The 27th annual celebration of arts and arts education, ArtsFest ’09, will be held by Georgia Southern University’s Department of Art on Saturday, April 4, at Sweetheart Circle. This free event, which will last from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., will showcase art, music and dance.

“For the past 27 years, the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art has hosted the spring arts festival, providing “a day for the arts” to Bulloch County and the surrounding region. Generations of families hold fond memories of this event that was once a part of their childhood, and is now part of their own children’s experience,” said Patricia Carter, Chair, Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art.

Some of the event’s highlights will be a performance by SamaTo, an African drum and dance ensemble, an Artists’ Market, where visitors can watch artists demonstrating their talents as well as purchase artwork, and there will be over 25 different hands on areas where visitors can create their own art. Other activities include singing, dancing and acting on the Community Stage sponsored by the Averitt Center for the Arts, an exhibit, Gallery in the Round, that will display the artwork of students in area schools.

“This year’s ArtsFest will once again capture the best of the visual, performing, literary and musical arts and bring them to campus for all to enjoy,” Carter said, “Our goal is to provide such a quality and quantity of arts events that attendees end their day at the festival with pure exhaustion and unlimited inspiration from the exhilarating fun they had.”

Carter believes the ArtsFest is helps the spirit of the Georgia Southern and Statesboro communities.

“It’s a way for us to show what we do to the community so they understand the arts better. It’s a way student can give back to the community,” Carter said. “It’s also important that we are providing a really great day that is free.”

Carter said that ArtsFest ’09 will happen rain or shine, and the events will be moved inside the Center for Arts and Theater if there is rain.

Look for a review of ArtFest ’09 as well as video and photos from the event on The Boro News website soon.

For more information visit the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art website

Mark Beavers