Canvas

May 29, 2014

Dear Friends of the Cherry Creek Arts Festival,

As we enter the month of June, our team is gearing up for another fun-filled Festival over the Fourth of July weekend.

We have a great show in store for you this year! The 250 artists you will meet have been working very hard to offer you a world-class visual arts experience. They are ready and waiting to tell you their story and help you learn more about what they do. It is our hope that you will be inspired to start, or add to, your personal art collection with a piece or two of original artwork! I think you will find it to be true that "Art Lives Here."

You will be busy as you digest the many pieces of this year's event. The Visual Arts, the Culinary Arts, the Performing Arts and endless programming await you. We invite you to get out there and take it all in.

We'd like to thank our presenting sponsors, Janus, Arrow Electronics and your neighborhood Toyota stores for their leadership and support. We couldn't produce the Festival without them.

Terry Adams

President and CEO

2014 Poster REVEAL Event Highlights

On Wednesday, May 21, we held our poster REVEAL event at Earl's Restaurant in Cherry Creek.

The 2014 poster artist, Dolan Geiman, joined us from Chicago to celebrate with guests and kick-off the Festival season.

During the event, Geiman created an original collage piece using scraps of paper brought by attendees. Geiman worked on the piece while

interacting with guests. Many of the scraps held sentimental value and included family photos, ticket stubs, old newspaper articles and even a scuba diving certificate. Guests were able to share the story behind their items with Geiman while he worked.

At the end of the evening, the piece was raffled off to a winner. Congratulations to Erica Boe who joined us from Janus, one of CCAF's presenting sponsors.

We'd like to thank Earl's Kitchen + Bar, our sponsors and all of the attendees for an enjoyable and memorable event.

Photos by Frank Montanez

2014 Artist Fun Facts

This year's artists at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival will exhibit their work from 34 states across the country, Canada and Buenos Aires. Each artist offers something unique and interesting. Did you know...

...digital artist Daryl Thetford uses 20-75 different images to create simple images. "I do not use color or texture filters, but rather actual photographs to create compositions. My process begins when I take photographs -- focusing on signs, train cars, graffiti, urban walls, newspaper boxes, cracks in wooden walls, metal, worn and weathered painted walls, as well as old maps and other American ephemera that I find on my travels," Thetford said.

By Daryl Thetford

...artist Jeffrey Cannon uses pure pigment, known as soft pastels, to create his drawings working from the background forward while blending with his fingers. He uses no fixatives during the process to create his vibrant artwork.

By Jeffrey Cannon

...one of our emerging artist exhibitors, Liz Quan, was in the publishing industry and worked for companies like Town & Country, Travel + Leisure and Food & Wine Magazine before pursuing ceramics and stepping out on her own as a professional artist. "Being a self-employed artist feels more meaningful and personal to me, and this personal expression is something I wish to share with others," Quan said.

By Liz Quan

Arrow Five Years Out Art Challenge Finalists

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival is partnering with 2014 Festival presenting sponsor Arrow Electronics in the Arrow Five Years Out Art Challenge, an international challenge to inspire artists to take the concept of innovation and express what five years out looks like in the art world, translating ideas into their artistic medium. Through a competitive and collaborative selection process, a jury of national artists and art professionals chose seven finalists out of a pool of artists. Each finalist is receiving a $5,000 commission to create a forward-thinking piece to be displayed at the 2014 Arts Festival, July 4, 5 and 6.

The jury will select one winner to receive the Innovation Award, granting that winner a $10,000 prize and a jury-exempt invitation to exhibit at the 2015 Cherry Creek Arts Festival. The pieces will become part of the innovative collection of artwork at Arrow and may be featured in a global ad series and in offices around the world.

Congratulations to the finalists: Jared Anderson & Eric Dallimore, Tim Byrns, Sayaka Ganz, Randy Wilson, Andrew Woolery, Betsy Youngquist and Xinxin Zhi.

Young Professionals Bring Fresh Perspective to CCAF

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival's young professionals board, Perspective, celebrates its second year in 2014. Perspective aims to advance arts and business education, cultivate future art buyers, promote community leadership and philanthropy development, and give a younger demographic access and input to Festival experiences and business. In addition, Perspective will host this year's ART PARTY, as well as support other on site experiences for young professionals. All are welcome to ART PARTY from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., July 3, on Clayton Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

Perspective is also partnering with Cross-Cultured, a new vehicle for connecting Denver's young professionals to cultural institutions through exclusive events. Founded by Katie Kruger, Cross-Cultured will officially launch on May 29 at DADA Art Bar. With the purchase of a membership to Cross-Cultured, participants will gain access to a calendar of events in Denver's cultural community. For $30, members will enjoy free and discounted tickets to 25 events between July and October. The group will be an opportunity for Denver's artistically minded to learn, socialize and network.

To learn more, visit the Perspective and Cross-Cultured.

Share How Art Lives Within You Social Media Contest

At the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, we believe that art lives within each of us. Every 4^th of July weekend for the past 23 years, we have joined forces in Cherry Creek North to create a community that celebrates the artist within. While we are awed and inspired by the hundreds of juried artists that join us each year, it is our patrons who bring their love of art and reinforce the unique dynamic that is the Cherry Creek Arts Festival.

This year, we ask you to share the art that lives within you. Between June 2 and June 20, we invite you to submit a photo, video or short story about how art lives within you, using the hashtag #CCAF on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram. For example, you might submit an image of something you made in art class, or a video of you playing the guitar or a photo of your culinary masterpiece. Be creative, but most importantly, be yourself.

Every week, we'll select one winner. Prizes will include restaurant, retail and salon gift cards, Festival merchandise and a Festival VIP package. Specific prizes will vary and will be announced each week.

To learn more and see the official rules, please visit CherryArts.org/ArtLivesHere.