The nationally recognized 4 Bridges Arts Festival will take place April 12, 13 and 14 at the First Tennessee Pavilion.
Consistently ranked as a Top 100 arts fair and recognized by the New York Times, the Festival has gained a reputation for presenting quality, original artwork and fine craft created by contemporary artists and artisans from across the country, officials said. The 2013 Festival will feature over 140 artists from around the nation exhibiting painting, glasswork, jewelry, textiles, photography, sculpture and more. The Festival will also offer local food, kids activities, and live entertainment. A Preview Party opens the Festival on Friday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m.
New this year is a limited-edition fine art poster designed by local artist and past 4 Bridges participant, Jake Kelley. The original work will also be available for purchase through a silent-auction taking place over the weekend.
The 4 Bridges Arts Festival will also begin a five-year green initiative this year. The Festival will measure a range of activities directly linked to consumption at the event in order to take steps to reduce its carbon footprint over the next five years. The categories for assessment will include: Water, Energy, Waste, Green House Gasses and Community Awareness. Furthermore, recycling receptacles will be placed throughout the pavilion in an effort to reduce waste.
Festival tickets are $7 for a single day ticket and $10 for two day passes. Preview Party tickets are $75 through April 11 and $100 at the door. Festival hours on Saturday are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday.
The 4 Bridges Arts Festival is produced by the Association for Visual Arts and Leo Events, and is the kickoff event for spark, an annual, multi-day showcase of all facets of creative culture in Chattanooga. For more information, visit www.4bridgesartsfestival.org.