This is my second temporary festival footprint since becoming Executive Director. If someone had told me two years ago that we’d be reinventing the festival twice because of downtown construction, I might have laughed… and then immediately reached for a map. What I’ve learned is this. The location may change, but the heart of the festival never does.

The people are the festival.

The artists are the festival.

The performers, volunteers, food vendors, sponsors, and every smiling face that walks through the gates are the festival. We’re simply creating a place for all of that magic to happen.

And this year, that place is the Festival Grounds at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds. Our team has been hard at work checking off the details. Stage schedules are complete. Artists are preparing. Twenty incredible countries are getting ready to share their culture through food and hospitality. Sponsors have stepped forward. Volunteers are signing up. Every day brings another piece of the puzzle together. This temporary home is shaping up to be one we’ll remember for all the right reasons. If the last two years have taught me anything, it’s that creativity thrives in moments of change. Artists know that better than anyone. We adapt. We imagine. We build. We create.

That’s exactly what we’re doing.

So, whether this is your first Arts in the Heart or your forty-fifth, I hope you’ll join us this September. Come celebrate the arts. Come celebrate one another. Come help support a nonprofit whose mission is to make sure creativity continues to flourish in Augusta all year long.

We can’t wait to welcome you.

See you at the festival.