If you go
› What: 4 Bridges Arts Festival› Where: First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Reggie White Blvd.› When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, April 21; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, April 22› Admission: Free; fee charged for parking in Finley Stadium lotsPreview Party› When: 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 20› Admission: $100› For more information: www.avarts.org
The largest number of artists yet, 522, applied for this weekend's 4 Bridges Arts Festival.
Of those, 146 artists from 28 states were selected by judges to show their work in the prestigious show of fine art and craft on Saturday and Sunday, April 21-22, in First Tennessee Pavilion.
"It's a very diverse group overall," says Phyllis Mescon, 4 Bridges festival director. "There are 13 mediums, it's all original art, and price-wise I've seen work from $25 going up to $10,000."
Mescon says 21 of the accepted artists are local. And there is a lot of new work to be seen among all exhibitors since only about half have exhibited in 4 Bridges in past years.
The festival is not only a showcase for professional artists' work, but a booster for new artists' careers through the Emerging Artist Program, which promotes new, dynamic talent.
The Emerging Artist program is open to artists age 18 or older who live within a 300-mile radius of Chattanooga. They must have produced a body of work that clearly expresses his or her creative intent and artistic skill. Those chosen receive mentoring from professional artists as well as a booth in the 4 Bridges Arts Festival. Through this program, AVA broadens the professional experience of emerging artists while increasing the opportunity for the public to discover a new artist.
The nine emerging artists at this year's festival will be Amber Droste, Melissa Gates, Jamie Peterson, Mercedes Lianos, Kris Genier, Zachariah Cross, Susan Fox, Mark Gates and Carlin McRae.
Judging this weekend's applicants were Katherine Taylor, a painter from Atlanta; Andrew Glasgow of Asheville, N.C., former executive director of the American Craft Council; Krista Eubanks, painter and graphic designer; and clay artist Mary Lynn Portera.
New this year: There is no admission ticket required to enter the festival. However, visitors will pay to park in the Finley Stadium lots using either ParkMobile app, which can be downloaded to your cellphone, or the freestanding kiosk in the parking lot.
"We didn't feel like we could charge for the festival when the stadium is charging to park. We wanted to encourage people to come," says Mescon. She adds that free admission is a growing trend in arts festivals around the country, so AVA decided to join that number.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.