The Salem Arts Festival promotes the arts in downtown Salem through a collaborative festival for residents and visitors providing opportunities to highlight the existing artist community and encourage general community participation in the arts. The festival is celebrating 12 years and regularly draws over 8,000 visitors. The festival is looking for art and performance for the sophisticated art patron as well as for the art novice, including interactive events for children. It will engage participants of diverse backgrounds and ages by reaching out to current art patrons, local students, and the community at large.
The 2020 Salem Arts Festival, running from Friday, June 5th through Sunday, June 7th, will celebrate the arts in all its forms: painting, photography, sculpture, installation, dance, music, writing, film, new media, performance, theater, poetry, culinary, visual art and more. The 2020 festival will consist of a gallery of juried artists’ work in Old Town Hall, performance in an outdoor stage venue, indoor performances, a street fair, and opportunities for the community to actively participate in the arts. Individuals are welcome to contribute at multiple venues and events.
The Salem Arts Festival is organized and planned by Salem Main Streets, Creative Collective, and many members of the community volunteering their time.
The Salem Arts Festival is offered free to all! We rely on volunteers to bring this wonderful festival to the community. If you are interested in helping with the organization of the Salem Arts Festival, contact Kylie Sullivan at kylie@salemmainstreets.org or (978) 744-0004 x115.
Want to support the 2020 festival, find sponsor info here.
As the overall festival sponsor, the Peabody Essex Museum supports all aspects of the festival. In addition to their financial support, the museum is also partnering with the festival and will be open and activated the entire weekend of the festival! Please take a moment and explore their upcoming program and thank them for supporting this free three-day community festival! @peabodyessex
The annual fashion show fundraiser is a celebration of local boutiques and makers that are located in Salem MA. Our sponsors Salem Five understand the importance of a vibrant retail scene and also supports the overall mission of Salem Main Streets as a corporate sponsor and supporter of the Salem Farmers Market. @salemfive
The annual community art project is being supported by the Salem Public Art Commission, the Salem Cultural Council, and Goldberg Properties… all of which understand the importance of community-driven public art. This project culminates with a public art installation that will complement the overall theme of the festival VISION.
Annually the Old Town Hall gallery sees almost a hundred submitted pieces from all over the North Shore and beyond, we are super excited to have our friends at Montserrat College of Art supporting this year’s festival by donating usage of their amazing gallery panels!
Thanks again to Salem Five for supporting the festival! The Friday night kick-off is a celebration of world music, the gallery opening, and community in a block party that sprawls through all of Derby Square, into Old Town Hall and beyond!
One of the annual highlights, the Artist’s Row Mural Slam features ‘live painting’ from a dozen local artists during the festival. Thanks to the sponsors of this event we are able to pay a fair wage to all participants AND the work remains an integral part of the row for one full year! Special thanks to Salem Public Art, Derby Square Architects and The Lobster Shanty for supporting local artists AND public art!
Overall support of the festival is critical and allows us to keep the festival free for the community and a driver in the local creative workforce. Thanks to local leader Patrick DeIulis for supporting the festival through his company DeIulus Brothers Construction Co. and to local Opthamologist Krishna V. Gaddipati, MD of North Shore Eye Care for getting into the spirit of the VISION theme and supporting the festival!
Our stages come alive with dozens of performances and every single performer gets paid and that is only possible with the support of all the Producer level stage sponsors! Eastern Bank, Marblehead Bank, Voidspan Technology, Koto, Steel Root and The Cabot.
As part of the annual festival over 50 local artisans and makers participate in a highly curated street fair! This provides an amazing opportunity for local makers as well as attendees of the festival. Special thanks to RCG Salem and Modern Millie Vintage for sponsoring!
In addition to all of the amazing performances at the annual Festival there is also a community art project that is collaborated on over the course of a few months leading up to the festival that culminates in a stunning community public art installation. The support of these sponsors makes it possible for us to pay a stipend for the community art making workshops leading up to the festival. The House of the Seven Gables, Bit Bar, Haunted Happenings Magazine, Northey Street House, Salem Cycle, JH Turiel and Assoc. Steve and Darcy Immerman.
And a high five and thank you to the general supporters including Emporium 32!