Art lovers of all ages should cheer for St. Petersburg's first annual Folkfest, presented by Creative Clay. The family-friendly street party celebrating folk, outsider, and visionary art and performance aims to bring foot-stompin' fun to the west end of the downtown core, where Central Avenue is blocked off to accommodate pedestrian traffic throughout the weekend. Look for the vibrant wares of 60 artists from all over the country — but mainly the South — including Missionary Mary Proctor, whose poetic paintings incorporating soda cans and household objects have earned her wide acclaim. A stage and dance floor features performances by folk musicians Lorna Bracewell and Rebekah Pulley, zydeco group The Porchdogs, poet Venus Jones, bluesmen James Peterson, Blind Willie James — and many more. Sun., Sept. 30, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Central Avenue between 11th and 13th streets, St. Petersburg; for information, call Creative Clay, 727-825-0515, creativeclay.org.
This article appears in Sep 26 – Oct 2, 2007.