Festival of the Arts, one of Oklahoma’s longest-running annual events is receiving national recognition while being named a Top 25 Fine Arts Festival in the United States.
Sunshine Artist Magazine, a national publication that provides rankings for over 1,000 arts festivals from around the country, recently named Arts Council Oklahoma City’s Festival of the Arts as the #23 Fine Arts Festival in America.
“Being recognized as the #23 Fine Arts Festival in the nation is a testament to the vibrant creativity and dedication of our city, volunteers, and the incredible hard work of the Arts Council OKC staff,” said Festival of the Arts Director Seth Lewis. “Locally, we’ve always known how special Festival of the Arts is, and now the entire country knows too.”
Launched in 1993, Sunshine Artist’s 200 Best asks artists to nominate their highest money-making shows, with the ballot asking them to list the 10 most profitable art shows they exhibited at during the previous year and indicate their level of gross sales at each event.
“Festival of the Arts is truly a celebration of the visual, performing, and culinary arts,” said Arts Council OKC Executive Director Angela Cozby. “Our board, staff, and volunteers work diligently for over 10 months to bring the best art experiences to downtown OKC and each year, we strive to be better than t last. This national ranking confirms what people in OKC have known for nearly 60 years – Festival of the Arts is truly an exceptional community event for all those who participate and attend. Thank you to our volunteers, artists, and vendors.”
What Artists Are Saying:
Sunshine Artist Magazine compiled reviews from anonymous artists who exhibited at Festival of the Arts.
“It’s the best show I’ve ever done,” said an artist whose mediums are fine art and painting. This artist reported $10,000 in sales.
One mixed media artist made $25,000 — reaching the goal in sales for this show. The artist described it as a well-organized event, with a great crowd.
A jewelry artist who had $9,300 in sales thought it was an expensive show and would need to raise the prices on work if participating again. “It is very prestigious and well-attended,” said this artist.
A vendor who made $21,000 would return due to great attendance and sales.
Sales totaled $17,000 for one fine art artist. “Great volunteers and staff. Friendly and fun,” the artist said.
A fine art artist whose medium was painting said, “It is well-attended and well-run. I really enjoyed this year’s festival.” The artist did not say how much was made.
An exhibitor who reported $13,250 in sales described it as a fantastic show, with awesome support staff and an excellent location. “April in Oklahoma City is windy, but the tents provided are awesome,” the vendor said. “It was a fun show, and I was happy with my sales.”
A wood artist did not report the sales total and would participate again due to the festival’s potential.
The 59th annual Festival of the Arts will return to Bicentennial Park April 24 – 27, 2025.
