Sitting around your house, just contemplating when the sun will come out again?  Do I have the event for you!  And it starts in 22 minutes!  Angie from the Decatur Arts Alliance sends along this announcement…

Poster Unveiling – Thursday, May 2, 5-7pm – Free and open to the public on the lawn of the Old Courthouse, the Poster Unveiling is the official beginning of the Decatur Arts Festival. This year’s poster was created by painter, Galina Herndon. Galina was born and raised in the Ural Mountains of Russia and has been painting since 1999. Come meet Galina Herndon, be among the first to view the festival poster, have a poster signed by Galina and enjoy complimentary beverages and food.

You may have seen this blurb in the latest Decatur Focus…

Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the Decatur Arts Festival. To mark this milestone, we are planning a yearlong arts celebration. The 2010 Strategic Plan calls for expanding public art and a wider variety of art opportunities. Mayor Floyd came up with a great idea for “Sidewalk Saturdays,” featuring an assortment of informal, fun activities throughout the city’s commercial districts. We want to combine this idea with our focus on arts activities and would love your suggestions.

What type of “pop-up events” would you suggest? Are there specific art projects you want to see and would you be interested in working on a committee to implement a community celebration of the arts? Please contact us at info@decaturga.com with your ideas or to volunteer.

Hmmm…sidewalk pottery? Mimes? Stand-up? Caricature drawings? Barbershop quartets?

According to Arts Alliance Director Angie Macon and a Decatur Police report, multiple items awaiting pickup from the Arts Festival’s Silent Auction were stolen on Saturday night from a tent located near the 100 block of Sycamore Street.  The 20×20 tent had been secured with plastic ties, so the “suspects would have had to crawl under the tent to gain entry”.  The police report listed the following items as missing Sunday morning…

• Jewelry- miscellaneous necklaces- $200
• Sculpture- $300
• Framed and unframed art -painting & photography-$1200

According to Ms. Macon, a majority of auction items had already been picked up during the day on Saturday.  The ones taken were the remaining ones awaiting retrieval on Sunday.

This is a pretty cool idea!  From the Decatur Arts Festival website…

New this year is a free bike valet service. A valet attendant remains on duty to park and monitor bikes during the event.

Park your bike and enjoy the festival knowing that it will remain secure. Look for signs to direct you to the bike valet area.

The Decatur Arts Festival worked with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition to provide this service. We hope to reduce the event’s impact on traffic congestion and carbon emissions by supporting the bicycle transportation alternative. The bike valet service is sponsored by Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and Bicycle South.

Both the Decatur Arts Alliance and Bicycle South are DM sponsors.  However the h/t for this bit of info goes to Next Stop…Decatur.

As part of the Decatur Arts Festival taking place this weekend, the Southeastern Photographic Society will have over 50 images on display for the entire weekend at Sammiches N’ Stuff. A variety of themes and subjects will offer something for everyone. Many of the images are for sale, most with prices under $150.

Everyone is invited to the opening reception on Friday evening which is part of the Decatur Artswalk, our city-wide art experience that’s free and open to the public.

Sammiches N’ Stuff which offers fresh menu items for breakfast and lunch daily, will have snacks and beverages available during the reception. The café is located just off the square on McDonough across from the Dekalb courthouse.

The Southeastern Photographic Society (SPS) helps its members learn the skills for capturing great images and sharing them with others through field trips, lectures, competitions and workshops. Formed in1976, they now have over 200 members. Learn more at www.spsatlanta.org

This post is sponsored by the Southern Photographic Society.  View larger versions of all the pics above after the jump.

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