Arts Across My Desk
with Brenda Durant
August 2023
My desk looks like a battlefield and paper is winning the war. Piles upon Arts in the Heart piles: Liability Insurance, Weather Insurance, Stage Schedules, Maps, Sponsor forms, ads, promotion reviews and meeting notes. That’s just one pile!
Truthfully, I love Arts in the Heart. Talking to the Global Village participants, meeting new Sponsors, welcoming back repeat Sponsors, working with numerous volunteers, and connecting with the various City Departments who work to make this festival hum. It all comes together in September but, for now, my life is a giant paper hurdle of written reminders, meetings, applications, and approvals coming nonstop every day. Ultimately, all that matters is after you walk through a festival gate, you see a smoothly running festival with everything we promised: 5 stages, over 140 juried Fine Artists and crafters, 20 International Food Booths, a highly activated Family Area, and something to see and do everywhere you look.
That’s what I jump through mountains of paper for.
News on the Block… well, the trees on 13th Street are gone, making way for TSPLOST improvements. I work on the 2nd floor of Sacred Heart, right on the 13th Street corner. My office is now flooded with blinding sunlight, making it nearly impossible to see my monitor until about 10:30 am. I must close my blinds these days, blocking my exceptional view of the city. I am considering donning sunglasses to battle the glare.
Don’t forget to buy your season or individual tickets as the arts season unfolds.
-Brenda