Experience the Columbus Arts Festival Presented by Time Warner Cable in Person, Online

The Columbus Arts Festival presented by Time Warner Cable offers more than just a fun, kick-off to summer weekend – each year the goal is share world-class art, performances and more with Festival fans.

And this year, GCAC and the Columbus Arts Festival have embraced social media to enhance the experience with a more interactive, 360 degree look at what it takes to bring this event to the Discovery District again this year. GCAC staff and Festival volunteers are using Facebook, Twitter, podcasts, Flickr and more to give fans, participants and volunteers a chance to interact and share their ideas and Festival experiences.

The Columbus Arts Festival's Facebook page, which launched in March, already has more than 600 fans.

"The quick response goes to show how many people out there love this Festival," said Katie Laux Lucas, Festival Director. "And the new social media tools are an exciting way to keep these fans directly tuned in to current news and schedules related to the event."

Through Facebook, fans can share their stories, memories, photos and experiences with Festival staff and fellow fans. The page will also feature posts sharing the fun and amazing work that goes on behind the scenes during the event. And fans of the Columbus Arts Festival can also check out the Greater Columbus Arts Council's Facebook site to learn more about GCAC and its other programs.

Fans can also stay posted with up-to-the-minute, insider information during the Festival weekend by following us on our Twitter account, ColsArtsFest.

Plus, patrons can participate in our You Tube video and Flickr contests and get the chance to win Festival goodies. For more on the You Tube and Flickr contests, stay tuned to our Facebook page.

Other exciting Festival happenings this year:

• The 2009 Festival will feature fine art and fine craft from approximately 230 nationally acclaimed juried artists, along with continuous live entertainment, gourmet food and hands-on art activities for all ages.
• More than twenty-five artists will be showing their work for the first time at the Columbus Arts Festival, including jeweler Judith Foster of Rochester, New York; photographer Greg Gallagher of Valparaiso, Indiana; and Christina Smith of Kennesaw, Georgia, who will show work in two categories – drawing and two-dimensional mixed media.
• In conjunction with the Columbus Museum of Art's exhibit, To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum, the Hands-On Art Activities Area will include art projects and performers incorporating Egyptian themes. The CMA exhibit, which explores objects from ancient Egypt including coffins, canopic jars and more, runs through the end of the Festival weekend, June 7.

After you check out the Festival, we hope you'll stroll through the Discovery District and check out organizations such as the Columbus Museum of Art, Thurber House, the Jazz Arts Group, the King Arts Complex and more.

Date and Times: The Festival will run June 5, 6 and 7. Hours will be 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., June 5 and 6 (Fri. & Sat.), and 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun., June 7.

For more information, a list of exhibiting artists, schedules and more, visit www.gcac.org/fest. And check out GCAC's new Facebook page and become a new fan while you're at it!

Photo: Trying out the pottery wheel in the Hands-On Art Activities Area of the Festival. Photo by Greg Bartram.