion designer, Alloyius McIlwaine, will feature visual artists with live on stage performances featuring drawing, crafting and painting. One of the unique artists who will be on-hand is Daniel Duffy of Philly Word Art whose text illustrations have become cult classics for Philadelphians and sport enthusiasts across the country. Adjacent to the stage DesignBlendz will feature "Interactive Design Build” demonstrations where they use virtual reality to design space for client construction projects. Event attendees will be able to sit on a chair and put on virtual reality goggles that allows them to envision design before construction.

CULINARY ARTS STAGE - Roxborough native Chef Dan D'Angelo, alongside Chef Joseph Shilling of Two Chef’s, will present specialty tastings through imaginative cooking demonstrations throughout the day, featuring local and regional chefs.

In addition to the aforementioned stage performances and demonstrations, the family-friendly “Art is Life” festival will feature numerous fun and recreational activities for children, gourmet food trucks, and the Art Is Life Beer Garden featuring Slyfox Brewing Company. In the event of rain, the festival will take place, Sunday, April 24th.

Event organizers expressed their gratitude to East River Bank, DesignBlendz, On Demand Urgent Care and Brown’s ShopRite for supporting this year’s Art Is Life event.