CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF RICHMOND’S 2ND ANNUAL HEART THE ARTS FESTIVAL CELEBRATES THE ARTS STREET-FESTIVAL STYLECMoR and Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen partner again to highlight the arts
Enjoy CMoR all summer with great activities!
Henrico, VA (June 19, 2012) – The Children’s Museum of Richmond (CMoR) and The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen (CACGA) partnered last year to throw the first Heart the Arts Festival in Short Pump, aiming to highlight arts and cultural offerings in western Henrico. The event was a resounding success by all accounts and returns on June 24th as the 2nd Annual Heart the Arts Festival.
The festival is held at West Broad Village in Short Pump where a block is closed to traffic, allowing for visitors, vendors and activities to spill into the street. This year, the festival will again include artists doing demonstrations, a wide variety of art activities, music and dance performances, yard games, delectable food offerings and the entertaining watermelon eating contest.
“We had an inkling last year that the Short Pump community would really enjoy an arts festival and we found we were right when more than 1,000 people showed up for the first one,” said Karen Coltrane, CMoR’s president and CEO. “We love this concept because it promotes two ideas we are passionate about: that the arts are important to the development of young minds and that relaxing, quality family time is just as important.”
Both CMoR and CACGA offer a variety of arts-focused experiences throughout the year that, between the two organizations, cover the lifespan. CMoR’s signature Art Studio is a centerpiece at all three locations offering children the opportunity to create in a hands-on, undirected manner with an array of materials. CACGA offers art classes for adults and teens as well as a year-round calendar of music and dance performances. Both organizations regularly incorporate education about cultures from around the world.
“The Cultural Arts Center is happy to partner again with CMoR to bring this wonderful festival to western Henrico for the second year,” said K Alferio, president of CACGA. “Last year’s event showed us just how much this community appreciates the arts, and when our two organizations work together, we cover the interests and needs of art lovers in all age groups.”
This year artists Matt Lively, world famous squiggle artist and magnificent painter, and local muralist and illustrator Carolyn Shallmo are participating in the event. Organizations and community partners like the Richmond SPCA, Latin Ballet of Virginia, RVA Hoop Lovers and Theatre IV add plenty of entertainment to the day. Local retailers and vendors offering activities and wares include Whole Foods, Sweet Spot, All Fired Up, Dave and Buster’s and many more.
The Heart the Arts Festival is held at West Broad Village, just outside of the children’s museum, from noon until 5:00pm, and is free to the public. Both organizations will conduct demonstrations of their art classes for children, teens and adults, and provide information about their summer camps.
The Children’s Museum of Richmond now has two locations, CMoR Central at 2626 W. Broad St. in Richmond; CMoR Short Pump, located in West Broad Village at 2200 Old Brick Road in Glen Allen; and CMoR Chesterfield in Winterpock Crossing at 6629 Lake Harbour Drive in Midlothian. The Children’s Museum of Richmond has been serving the community since 1981 with the mission to create innovative learning experiences for all children and those who support them that inspire the next generation of creative problem solvers. For more information, please visit the website or call (804) 474-7000.
About the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen
The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen is dedicated to inspiring creativity and stimulating the senses through music, dance, art and theatre. The Center is a private, non-profit organization, managed and maintained by The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen Foundation and Board of Directors. For more information, call 804-261-ARTS (2787) or visit the Center at 2880 Mountain Road, Glen Allen 23060, just off I-295 at the Woodman Road south exit.
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