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The Riverside Arts Market

2 March 2009 4 Comments

Riverside Arts Market

I visited with Doug Coleman this Saturday as he showed me around the renovations to the property where the Riverside Arts Market will be located.  I’ve jogged through this area for years now and wondered when something would be done with the property as it always seemed perfect for something.  The fact is Doug and crew have been working on getting this project off the ground for sixteen years so there were plans for the property to be an Arts Market for that long. Amazing isn’t it.

I did a video with Doug but it ended up being of poor quality, but thankfully I took some photos which are above.  The new stage and bathroom are great, but what I’ve always been excited about by this location is the architecture. It’s located under the Fuller Warren Bridge and is right on the St. John’s River.  Put simply it truly is a beautiful spot for an arts market.  The first Saturday of the market will be April 4th. 2-3 thousand visitors are expected each weekend.  Inspired by the Portland Saturday Market this should be a great new addition to Jacksonville that is bound to inspire the arts and culture of a city that needs much inspiration.

They are definitely open to contemporary art, and installation art too.  Anything that is out of the norm is definitely welcome.  There was talk of having the work sectioned off by category which I thought was interesting versus being all lumped together.  There will be a Farmers Market too, and they have performers and bands booked for many moons.

Doug summarized our lengthy discussion via email with a short message.

The message I want out there is this:  if you as an artist have something to say, the Riverside Arts Market will provide you a platform to do so at a very low cost and bring you a crowd to look and listen.

All the info can be found on the website:  www.RiversideArtsMarket.com

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