We are officially on the other side of the 45th Annual Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival, and I am so incredibly proud of Augusta.

I am proud that you followed us into another unfamiliar footprint. I am proud that you came ready to experience 102 fine artists, 91 young artists, 20 cultural organizations, five stages, 108 performances, and three incredible headliners. I am proud that approximately 3,200 complimentary badges were distributed to children through local schools, the Boys & Girls Clubs, and a children’s home. I am proud of every volunteer, sponsor, performer, artist, cultural organization, community partner, and festival-goer who adjusted, adapted, and helped us create something beautiful.

The weather clearly missed the memo that we were having a festival. It arrived uninvited, brought some friends, and behaved like it had never been anywhere before. Still, your hearts were there. Augusta showed up with patience, joy, flexibility, and enough festival spirit to help us make a very large pitcher of lemonade.

That deserves to be celebrated.

I also want to be transparent this month because I think it is important for us to have honest, human conversations about the work we do.

The Greater Augusta Arts Council is a nonprofit organization committed to serving this community through the arts. We love Augusta, and we work for Augusta. Occasionally, however, the Arts Council and the festival find themselves at the center of spirited conversations.

Everybody has an opinion about the arts, which I suppose means people care. I am choosing to take that as a compliment.

Still, I sometimes smile at the idea of anyone having serious beef with an arts council. We are over here advocating for artists, managing public art, creating educational opportunities, supporting creative businesses, and producing a festival filled with music, dance, food, art, and culture.

We come in peace. Usually carrying paintbrushes, microphones and maybe the occasional pottery wheel.

Arts in the Heart is our largest and most visible undertaking, but the festival represents only a portion of what we do. The other eleven months are filled with exhibitions, artist resources, professional development, arts advocacy, educational programming, public art, gallery management, membership support, community partnerships, and the daily work of strengthening Augusta’s creative community.

If you only see us during festival season, you are seeing one very colorful chapter of a much larger story. We also hear from many talented people who would love to perform on a festival stage. We understand completely. Arts in the Heart is a beloved platform, and being part of it is special. At the same time, many people are not connected to the Arts Council, are not members, do not follow our announcements, and may not understand how performers are selected or how the festival operates.

Membership does not guarantee anyone a stage, and it should not. It does connect you to information, resources, advocacy, professional development, artist opportunities, networking, and the people working throughout the year to support the arts.

If you want to know more, come closer. Ask questions. Follow our work. Attend an event. Join the Arts Council. Help us shape the creative community you want to experience.

Now, let us talk about the festival footprint and the numbers because the jacket analogy is still making me smile. Downtown is an open footprint. The festival stretches across multiple blocks, connects naturally with surrounding businesses, and allows people to enter and move through the area from several directions. It feels expansive because it is expansive and wide open.

The Fairgrounds gave us a controlled footprint. The outdoor space was smaller, entrances were concentrated, and some activities were moved indoors. The festival looked different and moved differently because the setting was different.

Think of it as the same outfit worn two ways. Downtown is the jacket open, flowing, and welcoming everybody in for a group hug. At the Fairgrounds, the jacket was zipped. The outfit was still fabulous. It simply fit the space differently.

A contained footprint also changes how attendance looks and how people move throughout the festival. That makes direct visual comparisons difficult. Different does not mean unsuccessful. It simply means we adjusted the experience to fit the place we were given.

Did we miss downtown? Absolutely. Arts in the Heart belongs in the heart of Augusta, and returning downtown remains our hope. Our fingers, toes, and possibly a few paintbrushes are crossed.

At the same time, I refuse to overlook what our team accomplished at the Fairgrounds. We adapted to another footprint and still delivered a full festival experience. It required creativity, patience, long days, quick decisions, and more conversations about tents than any one person should have in a lifetime.

This season was also particularly heavy for me. This was my third festival footprint, and I experienced two deaths in my family during the two weeks leading up to the event. My staff carried their own responsibilities and challenges while helping bring this enormous community celebration to life.

Then, before the last tent was completely down, questions about numbers, logistics, attendance, and next year began arriving. Some answers were immediately available. Others required reports, reconciliation, and a little time for the humans behind the work to breathe.

And breathe we did.

The week after the festival, my staff and I gave ourselves permission to move a little more slowly. We caught our breath, rested our minds, and remembered that we are people, not festival-producing machines powered by lanyards, walkie-talkies, and whatever snacks were left in the office.

I traveled to Charlotte, visited Festival in the Park, enjoyed some public art, celebrated my husband’s 60th birthday, attended my granddaughter’s dance competition, and slept for twelve straight hours.

Twelve whole hours.

Apparently, my body had prepared its own post-festival report, and the recommendation was immediate rest.

I am still shaking off the festival tiredness, but we are back at work and moving forward. My team is an extraordinary group of creative humans, and I could not be more grateful for them. They are thoughtful, talented, resourceful, and deeply committed to serving this community. We work hard, we care deeply, and yes, we look amazing doing it.

So here is my October invitation.

Celebrate what Augusta accomplished. Learn more about what the Greater Augusta Arts Council does throughout the year. Become a member. Attend an exhibition. Support a local artist. Volunteer. Share an opportunity. Advocate for arts funding. Check on the people behind the programs. Help us celebrate what is next.

And if you happen to stop by the office, bring candy. Community support comes in many forms, and we are not too proud to accept chocolate.

The festival may be over, but the work continues. Come be part of the other eleven months.

Love and Magic,

Denise