28 Aug The History of Arts in the Heart
The Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival had its humble beginnings in a rather unique way. In 1981, on the Augusta College (now Augusta University) campus, the Greater Augusta Arts Council with suggestions from the local community created the “Collage ’81 Festival.” Dr. Russell Moores, who was chairperson of the Arts Council and one of the organizers for the festival, recalled that first weekend as a rainy one. However, the weekend’s rain did not dampen visitors’ enthusiasm for the art exhibits, theatre and music performances that had to be hurriedly relocated indoors.
Steven Walpert, who was an Arts Council board member and the then Director of the Fort Gordon Drama Department (now the Presidential Dinner Theatre), has been credited with the creation of this festival. His original vision was to give arts exposure to the people in the Augusta community who might not otherwise have the experience. From that first festival, it was clear to organizers that there was a desire from the community to come together to celebrate the arts in its many forms.
Later in 1981, Historic Augusta held its own festival – called Holiday in Old Augusta, in front of the Augusta Richmond County Municipal Building on Telfair Street. It had been presented as an “ethnic” festival, highlighting the dancing, music and distinctive foods of different cultures in and around Augusta who had all contributed to the area’s rich history in some way.
Both festivals were impressively successful. It did not take long for organizers from both events to join forces. So, in March 1982, The Greater Augusta Arts Council and Historic Augusta formed a new committee and chose a new name for the merged celebrations:
Arts in the Heart of Augusta.
From there, with the enthusiastic support of the local community and the City of Augusta, the Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival moved to the parking lot of the Augusta Richmond County Municipal Building at 535 Telfair St. Each year a different cultural organization would be featured as a host and festivalgoers would experience unique cuisines, stages with live music, theatre and dance, along with amazing visual artists from Augusta and beyond.
The festival’s growth in the 1980s had allowed the organizing committee to expand the map to cover the Augusta Museum of History grounds, which at the time was housed in the Old Medical College building on Telfair Street.
With each passing year, the festival grew. Eventually, the need for an even larger space arose. The Arts in the Heart Committee transplanted the festival deeper into the heart of Downtown Augusta, GA near to the Riverwalk (between the Riverwalk and Reynolds St.) in the mid-1990s, where a revitalization plan had been initiated in the years proceeding. Families enjoyed the shade from the trees and proximity to the Savannah River as well as the use of the new fixtures such as the Jessye Norman Amphitheater and the Morris Museum of Art, which had both opened in the early 1990s.
Entering into its teen years in the late 1990s to early 2000s, the Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival saw another growth spurt, which came with its own unique dilemmas. The unpaved parking lot that had housed the festival for several years was having issues keeping up with the volume of patrons and issues with puddles and potholes began to cause concerns.
With safety in mind and a new Greater Augusta Arts Council Executive Director, Brenda Durant, at the helm, the festival was moved to the center of Downtown Augusta, GA; on Broad Street.
The Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival has been on Broad Street for some years now, taking over several blocks (and counting) with each passing festival. With its growth, the festival now features multiple local cultural organizations. The Festival Committee is dedicated to highlighting the diversity that makes Augusta, GA a great place to be and welcoming visitors and locals alike to experience all that the arts have to offer.
Rhian Swain, who is a local artist and owner of RedWolf Marketing, has been designing what is now known as “festival people”. These artworks are something that the community has come to know and love as a representation of all that Arts in the Heart is about; a coming together in celebration of all the amazing, colorful individuals who make Augusta, GA an arts and culture destination.
The Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival now features more than 20 cultural food booths in the Global Village, 5 stages for music, theatre, and dance, more than 150 fine arts and crafts vendors, 15+ local arts non-profit organizations, a Literary Lounge that hosts many local and Georgia based Authors, an extensive Family Area with street performances, a young artists market, and a Cultural Arts and Crafts Passport with free activities for children and their families.
Thank you, Augusta, GA for 42 amazing years (and counting)!