Color and creativity is going to take over downtown Franklin this weekend.
Artists from all over the region will showcase paintings, sculpture, multimedia and all kinds of different works in a juried competition. Community creators will have their own display, touting the best from local artists.
People can check out large-scale chalk art on the sidewalks, watch as a work of art unfolds before their eyes, and enjoy three classics from one of the most iconic filmmakers of all time.
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The Ethos Celebration of the Arts brings all facets of art together for one big community party on Saturday. Though precautions against the COVID-19 pandemic have forced organizers to scale back the festival, people will still be able to view — and purchase — a variety of eclectic art, take part in art-related displays and demonstrations, and enjoy other creative aspects of downtown Franklin.
At a time when artists of all kinds are struggling, the festival will ideally provide an outlet for them to display and sell their work, while bringing people downtown for a distanced way to spend a Saturday.
“We still want to show the artists love. This is their life, and their job. They’ve been hit hard because so many of their art competitions have already been canceled this year,” said Jess Giles, executive director of Discover Downtown Franklin. “All of their art work is also for sale; people can come admire and purchase that work.”
This will be the second year for the Ethos festival, which was created as a way to showcase Franklin’s robust arts community. City officials and arts organizations have been working to have the city designated as a state-recognized art district, in the same vein as Bloomington, Columbus and Carmel.
A festival to solidify and strengthen support for the arts would help in that effort, Giles said.
“We’ve all been talking about the importance of art appreciation in Franklin,” she said. “This event is tailored to that — we want to appreciate every kind of artist you could think of.”
Last year’s celebration featured central components such as the juried art fair and community art show, a vintage artisan festival as well as music, dance, film and other performances.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, and guidance from state officials, organizers made adjustments this year to the festival. Musical performances, artisan vendors and other aspects had to be trimmed to help spread out visitors who attended, Giles said.
“We had to tremendously simplify that so we could keep everyone as safe as possible,” she said. “By doing that, we’re limiting the areas of congregation.”
Organizers have spread out the vendor spaces to provide proper distancing between people. Designated entrances and exits will help with the flow of viewers at the festival, and masks will be required, Giles said.
“It’s going to look a little different this year,” she said. “We want to find a balance between safety, respecting everyone’s health needs, while also working with the health department and others to respect the community as well. We need to be creative, to come up with ways to still offer experiences for people who will be respectful.”
The heart of the festival is still the juried art fair, featuring professional artists competing for prizes in categories such as ceramic, fiber, glass, metal, wood, jewelry and photography. The award for best of show in the fair is $1,000.
Not only does it allow artists to compete against one another for cash prizes, but it provides them with a way to showcase their work for potential buyers, Giles said.
At the same time, the festival provides an outlet for amateur artists to display their work. A community art fair, sponsored by Franklin Parks and Recreation, will be held on North Main Street near the juried artists. Adults and youths have entered their work, and people will have the chance to vote on their favorites during the course of the show.
Outside of the two art fairs, other downtown businesses and organizations have put together art-centric activities to keep the community entertained.
Luke Buck, a nationally renowned watercolorist and Nineveh resident, as well as scratch-board artist Patrick Norris will be at Generations Art & Frame to do live art demonstrations. More than 30 local artists will be displaying their pieces inside the store, and many will be making appearances throughout the day to speak with customers and supporters.
Food trucks will be parked along Court Street, providing refreshments as people wander through the downtown area. At the same time, the normally scheduled Franklin farmers market will be ongoing.
People will be able to pick up fresh meat, cheese, fruits, vegetables and other items from local producers and artisans, while also decreasing some of the congestion around the art fair, Giles said.
During the day, the Historic Artcraft Theatre will be showing its Martin Scorsese Film Festival. Three of Scorsese’s films — “Hugo,” “The Last Waltz” and “Goodfellas” — will be shown in 35-millimeter majesty on the big screen.
Festival Country Indiana, the county’s tourism board, also planned an event surrounding Ethos to display local residents’ creative spirit. Chalk the Walk invited people to come out in the morning, spending three hours making a chalk-based works on a 3-feet-by-3-feet square of concrete in front of the downtown visitor’s center.
The community can watch the works of art take shape, and come back later to see the variety and talent of the finished pieces.
“We felt there really wasn’t an event like this, where the public could create something and participate as well,” said Kenneth Kosky, director of Festival Country Indiana. “It goes along with our mission of giving people something fun to do, and to participate in the festival.”
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Ethos Celebration of the Arts
When: Saturday
Where: Downtown Franklin
Schedule:
- 8 a.m. to noon: Franklin Farmers Market
- 9 a.m. to noon: Chalk the Walk, Festival Country Indiana visitors center, 66 S. Water St.
- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Juried art fair, North Main Street
- 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Live art demonstrations and show at Generation Art & Frame, 43 N. Main St.
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Franklin Parks & Recreation’s community art show, North Main Street
- 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Food trucks, East Court Street
- 1 p.m.: "Hugo," the Historic Artcraft Theatre, 51 N. Main St.
- 4 p.m.: "The Last Waltz," the Historic Artcraft Theatre
- 7 p.m.: "Goodfellas," the Historic Artcraft Theatre
Information: discoverdowntownfranklin.com; historicartcrafttheatre.org
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