Artsplosure is a nonprofit arts & cultural event production studio based in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

. Artsplosure's mission is to "give all people in the Raleigh community meaningful opportunities to experience the arts and enhance their cultural perspective". Artsplosure hosts Artsplosure - The Raleigh Arts Festival held each May in downtown Raleigh as well as WRAL First Night Raleigh, held annually on New Year's Eve in downtown Raleigh. Artsplosure is funded in part by the city of Raleigh based on the recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission and is supported by the

North Carolina Arts Council The North Carolina Arts Council is an organization in the U.S. state of North Carolina that provides grants to artists, musicians and arts organizations. The group's mission is "arts for all people." It was founded by executive order in 1964 by Go ...

, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

About the Artsplosure - The Raleigh Arts Festival

The two-day event is held annually on the third weekend in May and includes over 170 visual artists showing and selling their work on the Fayetteville Street in downtown

. Artsplosure also features live music performances on the main stage local artists. The event is free to the public.

History

Artsplosure was conceived in 1978 by subcommittees of the newly formed City of Raleigh Arts Commission who were planning a citywide arts festival. The following year, Artsplosure was incorporated to produce high quality and accessible arts festivals and to identify, nurture, and showcase artists seeking to reach wider audiences. The first city-wide multi-disciplinary arts festival took place in April 1980 in conjunction with the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

conference.

Sources

External links

Artsplosure website
{{coord, 35.7775, -78.6358, region:US-NC_type:landmark, display=title Culture of Raleigh, North Carolina Tourist attractions in Raleigh, North Carolina Festivals in North Carolina Arts festivals in the United States