The Phoenicia Festival of the Arts is Back!

The Phoenicia Festival of the Arts returns for its second annual celebration of consciousness, community, and creativity with a month-long extravaganza! Nestled in the picturesque Catskill Mountains, August is the perfect time to visit Phoenicia, NY. And what better way to spend your day than to immerse yourself in a rich tapestry of art exhibits, workshops, mixers, performances, and community art projects?

The festival launched on Thursday, August 1st, with a sunset intention-setting gong ceremony offered by HariPrakaash, a poetry reading by Sparrow, an acoustic guitar tribute to the Catskills by Paul McMahon.and art exhibits at VARGA Gallery, Bettina and Ulster Savings Bank.

Throughout the month of August, the Varga Gallery will host a variety of creative workshops and there will be a special celebration of the many BIPOC artists participating in this year’s program with a special BIPOC Art Hang on Friday, August 23rd, on the Boardwalk.

Artists exhibiting work in the Festival of the Arts include:

Scott Ackerman, Christina Brady, Sadee Brathwaite, Edward Burden, Noel Chrisjohn Benson, Rich Cali, Scarlett Cussell, Ryan Cronin, Melanie Delgado, Patrick Dennis, David Ellis, Chie Fueki, Anna Laura Hafner, Kenichi Hiratsuka, Andrew Kirschner, Robyn Lawley, Norm Magnusson, Paul McMahon, Noel McGrath, Christine Moss, Marcie Paper, Claudia Renfro, Simi Stone, Alice Teeple, Chloe Valentine, Christina Varga, John Vitale, Nichole Washington, Adam Zaretsky.

Talks & Mixers on the Boardwalk

Be sure to stop by the festival to join in a series of talks and mixers on the Boardwalk including:

• “Tapping Into the Flow State” with Mami Onami, Saturday, August 10 from 1pm – 3 pm, followed by an Anything Goes Q&A.
• AI x ARTISTS, Saturday, August 10 at 5pm – Artist/activist/model Robyn Lawley joins BioArtist Adam Zaretsky in a discussion about the intersection of AI, Artists, and Autonomy.
• Leaning Into Your Unique Style of Parenting with Mami Onami, Saturday, August 24 from 1pm – 3 pm.
• High Tea with the Ladies of Hinterland, Sunday, August 18 at 4pm – Meet the collective of women artists, designers, makers, and artisans from the Hudson Valley.
• Media Mixer on the changing landscape of media- Friday, August 30 at 6 PM with Theresa Widmann of the “I Want What She Has” Radio Show, Brett Barry of the “Kaatscast” podcast, and Terry Dagrosa, Editor In Chief of INSIDE+OUT Upstate NY.
• Sadee Brathwaite – Artist & Advisor – Artist Talk and Affirmation Session “30 Days of Affirmation” card deck with Guided Meditation Sunday, August 25 at 3pm

Performances on the Boardwalk

• Laszlo Lang, Woodstock-based guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Friday, August 16 at 6pm
• Scarlett Cussell and Nichole Washington, Saturday, August 17 – Live Art Performance Piece with DJ Nick Neutronz
• Princess Wow in Woodstock: How a Hat Designer Started A Revolution – Mindy Fradkin, Sunday, August 18 at 6pm
• Shamsi Ruhe – Live Music – Friday, August 23rd at 6pm
• Patrick Dennis – Art & Music performance 5pm – 7pm on the Boardwalk highlighting the Media Mixer on The Changing Landscape of Media
• On Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 6pm, join poet, actor, editor, and performer Phillip X Levine, who brings back Phil’s Short Attention Span Variety Show – Redux, featuring numerous voices of all shapes, sizes, and sensibilities.

It’s a Wrap!

The festival concludes with a grand finale on Saturday, August 31st, promising a climactic celebration of creativity and community spirit with performers and performances. A full schedule is available at www.VARGAgallery.com.

Top: Scarlett Cussell and Courtney Salerno Bottom: Christine Moss

Photos Courtesy of Christina Varga + Phoenicia Festival of the Arts
Featured Photo: Norm Magnusson

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