Saturday, September 17, 2005

Eleventh ANNUAL MOSAICS MISSOURI FESTIVAL FOR THE ARTS

Eleventh ANNUAL MOSAICS MISSOURI FESTIVAL FOR THE ARTS

The 11th annual MOsaics Missouri Festival for the Arts will be held September 16, 17 and 18, 2005 on North Main in Historic Saint Charles. The free, family-friendly art festival runs from 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Sunday and offers art, children’s activities, exhibits, food and music.

MOsaics features more than 100 artists from across the state, region and country who exhibit, discuss and sell their artwork. Paintings, sculptures, photography, glass, digital art, metal and woodwork are just a sampling of the media represented. Performing artists for the three-day festival include the Buckhannon Brothers, Poor People of Paris, Mark Biehl, native American flutist Mark Holland, and the trombone quartet Original Boneheads. The St. Charles County Symphony will perform on Saturday, 3:00 p.m. at the Foundry Art Centre, 520 North Main Center, as a part of the festival.

Children’s activities include the Children’s Village, a hands-on art experience for children; pottery wheel demonstrations where children can learn to throw a pot; “Art for Youth” gallery hosted by Lindenwood College where children 17 and under can pay just $5 and select a piece of art donated by festival artists; and the “Mentor Me” exhibit, which displays art created by metropolitan area art students and teachers. Beginning September 13th, the Ninth Annual “Mentor Me” exhibit will be on display at the Foundry Art Centre, with a closing reception from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 9th.

Visitors will sample a taste of St. Charles at outdoor cafés sponsored by participating North Main Street restaurants.

MOsaics brings art enjoyment, awareness, appreciation and education free of charge to the Saint Charles and St. Louis region, and gives residents and visitors to Saint Charles the opportunity to interact directly with the artists.

The Foundry Art Centre is a fine arts gallery overlooking the Missouri River at 520 North Main Center, in the Frenchtown district of Historic St. Charles. The Foundry features a Smithsonian-caliber art gallery hosting juried exhibitions plus 20 working artist studios where visitors can watch the creative process and buy art directly from the artists. This nonprofit organization also provides community meeting rooms, event space and a children’s art gallery. Hours are Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., Wednesdays from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon until 4 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. For more information on the Foundry, call (636) 255-0270 or visit www.foundryartcentre.org.

For more information on MOsaics, call (636) 255-0270 or the Greater Saint Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau at (636) 946-7776, or visit www.stcharlesmosaics.org.