17th Annual Allen Fine Arts Festival

By Mimi Greenwood Knight

American Poet, Theologian, and Philosopher Thomas Merton once wrote, “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” If you love to find and lose yourself in the arts, come join your fellow art enthusiasts the weekend of May 9-11 for the 17th Annual Allen Fine Arts Festival in the Waters Creek Village, sponsored by the Allen Arts Alliance.

The family-friendly festival celebrates the arts in all its forms. There will be:

Work from over 70 artists from around the country
Live art demonstrations
Live local music
A live performance by the Allen Civic Ballet
Outstanding food from Waters Creek Village restaurants

And there’s plenty to engage the young artist in your family as well, including face painting, kids’ art activities, hand casting, and more. And the Allen Quilters Guild will be auctioning off one of their spectacular creations.

Allen Arts Alliance

Allen Arts Alliance was founded in 1998 as a city advisory board created to support arts and culture in the city of Allen. In 2006, they became a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization serving as the umbrella for arts and cultural organizations throughout the Allen community. As such, they facilitate collaboration between these organizations and serve as a resource to broaden the understanding of the various arts forms available to the community. With an emphasis on community involvement in the arts, they undertake projects such as the fine arts festival to ensure access to arts and cultural opportunities to the entire community. They also help secure financial support for various local arts organizations.

Organizations supported by Allen Arts Alliance include Allen Philharmonic Orchestra & Symphony Chorus, Allen Civic Ballet, Allen Contemporary Theatre, Visual Arts League of Allen, Note-Ably North Texas Chorus, Allen Heritage Guild, Friends of the Allen Public Library, Allen ISD Performing Arts and Visual Arts Programs, Allen Quilters Guild, and Lovejoy ISD Performing and Visual Arts.

Now’s the time to register for spring art classes including student art sessions for kids and evening classes for adults such as Mixed Media, Knitting and Crocheting, and Painting 101. All classes and workshops are held at Blue House Too ArtSpace at 980 Watters Creek Boulevard.

Allen Arts Alliance’s mission is to bring art to life and bring art to the community. Find out more at AllenArtsAlliance.org. See you at the fest!

The mission of the Allen Arts Alliance is to support and nurture local arts and cultural groups as they present inspiring and entertaining experiences designed to enrich the community.