Oak Ridge, Tenn. – (May 21, 2010) –A returning favorite to the 8th Annual Secret City Festival is a juried arts show, presented by the Oak Ridge Arts Center, which will take place in the Oak Ridge Civic Center gymnasium, June 18 and 19. This event, called TN Creates, will feature 30 of the area’s finest artisans including woodworkers, potters, soap makers, gourd artists, jewelers, printmakers, candle makers, and much more. Most of these artists are members of the Foothills Craft Guild and/or the Oak Ridge Art Center.
On-going demonstrations of jewelry, pewter casting, printmaking, and wheel-thrown pottery, plus hands-on activities for all ages will be offered throughout the day. Raku firings will be held by the free shuttle drop-off from noon to 4 pm.
Some unique pieces of art that festival-goers will find at the TN Creates juried art show include crocheted pieces, frame weavings, printmakings, glass art, paintings, photographs, and much more.
Demonstrations will include raku pottery firings outside the gym, while inside Obayana Ajanuku, Ruth Prince, and George Kidd will be creating jewelry. Jane Cartwright will be creating hand-built ceramic pieces; Sue Thomas, Jane Longendorfer and Peg Henderson will be modeling clay; and other members of the Art Center will be on-hand to demonstrate their mediums. Betsy Spooner will be doing a demonstration that should be of interest to scrapbookers or other artists who are seeking a way to make repeating images or patterns. She will be cutting linoleum block and printing a variety of blocks she created.
According to Judy Kidd, who is helping to head up TN Creates this year, packages will be held for purchasers until 6 pm so they won’t have to lug them around the festival grounds, and major credit cards will be accepted. For those festivalgoers who get so excited by what they see at the festival that they want to learn a craft themselves, an information area will showcase upcoming Art Center courses and special workshops. For further information, contact the Art center, 482-1441.
For more information on the Secret City Festival, visit www.SecretCityFestival.com or call the information line at 425-3610. This year’s festival sponsors are the City of Oak Ridge and B&W Y-12, and the festival is presented by the City of Oak Ridge, Arts Council of Oak Ridge, and the Oak Ridge Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Immediate Release: May 21, 2010