KINGSPORT - In celebration of the amazing community project known as the Kingsport Carousel Project the City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts proudly presents East TN/Southeast VA/Western NC’s PREMIER juried, high quality, annual fine arts and crafts show. Exhibitor applications are available now for the March 2014 show. All work must be hand-made fine craft/art work done and shown by the artists. Exhibitors will be selected for participation based on the decisions of the Juror and Selection Committee/Staff and the number of spaces available.

This juried show of quality exhibitors is open to all fine artists, artisans, craftspeople, photographers and printmakers.

Download the exhibitor application: www.Arts.KingsportTN.gov/cfcs

POSTMARK DEADLINE: Sept. 30, 2013

Site: Kingsport Farmers Market, Corner of Center and Clinchfield Streets, Kingsport Tennessee
2014 Show dates:
March 21, 22, 23, 2014

Gala event: Friday March 21: 6 pm – 9 pm

Show hours:
Saturday March 22: 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday March 23: 10 am – 5 pm

The Brass Ring Gala opens the show.  It is a reception for the public and our fine craft artists to meet & greet and to share some food, music, shopping and community spirit. It is a fundraiser for the Kingsport Carousel Project. Last year’s Brass Ring Gala was the largest art event in Kingsport history! My New Favorites, local Americana band will perform again this year!  Tickets are $35 and available now at www.EngageKingsport.com

It started as one man’s dream to have a carousel for the Kingsport community. He talked to a few fellow Kiwanis members into investigating the idea and the Four Horsemen took charge.  At about the same time, a group of friends of the arts, who wanted to support a greater involvement in the creative community, formed Engage Kingsport, Inc., a non-profit community organization.  Engage Kingsport’s mission is to support and expand the work of the Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts.  Engage Kingsport adopted the Carousel Project as its first major project.

Currently the Carousel Project has a carving studio at the Lynn View Community Center where carvers and painters can be found working on their hand-crafted animals Monday through Saturday. In March 2012 volunteers completed painting unique Kingsport scenes on rounding boards for the carousel. The work continues until the 1956 vintage Herschell frame is in its own roundhouse connected to the Kingsport Farmers Market. Completion date is set for Spring 2014.

About the City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts & Engage Kingsport:

City of Kingsport Mission: The mission of the City of Kingsport is to provide economic, educational and quality of life opportunities that create a safe, vibrant and diverse Community.

The City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts, part of the City of Kingsport, connects, coordinates and engages the public with a creative community.  It operates a public art program, concert and theatrical events, the Kingsport Carousel Project, the Carousel Fine Craft Show and a broad range of support to the area’s arts organizations.  They work in tandem with Engage Kingsport, a private 501(c)3 non-profit organization, in order to facilitate their objectives.

The City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts and Engage Kingsport’s goals are to collaborate with a variety of arts organizations as well as non-arts organizations, with the aim of increasing opportunities and outlets for artists of all types. As Kingsport becomes a destination for artists and art enthusiasts, new markets and opportunities emerge. The City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts and Engage Kingsport are dedicated to cultivating cultural assets and promoting them as vehicles for economic development within our community.

For more information contact the City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts at (423) 392-8414