ROYAL OAK - A selection of artists will display and sell their work at the 16th annual Ford Arts, Beats & Eats presented by FirstMerit Bank on Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30-Sept. 2 in Royal Oak.
As one of the nation's premier juried art shows, the Juried Fine Art Show again will be a highlight of this year's festival, with top artists from across the continent vying for cash awards totaling $7,500. It will showcase art in a variety of media, including ceramics, digital art, drawing, fabric/fiber/leather, glass, graphics/printmaking, jewelry, metal, mixed media 2D, mixed media 3D, painting, photography, sculpture and wood. Artists will come from all over North America to display, share and sell their work. Festival patrons have the opportunity to peruse works at more than 140 artist booth spaces.
The jury competition was fierce this year, with more than 500 artists vying for 140 slots in 14 different mediums. Festival jurors remarked on the high-quality of the artwork they viewed from 26 states, Canada and Mexico, as well as the number of great Michigan artists who had applied. With 40 artists from Michigan selected and having agreed to participate, the 2013 art fair will have the highest percentage of local artists be on display in the festival's 16-year history.
New this year, for the first time in partnership with Ford Arts, Beats & Eats, the DIA will showcase high quality reproductions of artistic masterpieces from several notable collections at this year's festival. The exhibit will be located at InsideOut on East 7th Street within the Ford Arts, Beats & Eats festival footprint and offer patrons a first-hand encounter with an incredible display of videos, paintings and other visual arts as well as all the richness the DIA has to offer in downtown Royal Oak. This exhibit joins the ranks of a small number of hand-selected cities and other venues that value the connection between the community and Detroit's cherished art museum.
The DIA's ongoing program, Detroit Film Theatre, will present the internationally acclaimed animated film "A Cat In Paris" for the kids and cinema buffs alike. The 65-minute program will be shown inside the Oakland County Parks Kids Zone from 8:30-10 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.
For more information, including info on music and food, visit artsbeatseats.com.
