The Downtown Committee of Syracuse announced the line-up for the 2009 ArtsWeek along the Connective Corridor, which combines the long-standing Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival and the popular Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival with nearly 20 interactive arts activities that are sure to bring out the creativity in everyone who visits.  Returning to Artsweek is an Arts Walk between the two festivals from Columbus Circle to Clinton Square, and new this year is the Blue Rain Ecofest in Hanover Square.   In its second year, ArtsWeek now extends over two weekends and includes:

• The Connective Corridor Bus – Centro and Syracuse University will provide a free park-n-ride service from the Syracuse University campus at Manley Field House to over 25 arts and cultural venues, including all the ArtsWeek events.  The Arts Shuttle is free and picks up every 30 minutes.  Service times include
  Thursday, July 23: 5:00pm – 12:00am
  Friday & Saturday, July 24 – 25: 9:00am – 12:00am
  Sunday, July 26: 9:00am – 7:00pm
• Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival – A spectacular three-day showcase by some of the country’s most talented artists, craftspeople, and entertainers. Visitors can shop and browse among the arts and crafts exhibits and enjoy the diversity of music and multi-cultural performances, a variety of the best summer refreshments and interactive public art projects for children and families. 
  Friday, July 24, 10 am to 6 pm
  Saturday, July 25, 10 am to 5 pm
  Sunday, July 26, 10 am to 5 pm
  Columbus Circle
• Northeast Jazz & Wine Festival – The East Coast’s first international, multi-day free event combining great jazz with fine wine for 22 hours of first-class jazz performances, starting with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra Pops.  The festival also includes a scholastic festival, late night pub crawls, jam sessions and an air-conditioned Wine Pavilion.
  Thursday, July 23 from 5 pm to 11 pm
  Friday, July 24 from 5 pm to 11 pm
  Saturday, July 25 from 12 noon to 11 pm
  Clinton Square
• Urban Video Project – When the sun goes down the lasers come out at UVP. The Urban Video Project will present LASERGRAPH.  Stop by the UVP Monroe venue at 333 E. Onondaga Street and get a chance to “paint” your own digital laser graffiti on the gigantic 3,600-square-foot brick wall. On July 23rd local artists will be working on a laser drawing that will be projected all night. Then, on July 24th and 25th, come down and create your own. We’ll provide the laser, the music, and the food. You provide the imagination.
  July 23 – 25, after dark
  333 E. Onondaga Street
• Blue Rain ECOfest – Upstate New York’s first Ecofest and Expo will feature vendors and exhibitors showing products and techniques designed to raise sensitivity and awareness of how every family can lead a more eco-efficient lifestyle. This event includes exhibits about green technology for homes and businesses, health and wellness, and energy efficient vehicle test drives. Organic foods and beverages will be available.
  Friday, July 24 from 5 pm to 10 pm
  Saturday, July 25 from 12 noon to 10 pm
  Hanover Square & City Hall Commons
• The Everson Museum – Plein Air Painting (Painting in the Open Air) – Learn to paint like the Impressionists!  As the Everson Museum of Art gears up for the upcoming exhibition of Impressionist works, Turner to Cézanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection, National Museum Wales, the community is invited to “learn by doing,” and step into the role of the artist. Visitors will capture the feeling of a city abuzz in their paintings, as the summer sun illuminates the life and architecture of the downtown area. Everson volunteers and staff will be on hand to answer questions, share painting tips and techniques, and explain the concept of Impressionism. Visitors will be provided all the materials needed to create their very own plein air painting. Take your painting home, or leave it with the Everson for display.
  Saturday, July 25; 10 am to 5 pm
  Sunday, August 1; 10 am to 1 pm
  City Hall Commons.
• The Syracuse International Film Festival – Featuring a program of family-rated animated and short films, collected from the best of 5 year’s entries in the film festival.  Bring lawn chairs for seating.
  Friday, July 24 from 8:30 to 11:00 pm
  City Hall Commons
• Totem Project – Artist Peter Michael will design and direct the installation of the Children’s Totem, consisting of interlocking silhouettes of children at play.  Children visiting ArtsWeek will be invited to paint the unassembled plywood figures during the morning and early afternoon.  The painted figures will then be assembled and erected as a 21’-tall totem that will tower over ArtsWeek for the remainder of the day.  The finished totem will be erected again at Clinton Square during Family Friendzy festival in Clinton Square on August 1, 2009.  Peter Michel’s work has been shown frequently in galleries and museums in Central New York as well as in many shows throughout the country (http://www.petermichel.com/index.php).  In 1999 and 2000, his monumental sculptures were included in Chicago’s Pier Walk shows – one of the largest outdoor sculpture shows in the world.  His work has been commissioned by The Houston Festival.  The Houston Folk Arts Council, The Houston Academy of Gymnastics and a number of private individuals.  Recent commissions include “Think Peace,: a 3’ wooden sculpture installed at Unity Church in St. George, Utah; and he is currently working on a 12’ aluminum sculpture, the “Peace Garden Totem,” for the Thea Bowman House in Utica, NY.  His work is in private collections across the United States as well as in Germany, Japan, Korean and South Africa.  ArtsWeek would like to thank the Rosamond Gifford Foundation for its generous support of the Children’s Totem.
  Saturday, July 25, 10 am to 5 pm, City Hall Commons
  Saturday, August 1, 10 am to 6 pm, Clinton Square
• Syracuse New Times 19th Annual Street Painting Festival – A Sidewalk Art Contest where artists will create masterpieces in chalk.  The contest is limited to 125 participants of all ages who will compete for prize money.  Spectators are encouraged and welcome. 
