FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: 

Amanda Bittner, Marketing Director, Artsplosure

919-832-8699

amanda@artsplosure.org

Lineup Announced for Artsplosure – The Raleigh Arts Festival: October 9-10, 2021

The annual Artsplosure – Raleigh Arts Festival will showcase a diverse mix of music, performance art, children’s activities, interactive art, and fine artists and crafters in downtown Raleigh.  As it has been for 41 years, Artsplosure is free to the public!  

RALEIGH, N.C. – Artsplosure, the presenter of Artsplosure – The Raleigh Arts Festival, today announces its lineup of performing artists for its 41st namesake festival to take place on Saturday, October 9 and Sunday, October 10 in downtown Raleigh. Festival organizers have curated an eclectic mix of emerging performers ranging from acoustic blues, to Cosmic Americana, to soul, to alt-folk, and more. 

Artsplosure – The Raleigh Arts Festival 2021 Performing Artists

Son Little • Brittney Spencer • Aaron Lee Tasjan • Ida Mae • Thunderstorm Artis • Lakota John • Christopher Paul Stelling • Bassel & The Supernaturals • Blue Cactus • Libby Rodenbough • 

T. Gold • Chessa Rich • Trippers & Askers • and more!

Performances on Saturday, October 9 highlight an array of talent and genres, featuring sets from first generation Syrian-American Bassel & the Supernaturals, NC native guitarist and songwriter Lakota John, southern folk singer and guitarist Christopher Paul Stelling, and Americana singer-songwriter, ace guitarist, and fiery live performer Aaron Lee Tasjan. Saturday’s headliner is Son Little, hailed by NPR as “honest and unpretentious,” while The Independent proclaimed him “a formidable talent,” and Vice declared that he was “dissolving the barrier between R&B and rock ‘n’ roll one tearjerker at a time.”

Live music performances will continue on Sunday, October 10, with Americana/Indie-Country duo Blue Cactus, Sleepy Cat Records artists Trippers & Askers, T. Gold, Chessa Rich, and Libby Rodenbough, acoustic alt-folk duo Ida Mae, and Thunderstorm Artis, Season 18 finalist on NBC’s The Voice. Sunday’s headliner is country singer-songwriter and rising star Brittney Spencer, recently heralded by Maren Morris as an artist to watch during her 2020 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year acceptance speech.

A complete list of the full line-up of visual artists, special activities and music will soon be available at RaleighArtsFestival.com.  

Connect with Artsplosure!

www.RaleighArtsFestival.com

Use hashtag #Artsplosure #ArtForAll

Facebook: Facebook.com/Artsplosure

Twitter: @Artsplosure

Instagram: @Artsplosure

Click here for hi-res images.

About Artsplosure

Artsplosure is an independent nonprofit organization that presents arts festivals in Raleigh, including its namesake spring festival since 1980 and First Night Raleigh since 1991.  Its mission is to produce quality events that make the works of the most imaginative and celebrated artists accessible to the public, all in an effort to enrich our community and inspire greater love for the visual and performing arts.  

Artsplosure is funded in part by the City of Raleigh based on the recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission and is also supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

For more information visit www.artsplosure.org. 
###
— 
Amanda BittnerMarketing Director
Artsplosure/First Night® Raleigh19 W Hargett St, Suite 310, Raleigh, NC 27601
http://www.artsplosure.org

March 6, 2020 Amanda Bittner, Marketing Director, Artsplosure

919-832-8699 ext. 803

amanda@artsplosure.org

To mark its 41^th anniversary, the annual Artsplosure – Raleigh Arts Festival will showcase a diverse mix of music, performance art, children’s activities, interactive art, and fine artists and crafters in downtown Raleigh.  As it has been for 41 years, Artsplosure is free to the public!  

RALEIGH, N.C. – Artsplosure, the presenter of Artsplosure – The Raleigh Arts Festival, today announces its lineup of performing artists for its 41st namesake festival to take place on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17 in downtown Raleigh. Festival organizers have curated an eclectic mix of emerging performers ranging from neo-blues, to psychedelic rock, to soul, to alt-folk, and more. 

