The third annual ArtsEmanuel festival was held on September 26 and 27, 2008 in downtown Swainsboro. Plan on joining us in 2009, watch for the date.

Activities for all ages occurred. We had music, activities making art for children and adults, exhibitions and vendors.

View pictures from 2008's festival.

Participation form (individuals, organizations and sponsorships) for ArtsEmanuel 2008 (Word DOC format)

Participation form (individuals, organizations and sponsorships) for ArtsEmanuel 2008 (PDF format)

Events at ArtsEmanuel 2008:
In downtown Swainsboro there are art activities for children which include mask making,clay, rainsticks, sand painting, fan and bag coloring, gourd painting, sponge stamps, fingerpainting, henna tatoos, boomerangs, and spin art, and origami. These activities are located on Roger Shaw Street and are free while supplies last.

An Artists Market will be set up on the Square with about many different artists offering a unique shopping experience to festival visitors.

Live performances will take place on the Boneyard throughout the day.

Several vendors will be offering a variety food throughout the day. A number of civic clubs will be participating in the event.

Artwork will also be on view at various locations.

Celebrating the arts in southeast Georgia, the Arts Emanuel festival in Swainsboro takes place each autumn. This year’s festival will be a two day event.

On Friday, September 26 Emanuel Arts presents the Springer Theatrical performance of “All the Way from Magnolia Springs.” The live professional theater event adds a new dimension to the festival.

On Saturday, September 27 beginning at 10am, the activities will take place in downtown Swainsboro. Streets at the town center are closed to provide a large venue for the wide range of activities that will be offered. Visitors view art exhibits, enjoy live performances, participate in hands-on art, and experience a unique shopping opportunity. Performances and art activities on Saturday are free. Vendors provide a variety of interesting food options. Family fun is the highlight of the day in a comfortable hometown atmosphere.

Children’s Activities, including interactive art experiences, exhibits and live entertainment, will take place on the Boneyard. The Puppet People from Savannah will take the Pavilion stage at 2:15. On Patriots Square by the fountain there will be an Artists Market featuring work from around the region. Live entertainment is presented throughout the day. Local dance schools will also perform on the Boneyard. Georgia Rhythms from Vidalia will perform classic rock and beach music on the Square, followed by the regional indie rock band Dayfall. Sponsored by Gallery RFD, a movie will be played on the Boneyard later that evening. Civic clubs are encouraged to participate with a fundraiser and/or an information booth. While the basics remain the same, new elements are added each year to make the festival a worthwhile and exciting experience for the community and the visitors who come to Swainsboro for the event. Currently in the planning stages are a children’s parade.

As a Special Event for Arts Emanuel, the Emanuel Arts Council is bringing All the Way from Magnolia Springs to Swainsboro. The Springer Theatrical production will take on Friday, September 26 at 7:30 pm in the Swainsboro/Emanuel County auditorium.

The story of All the Way from Magnolia Springs opens in the summer of 1958 as Daisy Fay Harper is packing for her trip to the Miss Mississippi Pageant in Tupelo. In the comedy, Daisy Fay goes on an astonishing journey through her formative years in rural Mississippi where she rises from awkward tomboy to a star at the local community theatre and an aspiring Miss American. Along the way, Daisy Fay who is played by Birmingham actress Amber Quick, does a lot of growing up, emerging as one of the most hilarious, appealing and prized characters in modern fiction.

Based on the Fannie Flagg best-selling novel Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, the comedy was written by Ed Howard. Howard is one of the three creators of the famous ‘Tuna’ plays: Greater Tuna, A Tuna Christmas and Red, White and Tuna.

Perhaps best known for the movie based on her novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Fannie Flagg earned the Scripters Award for the screenplay along with nominations for an Academy Award and the Writers Guild of America Screen Award. Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man was on the New York Times bestseller list for ten weeks.

The show is produced on tour by the Springer Theatre, the official State Theatre of Georgia. With one of the nation’s busiest touring schedules, the theatre which is located in Columbus, performs in over eighty southeastern cities each year. Since Reconstruction days, the Springer Theatre has been a revered Southern cultural institution. From Edwin Booth, Lilly Langtry, George M. Cohan, Ethel Barrymore and Irving Berlin in the old days to modern appearances by Mary Martin, Truman Capote, Hal Holbrook, Burt Reynolds, Marvin Hamlisch and Garrison Keillor, the Springer Theatre has been a centerpiece for the performing arts in the South since 1871. To learn more about the play and the Springer Theatre, you can visit SpringerTheatricals.com.

Admission at the door is $10. Advance tickets are $5. As part of the Celebration of the Arts, Emanuel Arts Council 2008-09 members will be admitted to the play at no cost. For more information, contact Emanuel Arts at 478-237-2592

The Emanuel Artist Guild organizes the event with the Emanuel Arts Council and the support of the city of Swainsboro. Funding is provided by the Georgia Rural Economic Development Center at East Georgia College, the Mill Creek Foundation, the Georgia Council for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts because a great nation deserves great art. Local sponsorship is needed to help promote this event.

To learn more, visit EmanuelArts.org; call Emanuel Arts at 478-237-2592; or contact Festival Director Joan Dunn at 478-237-9726 or joan-of-art@nctv.com.