ArtsFest 2016 Kicks Off Friday

“ArtsFest” returns to New Rochelle and Pelham, kicking off on Friday, September 23rd with a free Drive-In Movie Experience at Hudson Park (in partnership with YoFi Fest). The fun starts at 5:30 pm with food trucks and live music by Third Stone; the feature presentation, “The Blues Brothers” starring Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi, starts at 7:30 pm. Parking for 54 cars will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and there will also be a free ArtsFest trolley running between the New Rochelle train station and Hudson Park from 6 to 11 pm for those who prefer to park off site and bring a blanket or a beach chair.

ArtsFest continues on Saturday, September 24th and Sunday, September 25th, and the weekend will be packed with a full calendar of art events and activities, from behind-the-scenes tours of artists’ studios -- including world renowned 3-D artist Charles Fazzino’s Museum Editions studio, where visitors can meet the artist and dabble in interactive arts projects – to a Classic Car Show, LEGO ® Day at the Huguenot Children’s Library, a dazzling “Dance Fest” on Saturday afternoon and the 5th annual Lincoln Avenue Arts & Culture Fest (sponsored by grow! LPGC) with activities, demos, food and music. Also on the menu are art exhibits at the High Brook Studio, 5 Anderson, 4H4 Gallery, College of New Rochelle, Iona College, Jolo’s, Patricia Miner-Sutherland, Gallery Roc and the New Rochelle Public Library, interactive activities at the Pelham Arts Center and a free “History Hop” trolley tour giving a narrated tour of downtown points of interest both days, plus film screenings at the New Rochelle Public Library and New Rochelle High School.

“Each year ArtsFest grows in different directions,” observed NRCA President Theresa Kump Leghorn. “This year we’re collaborating with YoFiFest so we’ve got more film events on the calendar, and NRCA Board member Donna Wood Sanders, a former principal with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, is organizing an amazing afternoon performance we’re calling DanceFest.” The ArtsFest committee includes Leghorn and NRCA Board members Charles Fazzino and Angela Derecas Taylor along with Julie Maner.

Participating artists and venues as of press time include Charles Fazzino Studio, Highbrook Studio, H4H Gallery, Rotunda Gallery at City Hall, 5 Anderson Street (New Rochelle BID and Residency Unlimited), Jolo’s Restaurant, R Patisserie, Iona College, Huguenot Children’s Library, New Rochelle Public Library, Uncle Louie G’s, Coleman School of Dance, Gallery Roc, Alvin & Friends, Pelham Art Center, transFORM Gallery, Songcatchers, Monroe College, Thomas Paine Cottage, Backstreet Gallery , Mateo Mattia /The Cobbler & Cordwainer, MESH Print Studio, Jesse Sanchez, YoFi Film Festival, Museum of Arts & Culture, New Rochelle High School, Jesse Sanchez Studio, College of New Rochelle, Ground Floor Co Working, New Rochelle Artists Association (NRAA), and the 5th Annual Lincoln Avenue Arts & Culture Fest - grow! LPCG's Art in the Garden.

An official ArtsFest calendar was mailed to city residents and is available at venues as well as online at www.newrochellearts.org . “Designing, printing and mailing the calendar, plus the cost of renting the trollies and other equipment really adds up, so we’re very grateful to the generous sponsors who make ArtsFest possible,” added Leghorn. ArtsFest sponsors include Gwen Appleyard, Charles Fazzino, ArtsWestchester, Montefiore, Alvin & Friends Restaurant, Iona College, Haina Just-Michael and Bernard Michael, Gallery Roc, AJ’s Burgers, the New Rochelle BID and John Reverrol (R Patisserie).

Organized by the New Rochelle Council on the Arts, ArtsFest highlights the variety of arts and arts venues in New Rochelle and Pelham, with art exhibits, programs and family-friendly activities at more than two dozen venues that give both visitors and residents alike a window into the city’s rich cultural and artistic diversity. The celebration will include live music, great food, exciting performances, and eclectic shopping. Visit the NRCA website at www.newrochellearts.org or email info@newrochellearts.org for more information.