  Saturday, July 25; Registration begins at 8 am; Winners announced at 3 pm
  (Rain date Sunday, July 26)
  200 block of Montgomery Street
• The Art Store – Offering visitors the opportunity to create a wish flag. Based on the Tibetan tradition of prayer flags, visitors are encouraged to write, paint, and decorate flags with their wishes for others. The flags can be hung from the Art Store wishing tree or taken home to share. Also featured will be demonstrations of various art forms by artists at work. On Friday learn about watercolor and hand building with air dry clay. Saturday, Sharon Blair will share her talents in panpastels and mixed media art. On Sunday come see block printing, graphite pencil drawings, and De/Reconstruction Art.
  Friday, July 24 from 10 am to 6 pm
  Saturday, July 25 from 10 am to 5 pm
  Sunday, July 26 from 10 am to 5 pm
  300 Block of E. Onondaga Street
• The Syracuse Community Mandala Project – Unifying visual representation of the value each person brings to the central New York community as a whole. Children and adults are invited to express themselves by decorating their own mandala at ArtsWeek. These will be combined with approximately 1,500 other mandala designs created through many local organizations and schools into a large combined structure.  
  Friday, July 24 from 10 am to 6 pm, 300 block of E. Onondaga Street
  Saturday, July 25 from 10 am to 5 pm, City Hall Commons
  Sunday, July 26 from 10 am to 5 pm, 300 block of E. Onondaga Street
• The CNY Arts Covenant – Inviting every citizen throughout CNY to fulfill four arts-based agreements during a year’s time. All four should support the arts, artists, or cultural institutions and expand people’s experiences with the arts. The sign-up event will use an art-form to “seal the deal.” Political and community leaders, children and adults, from our many cultural communities will commit themselves to the Covenant by using the most ancient form of personal signature, their painted handprint on a growing quilt which will become a piece of public artwork. 
  Friday, July 24 at 12 pm
  City Hall Commons, near the Tectonic Hand Sculpture
• TH3 & Arts Covenant Event – Adults and children are invited to “make their mark” on the Syracuse Arts scene by “signing” up for CNY Arts Covenant in one of two ways: by adding a handprint to the Covenant Quilt or by creating a flag that will be hung throughout City Hall Commons. These individual art objects become part of a community expression of support for public arts and fulfills their first CNY Arts Covenant agreement.
  Saturday, July 25, 10 am to 5 pm, City Hall Commons
  Sunday, July, 10 am to 5 pm, 300 block of E. Onondaga Street
• The Downtown Writer’s Center at the YMCA – Featuring faculty books for signing and purchase and readings by local writers, as well as free workshops on found poetry, poetry collage, ekphrastic writing, and family storytelling.  Free copies will be available at the DWC’s AnthologY, featuring work from this season’s visiting writers. Festival goers will have the opportunity to create magnetic poetry or their own six-word memoirs to take home. Those interested can pick up summer and fall writing class schedules.
  Friday, July 24 from 10 am to 6 pm
  Saturday, July 25 from 10 am to 5 pm
  Sunday, July 26 from 10 am to 5 pm
  300 Block Montgomery Street & the Writer’s Center & the YMCA
• Media Unit Dancestravaganza – A tribute to Michael Jackson and an audience participation finale dancing to big screen television projections of Jackson’s Thriller music video.  The Johnson Irish Step Dancers kick off the event, followed by the Media Unit’s Oz Nation Dancers, who will be anointing a path between the Arts and Crafts Festival on Columbus Circle and the Jazz Festival on Clinton Square as the Yellow Brick Road. The afternoon will provide a range of dance styles from ballet to hip-hop, African to Middle Eastern, step to jazz and modern.
  Saturday, July 25, from noon to 5 pm at Hanover Square
• Redhouse Art Radio – An internet radio station sponsored through The Redhouse Arts Center, will be broadcasting live from City Hall Commons during ArtsWeek, covering the ArtsWeek events and collecting audio profiles from participants.
  Saturday, July 25, 10 am to 5 pm
  City Hall Commons
• ArtsWeek ‘Zine – Urban Arts Rangers will be dispatched again this year to go around the festival gathering stories from exhibiting artists, musicians, and people attending the festivals to create an art newspaper that captures the experience of the festival. Everyone is encouraged to help write the stories, take the pictures, and create drawings.
  Saturday, July 25 from 10 am to 5 pm
  City Hall Commons
• Participate in a Live Mural – Gossamer Wings Interior Design Studio is proud to present the free Live Mural, where kids of all ages are welcome to express their artistic minds. Free face painting will also be held.
  Friday, July 24 from 1 to 6 pm, 300 block of E. Onondaga Street
  Saturday, July 25 from 10 am to 2 pm, City Hall Commons
  Sunday, July 26 from 10 am to 2 pm, 300 block of E. Onondaga Street
• Delavan Art Gallery – Hosting a Hawaiian Luau to support and celebrate the creativity of local artists. The $10 admission charge includes light refreshments and non-alcoholic beverages. Remember to wear your Hawaiian shirts. The featured exhibits, “Reflections” and “Pen and Ink Drawings by Brian Butler” will remain up through August 1. www.delavanartgallery.com
  Friday, July 24 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, 501 West Fayette Street
• Syracuse University Book Store Book Fair – The literary and creative talents of local and regional authors and illustrators will be showcased.  Many will be on hand to discuss, and personally autograph their books.  Books of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and those for children will be featured. 
  Friday, July 24, 10 am to 6 pm
  Saturday, July 25, 10 am to 5 pm
  Sunday, July 26, 10 am to 5 pm
  300 block of Montgomery Street