Artsplosure – The Raleigh Arts Festival 2020 Performing Artists

Son Little • Liz Cooper & The Stampede • Aaron Lee Tasjan • Low Cut Connie • Ida Mae • Bassel & The Supernaturals • C.W. Stoneking • Christopher Paul Stelling • The Company Stores • Nth Power • Heather Gillis • Blue Cactus • La Fiesta • Coconut Cake • Chessa Rich • Chris Frisina • Sunsp.t

Saturday performances highlight an array of talent and genres, featuring sets from first generation Syrian-American Bassel & the Supernaturals, Nth Power including Raleigh’s own Beyonce’s former world-touring drummer Nikkie Glaspie, acoustic alt-folk duo Ida Mae, and Americana singer-songwriter, ace guitarist, and fiery live performer Aaron Lee Tasjan. Saturday’s headliner is Son Little, hailed by NPR as “honest and unpretentious,” while The Independent proclaimed him “a formidable talent,” and Vice declared that he was “dissolving the barrier between R&B and rock ‘n’ roll one tearjerker at a time.”

Live music performances will continue on Sunday, May 17, with Sleepy Cat Records artists Chris Frisina, Chessa Rich, Blue Cactus, and Sunsp.t, Appalachian Post-Rock Fusion band The Company Stores, the high-energy rock of Low Cut Connie, and Australian blues guitarist C.W. Stoneking. Sunday’s headliner is dream-folk psychedelic rock group Liz Cooper & The Stampede, coming off their busiest year to date including playing Austin City Limits Festival and touring with Lord Huron, Deer Tick, Rayland Baxter, Ron Gallo and Blitzen Trapper.

A complete list of the full line-up of visual artists, special activities and music will soon be available at RaleighArtsFestival.com.  

• Connect with Artsplosure!
• www.RaleighArtsFestival.com
• Use hashtag #Artsplosure #ArtForAll
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Artsplosure
• Twitter: @Artsplosure
• Instagram: @Artsplosure
• Click here for hi-res images.

About Artsplosure

Artsplosure is an independent nonprofit organization that presents arts festivals in Raleigh, including its namesake spring festival since 1980 and First Night Raleigh since 1991.  Its mission is to produce quality events that make the works of the most imaginative and celebrated artists accessible to the public, all in an effort to enrich our community and inspire greater love for the visual and performing arts.  

Artsplosure is funded in part by the City of Raleigh based on the recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission and is also supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

For more information visit www.artsplosure.org. 

###
— 
Marketing Director
Artsplosure/First Night® Raleigh 313 South Blount Street Suite 200-B Raleigh, NC 27601
http://www.artsplosure.org

With a Social Media environment around us, one could say that it is difficult to find any kind of news happening within my area, however how one reports the news is certainly changing. When I look on the Internet, I find more opinion than reporting. We use channels such as Facebook and Instagram to make our point. We use Twitter to showcase our headline and direct our readers to our story. Then, we use blogs for just about everything nowadays.

Food – this is what I see blogs used more and more frequently for. It seems that everyone wants to make a Food blog and either talk about recipes or their favorite places to eat. Even if these bloggers are not talking about Hollywood gossip, they too become celebrities just because they are talking about food. They become respected in the area for which they blog about restaurants and are welcomed in hoping that the restaurant receives a good review; or if they are budding chefs and post some great recipes, they too can become celebrities in the food world.

What the future of journalism holds depends on those who still want to be journalists. Mass Communication students, researchers and more should take careful note. Although the delivery method is evolving, I believe that the grass roots idea of being a journalist will always remain the same. As the video The Future of Journalism states, we are in a digital age. Whether the delivery is local news, nationwide news, or even as small as a one city area news, what we rely on such as newspapers and television is evolving into something new, different, and in many ways, exciting. It presents opportunities out there for those who want to become journalists and had very few outlets to practice their specialty in. With the evolution of news delivery, more jobs in journalism can now open presenting new ways to present the news in an ethical manner, but also a fun one.

However, one can debate today “what is best in the industry of journalism – to be first or to be correct?” In the industry of journalism, it’s readers that make you powerful. The larger your audience, the larger your revenue through advertising because you can guarantee that an ad will be viewed more with you than anywhere else.

Consumers are honestly a funny bunch. I believe that they can be split 50/50 in the question of being first or right. Honest journalism is a practice that should be expected always. However consumers also enjoy controversy and they eat it up when someone is backed against the wall. Now with the social media revolution, consumers can also be journalists and publicly give their two cents about this or any story out there.

