"This is our 68th year of holding a festival here in Austin for arts," says Eric Hiduke, Chairman of the Board for Art Alliance Austin. "It used to be called Fiesta, used to be held at Laguna Gloria. We do it a little differently now."
The name and venue has changed several times over the years, and the festival is now held at Palmer Events Center and known as Art City Austin. But the core mission is still the same -- to present artists and art patrons. "We have between 120 and 150 artists every year," Hiduke says. "They're artists from all over the country, [but] we do try to feature local artists."
"It's a juried event, and we really focus on mixed medium, so we'll have a lot of fiber, woodworking, painting, sculpture," says Andrea Hyland, events and program manager for Art Alliance. "[And] we're really excited to have a couple of local artists doing installations."
Photographer Greg Davis is happy to be returning to Art City this year. "For me, I get to meet new collectors, I get to hang out with some friends who come in from out of town that are other artists, get to be inspired by their works as well," he says. "I'm just excited to be a part of it."
It's not always easy for artists like Davis to meet their audience in person, and events like Art City help to make that happen. "I actually get to engage and interact with the collector face to face; I get to feel and see their emotional response to the work I'm creating," he says. "That's why I do it."
Art City Austin takes place on April 13 - 15 at the Palmer Events Center.
