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10/5/2008 Houston, TX-- This fall more than 300 fine artists from around the U.S. and the world will embellish the streetscape of the nation’s fourth largest city to create one of the premiere art festivals in the country: Bayou City Art Festival Downtown. The juried fine art show is slated for October 18-19, 2008, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

With Houston’s dramatic skyline as its backdrop, the larger-than-life mosaic is composed of artists exhibiting for sale works representing 19 different art media. The 12th annual event is located in and around City Hall/Hermann Square on Walker, Bagby and McKinney Street as well as Sam Houston Park and the Houston Public Library Downtown Plaza. The City of Houston closes streets to vehicular traffic to promote a stress-free outdoor art gallery geared to the entire family.

Bayou City Art Festival Downtown, held annually every October, includes the interactive Capital One Bank Creative Zone with free art projects and activities for children, the Houston Arts Alliance performance stage offering continuous multi-cultural musical and dance entertainment, ongoing visual art demonstrations, restaurants and wine cafes.
Bayou City Art Festival ranks among the top art festivals in the U.S. according to AmericanStyle Magazine,

The Fall 2008 featured artist is J.D. Hillberry, a multiple award-winning charcoal and pencil artist, whose works may evoke M.C. Escher, according to Art Colony Association Executive Director Kimberly Stoilis. Hillberry pushes the limits of realistic expression with drawing, with his subjects fooling the eye into thinking that real objects are displayed in a shadow box frame.
This Fall there were a record-breaking number of artists’ applications for the Festival. The media formats at the Festival will include clay, drawing/pastel, fiber/textiles, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, watercolor and wood. In addition, the “Art on Water” floating art installation will grace City Hall’s Hermann Square Reflection Pool. An array of visual artists will provide close-up demonstrations of their work, such as pottery making, origami Japanese paper folding, guitar making, wood carving or doll-making.

This year’s Festival coincides with the international convention of the Society of American Travel Writers in Houston.
Tickets are $10 for adults and free for children 12 and under.
The City of Houston and Houston Parks & Recreation Department, Budweiser Select, Sweet Leaf Tea, and KTRK-TV are among the Festival sponsors. The Festival is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

Over the past 37 years, the Art Colony Association, producer of Bayou City Art Festival Downtown in the fall and Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park in spring, has raised more than $2.4 million for local nonprofit organizations. The Art Colony Association is a 501 C-3 organization.

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