How this brings a major shift to digital news reporting is that it creates more outlets to actually share the news with the masses. I believe and hope that this also brought about more responsibility in the way we present the news. And that there is more comprehension about the fact that reporting the story first is not always in the best interest, but rather in how accurate the story we present is far more worth its weight in gold.

So how has Kimberly’s background made preparation for this amazing journey through poetry? Being that the background of Ms. Harris is in psychology, it has taught her the ability to tap into the human intellect and emotions. This passion is invaluable when it comes to effectively directing her expressions to those who need it— all through that magic word, poetry. Kimberly’s poetry has a mission of uplifting and encouraging those that believe in living their lives through inspiration of self-improvement geared to enunciate a positive change in the lives of her readers.

Kimberly Harris is a seasoned poetess that is published. Among other accolades, one of the most memorable is having a poem in the Wilson archives and winning 3^rd place in Las Vegas at the International Poetry Competition. Ms. Harris is not only looking to continue writing relevant poetry, but also welcomes feedback so she can know first hand that her words are positively impacting others.

Whether you are a fan of poetry or not, it is traditionally interpreted as a basis or platform for art across the board ranging from music, love, and life experiences. It surely hasn’t received the recognition it deserves being that poetry is in every aspect of life and should be dubbed, the ultimate form of expression. So if you are not a self-proclaimed fan of poetry, then perhaps you are not realizing that you are already a fan, as it exists in more ways than you think! Poetry shapes what is written, even though it initially began as only a thought.

You can contact Kimberly at 919-374-6223 or email minddoctor2016@gmail.com as she will be reaching the audience of The City Insight moving forward.

The City Insight decided to showcase a few poetry pieces by Kimberly Harris to give you an example of her excellent work. Please take a look.

“The Eve of My 50^th”

By Kimberly Harris

9/23/17

I celebrate as I mourn. The ending of the beginning of what can be the greatest era of my life.

The tide has washed away the stains of regrets and ushered in the dawn of a new beginning…

So many lessons have been learned; so many seeds have been planted…

The Winter of my youth slips away and the Spring of my wisdom comes to light..

I am what I am and I have what I’ve lived…

49 chapters have unfolded and the journey continues..

Enlightened and Illuminated with zeal and understanding..

Humility becomes my goal. Knowing becomes my navigator, and love becomes my blanket and my shield for the chapters yet to come…

It seems like only yesterday I began my cycles and here I am closing the box of my youth and anticipating my space in wisdoms classroom…

Less worries..more laughter, Less pain..more sunshine, Less tears…more rejoicing..

That’s the promise of my life once I open my eyes in the land of 50…Finally the story ends for the student. The teaching must now begin. Coming into a new realm..a new season..a new purpose.

It’s time to preach what I’ve practiced..walk what I’ve talked, and dance for joy, for truth and dance for life..

I’m scared, but I’m ready.. Happy New Day to me…

“Growing Up Vs. Growing Old”

By Kimberly Harris

9/23/09

What makes the difference in ”Knowing” vs “Aging”?..How do we reap the benefits of making choices vs. living with the consequences from the choices we’ve made?..

Life has many colors, comes in many shapes and allows us to choose the size.. Life can be compatible with lilacs, peaches and pearls “or it can be square..black as midnight and cold..

We can learn to embrace change and TRUST adjustment Or run with all our might towards our ignorance and cling to symbols of familiarity, no matter how painful they’ve been..

Growing up means becoming too strong to run, to confident to hide and to brave to resist..

It’s about getting it done, making it happen..without excuse , without fear, or without doubt..

Growing old is the practice of insanity on a full –time basis.. Doing that same thing over and over BUT expecting different results.

Life has two rewards; the gift of prosperity and the poison of pride… so, grow up or grow old..YOU CHOOSE..

“Rainy Moments”

By Kimberly Harris

7/14/10

The rain, the rain…Cleansing and soothing to the elements of life and of love..

Powerful and strong, the thunder roars…

Repentance and rewards are left behind..

Reflect the daily activities as it calms the soul..

Enjoy your mate.. read your book.. and bask in the gifts of fulfillment during this time..

Divine presence aligns our souls and all but peace is void…