MEDIA CONTACT: Andrea Cash, andrea@andreacashcreative.com, 336-471-6939
Hillsborough, NC, Aug. 8, 2023 – Following a month of dozens of outdoor, bold works of art being displayed throughout the downtown areas of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough, the Uproar Festival of Public Art will close with an awards party on Saturday, Aug. 12 at Eno Arts Mill (437 Dimmocks Mill Road, Suite 17, Hillsborough) from 6 to 9 p.m. Blue Cactus and Triangle Afrobeat Orchestra will perform. The awards party is presented by Eno River Mill.
The celebration is free and open to all – no RSVP required. Attendees can purchase food from food trucks (Cilantro, The Blue Window, Yagg Sii Tenn, and Alsie’s Ice Cream) and drinks from local producers (Eno River Brewing, Haw River Farmhouse Ales, and Sanders Ridge Vineyard and Winery).
At the event, the winners of more than $27,000 in cash prizes will be revealed – the Robert & Mercedes Eichholz Foundation People’s Choice winner will receive $10,000, while the jury’s first-place winner will receive $10,000, the second-place winner will receive $5,000, and a third-place winner will receive $2,500. The jurors are Larry Wheeler, retired director of the North Carolina Museum of Art; Stacey L. Kirby, installation artist and the winner of ArtPrize 8; and interdisciplinary award-winning artist Antoine Williams.
Artists from North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Georgia participated in the inaugural festival, which kicked off on July 14, with works including two-dimensional pieces, sculptures, projections, and installations. A QR code accompanying each artwork takes festival goers to a scoring page. Nearly 5,000 votes have been cast for the People’s Choice award so far, and although the Uproar art will remain on display through Aug. 12, the voting ends on Aug. 11 at 9 p.m.
Uproar is free and accessible to all. The outdoor locations are easy to navigate, and audio descriptions are offered for individuals with low vision.
“It has been so gratifying to watch Uproar bring so much joy to our community and its visitors,” says Katie Murray, director of the Orange County Arts Commission (OCAC). “Festival goers of all ages have fully embraced the festival, supporting our economy along the way.”
Inspired by ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and ArtFields in Lake Park, South Carolina, Uproar is the first festival of its kind in the state and prioritizes accessibility. The OCAC, along with nine community partners, created the festival to celebrate artists, engage art lovers of all types, and support and celebrate the community. Since summer can be a slow time for small business owners, Uproar was also designed to boost the local economy.
The Town of Hillsborough has announced an Uproar Purchase Award, committing to purchase one work by an Uproar artist. The Town of Chapel Hill has committed to an Uproar Commission Award: An Uproar artist will be hired during the 2023-24 fiscal year to create a custom work for the town.
Uproar’s community partners: Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture, Visit Hillsborough, Town of Carrboro, Orange County, Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, Arts Everywhere, Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, Hillsborough Arts Council, Orange County Public Transit, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Uproar’s founding sponsors: Eno River Mill (Awards Party Presenting Sponsor), Robert & Mercedes Eichholz Foundation (People’s Choice Prize Sponsor), Application Architects LLC, The Forest at Duke, Triangle Media Partners, WRAL, Our State, West Queen Studio, Cassilhaus, Inhabit Real Estate, Edward Jones – Tom Struckmeyer, WUNC, PNC Bank, Whitehall Antiques, Soccer.com, Duke Energy, School of Rock Chapel Hill, The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, Carol Woods Retirement Community, Leland Little, Bluestem, Thomas Stevens Gallery, Pinnacle Financial Partners, A Better Image Printing, Carolina Square, Gail and Phil Cooley, Elizabeth Matheson, Anita Mills and Andrea Selch, Caterri Woodrum, Atmos, Carolina Meadows, UNC Summer School, Carolina Performing Arts, Coleman Merritt Rainsford, Summit Design and Engineering Services, Orange County Artists Guild, The Frame & Print Shop of Chapel Hill, The Carolina Inn, Measurement Incorporated, PHE Inc., Sanders Ridge, Jim and Jamie Parker, Stuart Paynter and Anna Williams, Marvin and Mary Ann Rozear, Chapel Hill Toffee, Big Spoon Roasters, Botanist and Barrel, Eno River Brewing, Morinaga America Inc., DB Sutton & Company Salon & Spirits, Mediterranean Deli, Weaver Street Market, Wegmans, The Root Cellar, and Carolina Brewery.
Look for updates about Uproar on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Find more information about at uproarfestnc.com.
The Uproar logo was designed by Charlie Dupee, a Chapel Hill-based visual artist and designer.
Based out of Hillsborough, the OCAC is an agency of Orange County government with a mission of promoting and strengthening the artistic and cultural development of Orange County, North Carolina. The commission awards state-funded and county-funded grants, sponsors programs, serves as an arts information clearinghouse, and operates the Eno Arts Mill Gallery and Studios in the historic Eno Mill in Hillsborough. Learn more at artsorange.org.
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