Art Trail, ‘Mosaic’ events bring street festival to downtown
Original artwork created by students in 19 Anderson County schools will be going on display starting today [Wednesday] in the windows of shops on Market Street in downtown Clinton, and will remain there until April 12.
The art is part of the first Anderson County Art Trail, which also will include special events and live performances during the “Mosaic” street festival planned for all day Saturday in the downtown area.
Students’ art will be on display and available for sale, said Art Trail coordinator Alison Greenhouse, who teaches art at Norris and Fairview elementary schools.
The art has been provided by students from kindergarten through 12th grade, and each school also contributed a “collaborative” three-by-three-foot piece of art designed to represent the work of all the art students in the participating schools, Greenhouse said.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual spring school art show won’t take place this year, and the Art Trail event will replace it, she said.
The Saturday festival, begins with the Mosaic 5K Color Run at 8 a.m. There is a $30 entry fee, and proceeds go to all Anderson County Arts.
Other street activities, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., include face painting and crafts, such as Chalk Art on Market, sun catchers, flower crowns, “pot your own plants,” “decorate your piggy bank,” an obstacle course, and more.
Food trucks will be on site, along with other vendors.
Live performances also are scheduled, beginning with the CHS Jazz Band, 10 a.m.; Clinton City Schools Percussion Ensemble & Ukulele Club, 10:30 a.m.; Dream Dance, 11 a.m.; CHS Choir, 11:30 a.m.; CHS Cheer, 1 p.m.; ACHS Drama Club, 1:30 p.m.; Music Makers, 2 p.m.; Dream Dance, 3 p.m.; and Sleepy Eyed John’s Music, 3:30 p.m.
Food trucks or booths will include Steak Me Home Tonight, B’s Bites, and Dave’s Dog House.
“Normally, the schools have a countywide art show every April,” Greenhouse said earlier. “It’s a two-day event held at The Kincaid House, and it usually draws over 1,000 people.
“This year, with the COVID restrictions, we had to look for an alternate way to display the students’ artwork. One of the art teachers said, ‘I wish we could have it on display like somewhere in a window.’ That started this idea of getting together with the Market Street shop owners to see if they would display the work.”
Greenhouse said the art teachers “reached out to the [Anderson County] Chamber of Commerce” for help in getting in touch with the downtown merchants.
“That’s how the idea was formulated,” she said.
“We have 10 shops that will be hosting student artwork.
“And we’ve decided to have each school make one really big collaborative artwork,” Greenhouse added.
