Set for October 16-17, 2021, Decatur’s River Clay Fine Arts Festival returns with 58 local and national artists for a two-day celebration of the visual arts. In addition to the artist market, festival goers are treated to chalk art, student art exhibits, live music and more.
The juried art festival, featuring local and national artists exhibiting original works of art for sale to the public, made its debut in 2015. This year, the two-day event features artwork from talented artists from 10 different states who will be selling a variety of original works of art, including ceramics, drawings, glass, jewelry, metalwork, mixed media, paintings, photography, sculptures, and wood. Food trucks will be on-site offering attendees the opportunity to picnic during festival hours. Beer and wine will also be available this year.
In addition to experienced artists, the festival celebrates up-and-coming artists from local schools. Festival goers will enjoy seeing the display of artwork representing students from public and private schools from across Decatur, Hartselle and Morgan County. Children of all ages are invited to take part in the children’s art area through fun activities for kids to express their creativity.
River Clay will be held on the grounds of Decatur City Hall located at 402 Lee Street NE. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 16, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 17. Admission is $5 per person for a weekend pass. Children 12 years old and under get in free (must be accompanied by an adult).
Tickets are available now for River Clay Rendezvous, an arts patron preview party, on Friday, October 15, from 5 to 9 p.m. Participants will check in at the River Clay Artist Market between 5 and 7 p.m. to receive their event pass and to preview and buy the artists’ works while enjoying beverages and hors d’oeuvres. From 7 to 9 p.m., Rendezvous ticket holders and the artists are invited to the Rendezvous Social at the Alabama Center for the Arts to enjoy more food, beverages, entertainment and the art exhibit in the ACA Gallery. Additionally, the Rendezvous ticket includes weekend admission to the festival. River Clay Rendezvous tickets are $50 per person and may be purchased online at www.riverclay.org or by calling Jennifer Bunnell at the Alabama Center for the Arts at 256-260-4299. A limited number of tickets is available.
For more information on the River Clay Fine Arts Festival including a list of participating artists, visit www.riverclay.org.
Festivalgoers are encouraged to make Decatur a weekend destination and visit other arts and science attractions in the downtown area. Located directly across from River Clay Arts Festival, the Cook Museum of Natural Science, a modern natural history museum with exhibits on zoology, geology, paleontology and nature art, will be open with special activities on Oct. 16. Visit https://www.cookmuseum.org/calendar/ for more information. See a live performance of Sleepy Hollow, presented by Dream Weavers Children’s Theatre, at the historic Princess Theatre in downtown Decatur Oct. 15, 16 and 17. Visit https://www.princesstheatre.org/ for show times. On Friday, Oct. 15, Downtown Decatur 3rd Friday will take to the streets beginning at 5:30 p.m. The monthly street party will fill the streets with classic cars, live music, sidewalk sales and other fun for families to enjoy together.
For more information on other things to see and do in and around Decatur, visit www.decaturcvb.org.
About Decatur Morgan County Tourism
Decatur Morgan County Tourism is a not-for-profit organization promoting tourism and economic growth in Morgan County. Travel-related expenditures for Morgan County in 2020 exceeded $239 million and state lodging taxes collected reached nearly $1.2 million. The tourism and travel industry within Decatur and Morgan County provided 2,557 direct and indirect jobs for local residents and total travel-related earnings exceeded $62 million. For information on special events and attractions in Decatur and Morgan County, call 800.524.6181 or 256.350.2028; or visit http://www.decaturcvb.org.
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