A New Festival Searches to Strengthen Community And Create Opportunities Through the Arts
The Savannah Urban Arts Festival Promotes Regional Artists and Economic Development From May 5-10, 2009 at Venues Across the City

SAVANNAH, GA, April 22, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The inaugural Savannah Urban Arts Festival is a six-day series of live performances, forums, workshops and film screenings presented as a celebration of the diverse styles of art, music, writing and self-expression that have developed in urban culture, with a goal to foster dialogue between area youth, citizens, and civic leaders about ways to utilize these art forms to create positive change in communities by engaging people, particularly youth, in activities that offer creative outlets, teach job and life skills, and create new entrepreneurial opportunities.

"This festival is to celebrate local and regional artists, which is something we felt was missing from our arts inventory," says Festival Director DaVena Jordan. "We want to open dialogue about how art can contribute to our community through its social impact instead of it just its impact in dollars."

This year's festival jumps off May 5 th-10 th, 2009 in Savannah, GA featuring special guests Bill Strickland, Jeff Chang, Anthony David, Brittany Bosco, Dope Sandwich, Abeni Arts and many more. Events will take place at venues all over the city, including creative workshops, live performances, film screenings, a poetry slam and panel discussions on the role of the arts in strengthening the social fabric of our communities. The Festival is sponsored in part by AWOL Inc., Cricket Wireless, Paragon Design, Comcast, GreenLifeSpace, The City of Savannah Cultural Affairs Department, The Trustee's Market, The Creative Coast Alliance and the Psychotronic Film Society of Savannah.

"Having an artist like Anthony David perform at the festival is important," says Jordan. "He's a perfect example of a Savannah native who didn't realize his artistic potential until he left the city, and he had to leave the city to pursue that. That's something we want to change."

Through its partnership with GreenLifeSpace and GreenFest, SUAF also aims to raise awareness about the importance of environmental sustainability in urban areas, including steps that individuals and organizations can take to reduce their impact on the environment. On May 9 th-10 th, the SUAF events will take place alongside the 3 rd Annual GreenFest, which highlights âEUR˜green' businesses and organizations in the region, including recycling programs, organic farmers, and much more.

Alongside a variety of local and regional artists, SUAF will welcome several nationally-recognized special guests:

Bill Strickland, President and CEO of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation

Mr. Strickland has grown a nearly bankrupt community training center into an innovative and successful organization, creating a model for education, training, arts and, most importantly, hope. In the process, he has reshaped the business of social change in America. Strickland has won a MacArthur Genius grant, lectured at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, served on the Board of the National Endowment for the Arts, and received the "Coming Up Taller" Award, presented to him at the White House by former first lady Hillary Clinton. Strickland also founded the MCG Jazz series, the longest running and most successful jazz subscription series in America, which has produced over 1200 concerts and garnered three Grammys.

Jeff Chang, Author/Writer

Mr. Chang is the author of the book Can't Stop, Won't Stop, an in-depth cultural history of hip hop and its social impact, which uses hip-hop as a window to explore the cultural, social and political history of late 20th Century America. He also edited a compilation of essays discussing the aesthetic of hip hop titled Total Chaos, and is the political blogger for Vibe magazine. He has contributed to numerous national publications, including Mother Jones and the Washington Post. Chang is one of America's most incisive cultural journalists and his writing continues to be the definitive portrait of the most influential youth movement in the world today. He is also the founder of the influential west coast experimental hip hop label Quannum Records.

Anthony David , Grammy-Nominated Singer/Songwriter

Georgia native Anthony David has spent his whole life writing songs, and has recently released his major label debut Acey Deucey on Soulbird Records, a joint venture of Universal Republic Records and multi-Grammy winner India.Arie. Anthony David was born in Savannah, Georgia but discovered the spark to ignite his artistic passions in Atlanta. A long time collaborator with India.Arie, he wrote several songs, including "A Part of My Life," that have appeared on her internationally renowned albums. David toured relentlessly in support of his independent releases (Three Chords & The Truth, and Red Clay Chronicles) , opening for acts such as Arie and Kem before headlining tours of his own throughout Europe and Japan.

SUAF Events:

5/5/09: 10pm - Hip Hop Night hosted by Dope Sandwich @ Tantra Lounge, [8 E. Broughton St.]

5/6/09: 4pm-7pm âEUR" The Market @ Trustees Garden featuring fresh, local organic produce and other vendors ( www.trusteesmarket.com )

5/6/09: 7pm-8pm -- SUAFilm Festival @ The Morris Center, [10 E. Broad St.] featuring innovative short films inspired by urban life (Tickets: $5)

5/6/09: 7pm-9pm âEUR" Film Screening: Ultra-rare James Brown Concert Footage from Paris, 1971 @ The Sentient Bean [13 E. Park Ave.] hosted by the Psychotronic Film Society of Savannah (myspace.com/psychotronicfilms)

5/7/09: 5:30pm-6:30pm - Reason/Propellerhead Producer's Workshop @ Coastal Georgia Center, [305 N. Fahm St.]

5/7/09: 7pm-9pm âEUR" Bustin' a Move @ St. Pius Family Resource Center, a celebration of dance featuring Abeni Cultural Arts Group (www.abeniculturalarts.com)

5/7/09: 10pm-2am âEUR" The SUAF Launch Party with live music and art exhibit @ LiveWire Music Hall [307 W.River St.], featuring KidSyc, Mafamadix, and more (myspace.com/kidsyc : myspace.com/mafamadix)

5/8/09: 7pm-9pm âEUR" The Deep Pockets Regional Poetry Slam @ Cha Bella Restaurant

5/8/09: 11pm-2am âEUR" Live Music - TBA

5/9/09: 10am-Midnight âEUR" Big Day @ The Morris Center [10 E.Broad St.], featuring live music, producers' beat battle, GreenFest, forums and panels with Bill Strickland and Jeff Chang, a panel on the role of art and community development, and much more...

Saturday Schedule of Events {All Saturday Events will be held at the Charles H. Morris Center}

10am-7pm: Live music performances on Urban Life Stage and GreenFest '09

All Day: PC Recycling - AWOL's Goon Squad will be on site to collect your old, unwanted computers. AWOL youth are engaged in refurbishing old PC's, which are then given to needy families. Help protect our environment and help us bridge the digital divide.

12:00pm: SUAF Producer Beat Battle Round 1

2:00pm: SUAF Producer Beat Battle Round 2

Embracing Art for Community Development Speaker Series and Panel Discussion

Sponsored by the City of Savannah Department of Cultural Affairs

1-2:00pm-Jeff Chang

3-4:00pm-William Strickland

5-6:00pm-Panel Discussion - Embracing Art for Youth & Community Development

Bill and Jeff will be joined by local community leaders as moderator DaVena Jordan leads the audience in an intimate discussion of how what role the arts and creativity play in our community as it pertains to education and the building of a sustainable creative economy. Check back for updates on additional panal members

7-9:00pm-SUAF Benefit Concert featuring Grammy-Nominated Artist Anthony David and Brittany Bosco (tickets required - purchase online @ brownpapertickets.com)

Press Release Contact Information:

Jennifer Abshire Patterson
Abshire Public Relations
Public Relations and Marketing
702 View Point Dr
Savannah, Ga
USA 31406
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