This year, Artsweek is extended one more weekend to include Family Friendzy and Candlelight Opera ion Armory Square on Saturday, August 1.  Presented by City of Syracuse Dept. of Parks, Recreation & Youth Programs, Family Friendzy is a first-time event in Clinton Square featuring multi-cultural live entertainment and lots of hands-on arts activities.   Support is provided by Citadel Communications, P&C, and Time-Warner, and Family Times. Headlining that day will be 15-year-old singing phenomenon national recording artist Justin Bieber, whose hit song, “One Time” has been playing daily on 93Q since mid-June and has regularly been a Top 5 request featured on the 93Q Top 5 at 9.

Other entertainers that day will represent a cultural cross-section of our community, including step and drill teams at 10 a.m.; Vietnamese dancers at 11 a.m.; Media Unit’s “Angels with Broken Wings – The Loss,” a 21st century “West Side Story at 12 noon; the Young and Talented Dance Company at 2 p.m.; the Odessa Ukrainian Dancers at 4 p.m. and the Stan Colella All-Star Band.

Local celebrities will be on hand as well, in the Storybook Corner, reading from their favorite storybooks, including WSTM anchor Laura Hand at 10:30 a.m.; 9WSYR anchor Christie Casciano at 11:30 a.m.; Rita Paniagua, from the Spanish Action League, at 12:30; community activist Mary Nelson at 1:30 and 93Q’s Ted and Amy at 2:30 p.m.

Arcade games, favorite characters from Time Warner; bounce houses/inflatables; a Sports Zone, a Safety Zone for kids; the Tumblebus; a local historical character from the Onondaga Historical Association will visit during the afternoon; and the opportunity to help create a unique sculpture that will be built that day at the Square. 
Plenty of hands-on activities too.  The YMCA will present activities and a game to promote healthy eating; OCCRA will offer games aimed at testing children’s “green” knowledge about recyclables.   Make purses out of t-shirts with Housing Visions.  Step into the role of an artist with staff from the Everson Museum from 10 am to 1 pm that day and experience Plein Air Painting (Painting in the Open Air).  Take your painting home or leave it with the Everson to display.
And children can join with an educator from Baltimore Woods Nature Center in digging through pond water and muck to search for the animals that live in a pond.
And much more!

• For more information contact the Syracuse Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs at 473-4330, ext. 3006 or 3007.
  Saturday, August 1 from 10 am to 6 pm
  Clinton Square

Candlelight Opera Armory Square – Syracuse Opera introduces five rising opera stars who will perform lead roles in the company’s productions next season.  Soprano Sara Jakubiak comprises the role of Mimi in the Opera’s 2009-10 production of “La Boheme;” mezzo-soprano Katie Calcamuggio portrays Hansel in “Hansel &Gretel;” tenor Brian Jagde portrays Rodolfo and baritone Eric Dubin is Schaunard in “La Boheme.”  Under the direction and accompaniment of the Opera’s music director, Douglas Kinney Frost, the ensemble will sing areas from “La Boheme,” “I Pagliacci,” “Hansel & Gretel,” “Carmen,” “The Marriage of Figaro” and “Rigoletto.”  Opening performance by Lilly Patrick.

• Saturday, August 1; opening act at 6:30 pm; Syracuse Opera Co. at 8 pm
  Armory Square, Corner of W. Jefferson & Franklin Streets.

Many other area organizations worked with the Downtown Committee to coordinate ArtsWeek events, including the Syracuse University, the City of Syracuse Public Arts Commission, the City of Syracuse Parks & Recreation Department, CNY Jazz Arts Foundation, the Gifford Foundation and the Syracuse New Times.  Major funding for both anchor festivals was provided by a New York State Community Events Program Grant through Senator John A. DeFrancisco.