ArtSlam 2016 brings art to the streets of downtown Bradenton
For one day this weekend, Old Main Street will transform into a massive art studio.
Saturday brings the fifth annual ArtSlam to downtown Bradenton. It's an all-day, free celebration of Bradenton-area arts, artists and arts education.
"We'll have 22 teams of artists, both young artists from schools and professional artists," said Holly Lundgren, the events and creative services manager for Realize Bradenton, which organizes ArtSlam every year. "It's like a one-day art gallery with pop-up installations, musicians and performers. The public has a lot to do with creating the art. The public gets to be artists for a day."
Among the teams that will be working with the public to create original artwork during ArtSlam is Manatee County Public Library Youth Services. Its team members will help slam-goers create a fashionable outfit using recycled book pages and do-it-yourself recycled jewelry. Manatee Art Education Association will allow people to create their own decorative fans, and The Music Compound lets visitors to its tent to make their personalized musical instruments. Bayshore High School will have murals with outlines of Bradenton-area scenes, and the public will complete the murals with paints.
But you don't have to be an artist, even for a day, if you don't feel like it. Lots of the teams will be creating work that doesn't require audience participation. Chalk artist Matt McAllister will create a visual representation of an alien attack titled "Mars is Watching." And a balloon artist named Nerdy Noah will make balloon animals.
In it early years, ArtSlam was a competition. But Lundgren said that format was abandoned starting with last year's event to put more emphasis on the artists and on the creative process.
"Everyone's a winner," she said.
Many of the artists are returning from last year, but Lundgren said some at Realize Bradenton are excited about some of the newcomers.
One of the newbies is Inspiration Academy. Their students will take video of ArtSlam patrons getting creative with glitter and props. The footage will be edited together into a slow-motion video that will be posted on a Facebook page after the event.
Palmetto High School students will paint visitors' faces to look like one of three superheroes. (They're not revealing which superheroes before hand.)
Besides all that art. Arts Slam features all-day live music from Billy Burke & Erik Livingston, Dan & Becca Shafer, Lesa Silvermore and Michael Miller.
ArtSlam is going on at the same time as the regularly schedule Bradenton Farmers Market. The market usually closes up at 2 p.m., but most of the vendors will stay open until 4 this Saturday.
About 14,000 people attended last year's ArtSlam. Lundgren said that ideal weather predicted for this weekend promises to bring out at least that many, and maybe more, this year.
Here's a list of all the teams in the 2016 ArtSlam:
"Recycled Fashion" with Manatee County Public Library Youth Services. Create a fashionable outfit using recycled book pages and make your own recycled jewelry.
"Be a Fan of Art Education" with Manatee Art Education Association. Express yourself creatively by crafting your own decorative fan.
"Comedy, Magic and More" with George Gilbert. A comedy magic show featuring mind-boggling tricks, audience interaction and hilarious improvisation.
"Mars is Watching" with Matt McAllister Art. Watch chalk artist Matt McAllister create a colorful mars attack alien close up.
Original art by Jason Edmiston.
"Chalk Art for Kids" with Manatee Young Professionals. Kids are invited to create their own chalk masterpieces.
"The Nerdy Noah Show" with Nerdy Noah. featuring balloon twisting and stilt walking.
"Machines Making Masterpieces" with Manatee School for the Arts. A large art-making machine powered by MSA students will create art while students perform improvisational dances inspired by the machines. Smaller art-making machines will be available for the community to create their own masterpieces.
"Realizing Rhythm" with Haile Middle School. Haile art students and the Haile Jazz Band create a visual representation rhythm and its use in creating artwork.
"Community Mural" with Bayshore High School. Large outlined canvases ready to be filled by the public with images inspired by Manatee County.
"Freestyle Lollipops" with Sugar Cubed. Sugar Artists create signature lollipops, made to order, in a variety of flavors and funky colors.
"Woven Together" with Wakeland Elementary School of International Studies. A collaborative community quilt demonstrating the diversity of our community. Create a fabric bracelet to take home reminding you of how our differences, combined, has a beautiful result.
"CAN JAM at ArtSlam" with Keeton's Office & Art Supply. Live aerosol paintings on a giant canvas cube give viewers an inside look at the process of graffiti art.
"Interactive Dance Lessons and Performances" with Sarasota Contemporary Dance. SCD (formerly Fuzion) gets the community moving together with their engaging dance and drumming segment, mini classes, and the art-interactive "Paint Me" dance.
"Crafty Musicians" with The Music Compound help you create your own unique and personal musical instrument.
"Paint Your Own Bird House" with Keller Williams Realty of Manatee. Design a colorful keepsake bird house for your backyard.
"Communi-tree" with Artist Brandon Scott. Contribute to the "communi-tree" by painting a leaf and attaching it to the tree. Once full of leaves, the tree will represent Bradenton's cultural heritage. Brandon Scott will also paint a unique piece on a Bradenton Herald newspaper.
"Interactive Environmental Art" with Lakewood Ranch High School. Hands-on environmental art projects lead by students.
"Pop Art Face Painting" with Palmetto High School. Be a superhero for the day. Choose from three superhero-themed face paint designs and get your picture taken in front of an artistic comic backdrop.
"Slow Motion Photo Booth" with Inspiration Academy. Learn about the art of filmmaking and be a part of the ArtSlam montage created by the Student Film Academy.
"HeART Attack" with Inspiration Academy. A collaborative art installation showing the unity and uniqueness of our community. Plus fun photo ops and student artwork for sale.
"Paint Your Own Bird House" with Keller Williams Realty of Manatee. Design a colorful keepsake bird house for your backyard.
"Body Painting" with Southeast High School. Three full body master paintings will be created and free face and arm painting for children.
Details: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 5, Old Main Street, Bradenton. Admission: Free. Information: realizebradenton.com/artslam_2016.
Marty Clear, features writer/columnist, can be reached at 941-708-7919. Follow twitter.com/martinclear.
This story was originally published March 2, 2016 at 5:40 PM with the headline "ArtSlam 2016 brings art to the streets of downtown Bradenton ."