ARTS Wake Forest

Our 30th season of the Six Sundays in Spring concert series started with a bang on April 28th. We had a great turnout of over 3000 people at E. Carroll Joyner Park to enjoy the Beatles tribute band, Beatlesque.

Unfortunately, we had to cancel the second concert of the series featuring Eduardo & the Paco Band with Flamenco music and dance due to unfavorable weather conditions. However, the weather looks promising for our next concert on May 12th, featuring the Soul Psychedelique Orchestra. We invite you to celebrate Mother’s Day with us at Joyner Park on May 12 from 5:30-7:30 pm and enjoy the music.

The Six Sundays series is presented by ARTS Wake Forest and the Town of Wake Forest’s Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department. ARTS Wake Forest receives support from The Town of Wake Forest, United Arts of Wake County, North Carolina Arts Council, and Edward Jones, Office of Greg Daniels. If you’re interested in volunteering or donating to support the series, you’ll find information here on our website.

We’re excited to announce the start of our 30th Six Sundays season on April 28, 5:30-7:30 pm at the E. Carroll Joyner Park Amphitheater. The first concert of our 30th Six Sundays series will feature Beatlesque, a four-piece tribute band that strives to replicate the look and sound of the Beatles.

Six Sundays was first presented in 1994 by the Wake Forest Cultural Arts Association (ARTS Wake Forest) on the grounds of the Wake Forest Historical Museum. The Six Sundays series moved to E Carroll Joyner Park in 2009 and has since been a joint effort of ARTS Wake Forests and the Town of Wake Forest Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department.

This year, the series is also supported by United Arts of Wake County and the North Carolina Arts Council. You too can support the Six Sundays tradition by contributing financially or by volunteering. Contribute HERE. Volunteer HERE.

See you on Sunday!

We are currently busy organizing our yearly spring events and would love for you to attend our Spring Artisans Market and Six Sundays in Spring Concert Series.

On April 20, our Wake Forest Guild of Artists will present their annual Spring Artisans Market in partnership with the Town’s Forest Fest. The market will be held at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre from 9 am to 2 pm. The Spring Market is a juried event featuring handmade items from various artists such as potters, painters, photographers, woodworkers, fiber artists, jewelry artists, and more. Admission is free, so come and enjoy!

Our annual Six Sundays in Spring concert series will begin on April 28 and continue for six consecutive Sundays, ending on June 2. This year, we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first Six Sundays in Spring, which was presented by The Wake Forest Cultural Arts Association (ARTS Wake Forest) at the Wake Forest Museum in 1994.

ARTS Wake Forest is pleased to present the 2023 Holiday Artisans Market on Saturday, December 2, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Our annual market will be held inside and outside the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre at 405 S. Brooks St. in Downtown Wake Forest, NC.

Free and open to the public, the Holiday Artisan Market will include potters, jewelry artists, fine artists, photographers, woodworkers, candlemakers, fiber artists, and more. You will find unique, quality items made by area artists and artisans at this market. Buy for those on your holiday gift-giving list or for yourself!

You can see examples of creations by holiday market artists and artisans at artswakeforest.org/events/holidaymarket.

Check our Facebook page for event updates facebook.com/ARTSWakeForest.

Applications are now open for ARTS Wake Forest’s 2023 Holiday Artisans Market to be held December 2, 2023 from 10am-4pm at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre in Downtown Wake Forest, NC.

Applications for the market will be accepted until September 13 through the EntryThingy Online Call for Entries System. Instructions are located on our Apply for 2023 Holiday Artisans Market page under the Artist tab at https://artswakeforest.org/artists/2023-holiday-market-application/. There is a $10 nonrefundable application fee.

The Holiday Market will showcase a variety of original items available in a wide range of prices. This market is juried and is available only to artists and skilled artisans. All items offered for sale must be original and created by the artist or artisan.

Please direct questions to the Holiday Market Team at holidayartisansmarket@gmail.com.

