Each spring, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival offers the city’s largest celebration of fine art by inviting 260 fine artists from throughout the country to participate in the festival’s Artist Market. Additionally, the festival teams up with some of the city’s most vibrant arts organizations as Cultural Alliance Partners and provides space for these nonprofits to offer hands-on activities and demos at the festival.
 
In addition to the creative onsite offerings, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival has engaged in some of its own artistic endeavors and has recently launched a new website. Found at www.dogwood.org, the revamped site provides simpler navigation and responsiveness. Just in time for festival number 82, the site will make it easy for attendees to stay updated on artist offerings, music and entertainment schedules and festival activities.
 
Artist Market

Culled from more than 1,000 entrants, the artists in the juried Artist Market bring their newest and best works to one of the first outdoor art shows of the season, which also happens to be the third oldest fine arts festival in the country. The market features artists working in 2-D and 3-D mixed media, clay, drawing/graphics/printmaking, fiber/leather, glass, jewelry, metal, painting, photography/digital art and wood. Exhibitors are selected on the basis of design, quality and presentation by an independent jury of art professionals with knowledge and experience in multiple art disciplines.
 
The festival Artist Market includes top artists from throughout the country, including Signe and Genna Grushovenko from Greenville, S.C.; Charles Gatewood from Phenix City, Alabama; Ellie Ali from New York City; Michel Delgado from Key West, Florida; Jerry Maxey from Piedmont, S.C.; Dolores Fawkes from Ruther Glen, Virginia; and Molly Dingledine from Asheville, North Carolina.
 
Many Atlanta and Georgia artists participate in the Artist Market too, such as Obayana Ajanaku of Decatur in the jewelry category, Chris Beck of Dalton in the metal category, Michael Bryant of Atlanta in the photography/digital art category, Kimmy Cantrell of College Park in the clay category and Athlone Clarke of Douglasville in the 2-D mixed media category.
 
Although numerous artists participate year after year, with the stringent evaluation process of the Artist Market judges, prior participation does not guarantee a spot. That means there is always an opportunity to see works from old favorites as well as new artists.
 
Cultural Alliance Partners

In order to promote a more connected local arts community, the festival partners with Atlanta organizations and provides them with space and exposure during the festival. As part of the partnership, the arts organizations offer onsite activities to enhance attendees’ festival experience.
 
One of the 2018 Cultural Alliance Partners, Out of Hand Theater, will host a scavenger hunt on festival Saturday, April 14. This special version of The Game – an interactive puzzle hunt where teams of players race around to find and solve clues, outsmart the competition and beat the clock – will focus on the area of Piedmont Park and the history of the Atlanta Dogwood Festival. By interacting with the architecture, monuments, history, art, entertainment and flora found onsite, participants will experience the festival like never before, all while creating a public art spectacle for thousands of non-competing attendees.

Additional Cultural Alliance Partners for 2018 include Zoo Atlanta, the Atlanta History Center and Smart Glass recycled jewelry. Each organization will add a fun interactive experience or demonstration to the festival offerings!