The event will feature live music, theater performances, art activities and contests, food and artisan vendors, pony rides, the unveiling of a summer camp art installation, and more. The festivities begin at 11am and will end at dusk. Admission is free.
The goal of the event is two-fold: to continue towards a long-term goal of revitalizing the Rolfe Square community and to raise much needed funds to help Artists' Exchange continue to offer a lively and enriching calendar of events and classes to the public.
Artisans will be showcasing a variety of wares, jewelry, pottery, fine art and more.
The performance line-up will include live music and theater, including a fully-costumed Marley promoting this year’s “A Christmas Carol,” an annual award-winning Black Box Theatre tradition scheduled to run in mid-December. There will be a Black Box Theatre booth designated for audition sign-ups and sales of tickets to “A Christmas Carol.” This year’s production will take the stage not only in the Black Box Theatre, but will also be transformed for one evening into a full scale production on the stage at soon to open Park Theatre. Reservations can also be made for this special show at the festival.
Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of hands-on activities and art contests, as well as a raffle, with prizes including handcrafted items donated by participating artisans. Art activities include a Human Art Contest, where participants are invited to use a variety of materials to decorate themselves into a walking piece of art. Attendees are also invited to participate in a Street Art Contest, armed with colored chalk, a section of pavement and the potential for limitless creativity. Entries for both contests will be judged by festival attendees and winners will receive a prize. Newly added this year are a selection of original and artsified carnival style games, including Pin the Eyeball on Picasso, Escher Tessellation Toss, Paint(can)ball, Manic Hat Fling and a Dinosaur Dig for younger children. Also new this year is a Make Your Own Ice Cream Sundae Party inside the Artists’ Exchange café. A Bananagrams table will be set up again this year for the delight of word lovers, with personal Bananagrams pouches available for purchase.
A free kids’ area, the “Kids’ Studio,” will include activities such as a still life set-up with drawing boards and colored pencils available for small artists to create, explore and discover.
Betty’s Candies will be open during the festival, with face painting available outside the store on Rolfe Square, while selections from Artists’ Exchange’s own pottery and jewelry line, Cheeky Kiwi, will also be showcased for sale on the sidewalk in front of the Artists’ Exchange boutique.
A 20% discount will also be offered on all fall class registrations processed during the event. The next session of Artists’ Exchange classes begins the week of October 5th.
Live musical performers will be featured on two stages. Performers include Lori LaCaille, Eric French and Mr. Hyde, Michelle Ribeiro, West Eddy Trio, Global Crash and Jacqueline Bartlett, Dacoda, Smokin' Mirrors, Not For Nuthin', Wal Man, Freek Freelie, Liam Dailey and the Glass Jars and Rick Drost.
Lori Lacaille has been live on the New England music scene for over 30 years, as a member of Ken Lyon and The Tombstone Blues Band, the popular folk duo “Prizm” with Betsy Listenfelt, a 6 piece band called “Jade,” and all along as a solo artist. As of late, one might also find Lori running a weekly “Open Mic Night” in Greenville, RI at The Mill. She has established herself not only as a versatile musician, but also a top engineer and producer of both audio and video with her recording studio and production company, Wolf Bear Productions.
Based in Providence, Eric French & Mr. Hyde is an unapologetic, rock ‘n’ blues bombast set off by a powerfully introspective acoustic streak. Whether as a lean, explosive three piece or alone with an acoustic guitar, EFMH delivers an intuitive examination of human nature; and someone who just woke up in their underwear without a #2 pencil.
Originally from the South, and inspired by the gospel, bluegrass, rock and country of her childhood, singer and songwriter Michelle Ribeiro gained considerable attention in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. While her own compositions stand out in a wide-ranging repertoire, Ribeiro’s soft-edgy voice lends itself to the songs of the artists whose work she favors and which have influenced her own. Ribeiro takes pride in performing for events with purpose. “I write songs that have meaning to me, and hopefully touch something inside of others. I believe that all people have a purpose, and have something positive to give to the world.”
West-Eddy Trio was formed in the summer of 2005. Melding the essence of 60’s stoner rock, 70’s classic rock, and such diverse musical influences as Susan Tedeschi, System Of A Down, Janis Joplin, Tool, David Rawlings, Grace Slick, Jewel, and Cream (to name a few), The West-Eddy Trio combines the very best of acoustic rock, blues, folk metal and originals while entertaining audiences with their sincerity and power.
Dabbling in ambient, house, big beat, trance and electro Global Crash blurs the lines of all techno and electronic music, not being satisfied with just one subgenre of the genre. Global Crash, the brainchild of Paul Holder, is “at once both music to make you wanna dance, and music to make you contemplate the meaning of existence.”
Jacqueline Bartlett is a singer/songwriter from Hope, Rhode Island. She plays original folk music with a blend of traditional and alternative music. Bartlett also plays acoustic guitar and mountain dulcimer. The poetic & symbolic style of her music evokes, to the listener, a similar sense of life's journey.
Additional performances include an outdoor weapons and combat demo from Mastery Martial Arts, a dog performance presented by Celie Kennels and a performance by A Rose Productions of the children's play "Love's Labours Found," an improv comedy performance by Sky Punch (recently named finalists in the Providence Improv Fest) and Black Box Theatre children's theatre games. Pottery wheel throwing demonstrations will also take place throughout the festival.
The summer camp art installation, conceptualized and assembled by Dorothea Ulrich, a summer intern from RISD, includes contributions from every child who attended art camp this summer at Artists’ Exchange. The finished design, which is in the shape of a giant ring, features eight different sections, each devoted to one of the eight weeks of themed summer art camps. The installation will be unveiled in the Artists’ Exchange gallery and will be available for viewing throughout the day.
Celie Kennels will also present a "Doggie Show Off Contest." Attendees are encouraged to enter their pride and joy in a number of categories including Best Dressed Dog, Most Artsy Dog, Best Doggie Trick, Most Humorous, Most Human-Like, Best Doggie/Owner Look-Alike Pair and the Tail Wagging Contest. The cost is just $5 for unlimited entries. Registration for the contest will take place at the Ceile Kennels table. The contest will begin at 2:45pm.
The festival will take place in the lots surrounding Artists’ Exchange and Citizens Bank. Artists’ Exchange is located at 50 Rolfe Square in Cranston. In the event of rain, the Fall Out of Summer Festival will take place the following Sunday, September 27th. For more information, contact Christina Mealey at 401.490.9475.
(This is not an RIFC Event)