Artsplosure 2021 Returns To Downtown Raleigh This Weekend

RALEIGH – Artsplosure is a nonprofit event dedicated to art, culture, and music. It has hosted over 3,500 artists since it was founded in 1961. This year it will take take place in the heart of downtown Raleigh.

The event will be coming to Raleigh this Saturday, October 9, and ending Sunday, October 10. On Sunday it will open at 10 am and will give those with limited mobility or special needs a chance to experience Artsplosure with special accommodations. Artsplosure 2021 will display ceramics, glass, fiber art, jewelry, metal, painting, photography, woodwork, and more from 175 juried artists. Products will be available for purchase.

Performances to catch

Brittney Spencer

Brittney Spencer is headlining on the City Plaza Main Stage on Sunday at 4 pm. Brittney is a singer-songwriter with a free spirit and a love for molding life, truth, and wild imagination into songs. Her love for storytelling drove the Baltimore native to Nashville in 2013 with dreams of singing and writing country music.

Bassel & The Supernaturals

Bassel & The Supernaturals will be performing at 11 am Saturday on the City Plaza Main Stage. Bassel Almadi is a first-generation Syrian-American who is dedicated to bringing awareness to the inhumane treatment of Syrian refugees. Band merch, handmade soap, and vinyl copies of their full-length album “Smoke & Mirrors” will be available for purchase, and 20% of profits will be donated to Syrian refugees who were affected by COVID-19.

Son Little

Blending elements of acoustic blues, vintage soul, and conscious hip-hop into a mixture that’s expressive yet deeply personal, Son Little is the alias of Aaron Livingston, a singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Son Little headlines the City  Plaza Main Stage, performing at 6:30 pm. 

Thunderstorm Artis

 

Thunderstorm Artis is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Soaring vocals meet dextrous, layered guitar and intimate storytelling that can evoke the poetic lyricism of Passenger in one song before sliding into the wrenching neo-soul of Leon Bridges in another.

Exhibits to visit

The award-winning Art Market features 175 juried fine artists and craftspeople exhibiting original works of art from across the United States showcasing works in ceramics, glass, fiber art, jewelry, metal, painting, photography, wood, and more. Pictured here is “Black Is King,” an 18 x 24 canvas print by Obie Coleman. 

Song Confessional will be traveling to Raleigh’s Artsplosure this year. A Catholic-style confessional booth will be set up to record visitors’ secrets and stories. After the recording is completed, these confessions will be sent to musicians who will then turn them into original songs. In 2018 Walker Lukens and Zac Catanzaro played music together on tour but were getting bored and looking for a way out. Inspiration struck when a woman came up to them after a show and told them how one of their songs helped her cope with her mother’s death. Thus Song Confessional was born.

A haunted Kidsplosure event will be available for children this year. It will consist of games, sidewalk chalk drawing, and hula hooping. Younger audiences will have the chance to make their own spooky masks, decorate pumpkins, and experience face painting.

There’s something at Artsplosure for everyone this year, whether you’re a musician, an artist, or simply admire the creative work of others. Admission is free. Respectful pets are welcome on the sidewalks.

For more information, click here.