Paseo Arts Assoc. looks forward to Sept. festival, other adjustments to programming

Editor's Note: This event is canceled for 2020. 

The Paseo Arts Festival is a rite of passage for the Paseo community and art lovers across the city for over 40 years now. Because of COVID-9, this year’s is has been shifted from the usual Memorial Day weekend date to Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5 through 7.

 As 2020 began few would be able to predict how a global pandemic would reshuffle life completely for almost everyone. Events like the First Friday art walk, which usually happened like clockwork, were now put on hold indefinitely. The streets that were typically teaming with life, were now empty each weekend. It was a hard but necessary decision for the Paseo Arts Association (PAA) to postpone the beloved festival. 

“Given the high level of uncertainty surrounding this rapidly evolving situation, the decision was made with careful consideration and in the best interest of the hundreds of festival artists, performers, vendors and volunteers that make up the event. The health and safety of the 60,000 visitors the festival draws each year has always been the top priority of the PAA, and this time is no different,” said PAA Executive Director Amanda Bleakley.  

The Paseo Arts Festival is the largest annual fundraiser for the Paseo Arts Association. The money raised through beverage and merchandise sales directly supports the mission of the 501(c)3 nonprofit. It is used to put on your favorite Paseo programs and events provided to the community year-round. Annually the festival is host almost 100 critically-acclaimed visual artists, along with dozens of performers and musicians. It is a great place to see some of the best in painting, ceramics, photography, sculpture, jewelry, and woodworking from across the country.

The district like all others in OKC had to make adjustments across all retail fronts as well. Most restaurants had to learn how to navigate the new-to-them territories of online ordering and curbside service. Galleries and merchants turned to social media and online sales to keep the doors open.

The service industry workers were hit the hardest. In May, the PAA, along with The House Helps, hosted a virtual “First Friday From Home” event raising nearly $6,000 for Paseo employees and artists that were affected by the pandemic.

Cautiously the PAA is proceeding forward with the festival. To stay up to date on the latest news about the district and the festival check out their website at www.thepaseo.org.