Creative Clay, Inc., will hold its annual Folkfest St. Pete Nov. 5 and 6 on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg’s Edge District. This 10th anniversary of the folk art and music festival, held in front of Creative Clay’s headquarters 1114 Central Avenue, benefits its programs that make the arts accessible to all.
The festival attracts national, regional and local artists and draws 5,000 visitors annually. In addition to folk artists, there is continuous music throughout the festival. The schedule for this year’s musical acts is:
Saturday November 5:
9 a.m.-12pm: WMNF-FM’s “Florida Folk Show” Airing Live
12:15-1p.m.: Passerine
1:15-2:15 pm: Joe Milligan Project
2:30 pm-3:30 p.m.: Rebekah Pulley & the Reluctant Prophets
3:45 pm-4:45 p.m.: Well Worn Soles
5-6 p.m.: Dean Johanesen Trio
6:15-7:15pm: Dropin Pickup
7:30-9 p.m.: AJ Ghent band
Sunday November 6, 2016:
10-10:45 a.m.: Nicholas Roberts
11am-11:45: Rosewood Creek
12pm–1pm: Chant the Trees
1:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m.: Paul Sprawl
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.: UNRB
3:45-4:45 p.m.: Ari and the Alibis
This year’s Folkfest artists include Missionary Mary Proctor, Don Stone, Bean Spence, Hugo Pocaro, Katherine Michael, Jellykoe and more. Creative Clay’s member artists also exhibit and sell their work, as part of the non-profit’s vision of making the arts accessible to all. All proceeds from the festival benefit Creative Clay’s Community Arts Program, which provides professional arts instruction to individuals with disabilities five days a week.
The festival is still accepting artist vendors. Booth fee for two days remains unchanged at $150.00, with set up on Nov. 4. Booth sizes are 10” X 10”. Exhibiting artists receive free parking at Tropicana Field Lot 6, coffee and light breakfast each morning of the festival. Festival times are Saturday, Nov 5, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday Nov. 6, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We are so excited to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Folkfest St. Pete,” said Folkfest St. Pete Director Emily Turnage, who also serves as Creative Clay’s Community Arts Director and Volunteer Coordinator. “We’re offering spaces for local and national folk artists alike to enjoy two days of music, art and fun in our vibrant Edge District. The best part is that all funds raised benefit our member artists and help us increase our programming and enhance our educational offerings.”
Creative Clay also announced that this year, with the addition of many, diverse restaurants in the Edge District, there will be no food vendors. Instead, many of the restaurants, including Hawker’s, Bodega, Bavaro’s, Red Mesa Mercado, Enigma, Ferg’s and others will be open throughout Folkfest weekend.
“We want to honor the businesses who have chosen to invest in St. Petersburg’s EDGE District and whose livelihood and success depends on serving the people in and around the EDGE and St. Pete, as well as those traveling from outside the area to attend Folkfest,” said Creative Clay CEO Kim Dohrman. “We couldn’t think of anything better than to encourage Folkfest attendees to patronize the businesses right in our own neighborhood.”
Creative Clay’s mission is to provide expressive, educational and vocational opportunities in the arts for people with obstacles to arts access. We serve people with developmental, physical and emotional disabilities, as well as people in healthcare settings, children, veterans, and provide outreach art experiences in our community. Creative Clay’s range of innovative programs and special events celebrate community and the richness of our local and regional arts. In addition to its core program Community Arts, Creative Clay programs include Creative Care Arts in Healthcare, Artworks, Artlink, Summer Youth Arts Camp, Transition and Open Studio. These programs serve hundreds of individuals every week. Visit www.creativeclay.org for more information. Like our Creative Clay and Folkfest St. Pete Facebook pages; follow us on Instagram @creativeclay and @folkfeststpete and on Twitter @creativeclay.