HOUSTON- Bayou City Art Festival Downtown, in partnership with 15 local non-profit organizations, is taking over Sam Houston Park downtown October 13 and October 14, offering Houstonians the chance to see more than 300 artists and to spotlight this year’s featured artist, Charlie Hardwick. 

Bayou City Art Festival Downtown is a much-anticipated Houston tradition that celebrates a wide variety of art forms by more than 300 nationally and locally celebrated artists from across the country. The festival offers an array of exhibitswhere patrons can admire and purchase art pieces. The festival also features activities for children in the Green Mountain Energy Creativity Zone, dozens of food and beverage vendors, and live entertainment on the Houston Arts Alliance Local Roots/ Global Culture stage including performances from Umbrella Man, Hustler’s Brass Band and other gospel, Carnatic and honky-tonk groups performing historically local songs. 

Each festival features a unique artist and this year, native Houstonian Charlie Hardwick has been selected. Hardwick converted his hobby of creating rock posters into a career in 2008 and has since added painting and print making into his art portfolio. His brightly colored, captivating posters are admired by many and over the years have featured rock legends including The Who, Bob Dylan and U2. Hardwick was diagnosed as legally blind in 2007, but continues to work in the digital non-photography genre through Mac handicap provisions. 

The Bayou City Art Festival is a non-profit organization that provides financial support to non-profit partners. This year Bayou City Art Festival Downtown has partnered with 15 local non-profit organizations, including the Art League Houston, CityArt Works, Several Dancers Core, the Heritage Society and the YMCA. 

Kelly Kindred, Bayou City Art Festival’s executive director, is proud that the festival is able to provide unparalleled accessibility to the arts, while giving back to the local community. “I’m pleased that Bayou City Art Festival Downtown is able to offer Houstonians the chance to view unique pieces of art, purchase this artwork and meet the artists at an affordable price. It’s important that all Houstonians have the chance to interact with the artists, and that the artists are able to share their work with educated patrons; we’re able to help facilitate that,” Kindred said. 

Kindred goes on to say, “The festival not only benefits a number of local non-profit organizations, with 100% of the proceeds being donated to them, but these non-profits are supplying the amazing volunteers that make the weekend run so smoothly. The combination of art and philanthropy really bring the city together.

”The festival attracts at least 30,000 art patrons each year and has raised more than $2.7 million since it began 40 years ago. This year the Bayou City Art Festival Downtown will be held at Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston on Saturday, October 13and Sunday, October 14 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are free for members and children under 12, and non-members may purchase tickets online or at festival doors for $12. 

About Bayou City Art Festival: 

Established in 1972, the Art Colony Association(ACA) is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to producing high quality art festivals and events to provide financial support to local non-profit organizations. Over the past 40 years, the Art Colony Association, producer of Bayou City Art Festival Downtown in the fall and Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park in the spring, has raised more than $2.5 million for local nonprofit organizations. The Festivals are funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.