The annual Druid City Arts Festival was held Saturday at Government Plaza, hosting dozens of artists as well as the University’s Print Club.
The festival was originally started by Creative Campus students from the University in 2010 and has grown into a signature event in Tuscaloosa, annually drawing in artists, musicians and guests over the course of the day. The event has even drawn sponsors ranging from local businesses such as Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa to more widely known brands such as Pepsi and Mercedes-Benz.
The festival serves as the largest art venue in Tuscaloosa for local artists, giving them the chance to show their hard work to the residents of Tuscaloosa and sell their pieces to interested buyers. From paintings to sculptures and toys to custom jams, the festival had an enormous variety of goods for sale. The festival also hosted live musicians, mostly local bands and singers covering a wide range of genres including rock, country and jazz.
“I like this show a lot more than some others I’ve been to,” said Bill Samsung, a 70-year-old artist and auto body shop worker. “People here are more appreciative of the work, and that’s what really matters.”
Samsung and dozens of other artists spend countless hours honing their talent and creating personal pieces of artistic dedication, and events like the Druid City Arts Festival are a chance to show what they’ve accomplished to people.
Among the art vendors was the UA Print Club, a student organization that creates and sells its own print art. The club has been collaborating and fundraising with Turning Point, a charity working to assist and protect victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
“Having an opportunity to fundraise for Turning Point, which is such an important cause, has almost positively challenged our artists,” said Olivia King, a sophomore majoring in public relations. “It positively impacted our club to be more motivated to do more because we are helping people with our work.”
King was the student to bridge the Print Club with Turning Point, having joined the charity as an intern through the Blount Scholars internship program, and said that Turning Point even loaned tables, clothes racks and some supplies to help the club operate at the festival.
She said this is the first time Turning Point has worked with a student organization to this extent, and the success of their work with the Print Club may open the door to more collaborations with more student groups in the future. However, it may be up to students to reach out to charities like Turning Point in order to help fundraise for important causes.
“In my opinion, student organizations, when they become successful enough to be able to fundraise, always should,” King said. “It’s not just because fundraising is important for local organizations, but also because it’s a fantastic promotion for your student organizations to showcase your success.”
The Print Club was in a convenient position to partner with Turning Point, given the club’s established ability to produce and sell products for the fundraiser, but even clubs without a product or strong marketability are able to become involved with fundraising.
“Even if you don’t have a product to sell, organizations can always sell free word-of-mouth,” King said. “Whether it be spreading awareness or participating in events and causes, people can underestimate how helpful that effort can be to a nonprofit.”
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