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Downtown Phoenix came to life Saturday afternoon as artists, vendors and performers came together to celebrate art in the community for the tenth annual Herberger Theater Festival of the Arts.
Located on Monroe Street in front of the Phoenix Convention Center, the festival brings about 3,500 to 4,000 people to the Herberger Theater Center every year. It aims to celebrate art by providing performances from more than 25 Valley arts groups, activities for kids, food, live music and more.
All of the proceeds raised at the event go toward the Herberger Theater’s art education and youth outreach programs for youth ages 3-19.
Mark Mettes Jr., the Herberger’s marketing manager, said that the amount of support they have received in the past years has been an indicator to them that both the city and the community desire the annual event as a way to gather and celebrate art.
“We are extremely grateful that we continue to receive support from the City of Phoenix and our sponsors to host such a fun and wonderful community event celebrating the arts,” Mettes said.
Aside from the vendors’ wares, which included art pieces, jewelry, books and even clothing, attendees were able to watch live music from local bands such as Suerez and Perrault. The theater’s second-floor art gallery was also open.
Attendees were also given the opportunity to adopt a pet from five different animal shelters, including the Home ‘Fur’ Good animal shelter, which was at the event for its second year.
“This is such a wonderful event because there’s a lot of nice people who love the animals and are very happy to support us,” Lois Leader, a volunteer for the shelter, said.
“We just enjoy meeting everyone, and the dogs enjoy meeting everyone as well.”
Pilar Hernandez, who was at the event for her ninth year, said that her favorite part of the festival are all of the 20 to 30 minute short performances she was able to watch, such as the classical Indian dance that was put on by the Padma School Of Odissi Dance.
“You’re able to experience small tastes of different cultures,” Hernandez said. “There should be more of that in Phoenix.”
Live dance performances varied from classical Indian dances to hip hop and contemporary styles from dance studios around the Valley.
Hernandez’s elementary school-age daughter, Luz Hernandez, shared the same sentiment of appreciation for the performances.
“They are very beautiful and have a lot of meaning to them,” Luz Hernadez said. “I think it’s very beautiful that (the Herberger Theater) actually includes different cultures and not just one.”
The festival also included aerial acrobatic performances from AeroTerra Arts, which was founded four years ago and has been a part of the festival for three of them.
AeroTerra’s owner, Khrystia St. Lucia, says that being able to show off the organization’s skills makes the experience of performing at this festival worthwhile.
“It’s an amazing audience, and everyone is always appreciative that we’re here,” St. Lucia said. “It’s fun, and everyone enjoys it.”
For attendee Marjorie McKenna, bringing her granddaughter to experience the festival for the first time left an impression on her that will bring her back for years to come.
“It was a wonderful experience,” McKenna said. “I brought my granddaughter to the Herberger before, but I really thought that (the festival) would be an enlightenment of what else they have to offer. I am so impressed.”
Contact the reporter at adiazvic@asu.edu.