We’re pleased to have begun offering our spring lineup of arts events, some new and all free of charge, for our Wake Forest community and beyond.

Yvonne King with her original art at Blackbird Brewery Sip and Shop Market

Our visual arts group, the Wake Forest Guild of Artists held a Sip and Shop as the first of their pop up market series. The Sip and Shop was presented on March 18 in the beer garden at the Blackbird Brewery located in the Heritage neighborhood of Wake Forest. Twelve artist sold original work. Free art lessons were offered to visiting children by Guild of Artists member Indigo Lamb. Special thanks go to Blackbird Brewery for hosting the market and providing music by Mike Edwards and Robert Turner. Cape Fear Seafood Company, soon to open a restaurant in the Heritage neighborhood, was onsite with free steamed oysters.

The Sip and Shop was a great start for the Guild’s plan to host quarterly pop up markets in various neighborhoods of Wake Forest. Visit our blog again soon for information on future pop ups.

Wake Forest Downtown’s Annual Forest Fest.

On April 15, the Wake Forest Guild of Artists presented its annual Spring Art Market in conjunction with Wake Forest Downtown’s Forest Fest. Over 1700 visited this juried fine arts and crafts market held both inside and outside the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts.

We extend our thanks to Wake Forest Downtown, Inc. for including the Guild’s Spring Art Market among Forest Fest activities. Thanks also go to the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre and the staff that hosted our market.

Next in our spring line up is music presented at the Wake Forest Garden Club’s April 29, 5:30-7:30 pm Garden Party. The Party concludes the April 28-29 Art and Garden Tour. Visit the Wake Forest Garden Club for ticket information for both the tour and the concluding party.

Wake Forest Dance Festival’s Tour in Motion has been an audience favorite since the event’s inception in 2017. The guided walking tour through beautiful E. Carroll Joyner Park has showcased various artists who traveled from near and far to be a part of the Festival. The concept was captured on film during the pandemic and a series of site-specific dance films, Tour in Motion: Virtual Edition, were created to highlight four NC-based performers and choreographers to celebrate the beauty of the venue that inspired the event.

Join us on November 5, 7:00 pm at Unwined on White, 153 S White St. in downtown Wake Forest for an intimate screening and discussion with the artists! Cost is $15/person, includes a drink and admission. Tickets are available at the door.

Featured artists include Billy J. Hawkains, Aparna Pisharody, Jasmine Powell, and Lindsay Winthrop.

We are pleased to have the Wake Forest Dance Festival as a program of ARTS Wake Forest.

ARTS Wake Forest and the Wake Forest Guild of Artists are pleased to announce that applications are open to participate in the 7^th annual Wake Forest Holiday Artisans Market. Applications will be accepted online via the EntryThingy Call for Entries system through September 30, 2022. Applicants will be notified of acceptance or placement on the waitlist by October 14.

This year the Holiday Artisans Market will take place on December 3 from 10 am to 4 pm OUTDOORS-ONLY throughout downtown Wake Forest, NC. The market will be held in conjunction with Wake Forest’s annual Holiday Open House and Wake Forest’s Christmas Historic Homes Tour.

The Artisans Market is a unique shopping experience featuring a variety of original items in a wide range of prices. Conceived as a showcase for area artists and artisans, this juried market features handmade items from potters, painters, photographers, woodworkers, fiber artists, jewelry artists, and more.

The market will be free and open to the public. A 50/50 raffle will be held to benefit ARTS Wake Forest and the Wake Forest Guild of Artists.

ARTS Wake Forest has concluded another successful Six Sundays in Spring concert series. In addition to our wonderful event partners at the Town of Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department, we have many to thank.

Financial sponsors for the Six Sundays series included the Wake Forest/Rolesville Allen Tate Realtors through the Tate Cares Campaign, the Town of Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department, United Arts of Raleigh & Wake County, and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Our sincerest thanks to these generous sponsors for making it possible for us to bring the Six Sundays series free-of-charge to our community and beyond.