Uproar Festival of Public Art now taking place in Orange County
TO HAND OVER CLIENT A
>> WELCOME BACK. ART LOVERS.
LISTEN, I'M UP FOR FESTIVAL OF
PUBLIC ART IS A FIRST OF ITS
KIND INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN ORANGE
COUNTY. WRAL IS A PROUD
COMMUNITY PARTNER OF THIS
MONTH-LONG CELEBRATION. AND
HERE TO EXPLAIN THIS INSPIRING
SHOWCASE OVER COMMUNITIES IS
ORGANIZING KATIE MURRAY.
KATIE, GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON THE
PROGRAM THIS MORNING. SO
LISTEN, THIS IS IN THE
INAUGURAL UP FOR FESTIVAL.
SO TELL US ABOUT THE STORY
BEHIND UP FOR IT. WHAT WAS THE
IMPETUS TO GET? IT STARTED?
>> WELL, IT WAS A COUPLE WHEN I
GOT HERE ABOUT 7 YEARS AGO, I
I KEPT HEARING HOW THE SUMMERS
WERE REALLY HARD FOR OUR
DOWNTOWN BUSINESS OWNERS,
ESPECIALLY IN CHAPEL HILL AND
CARRBORO WHEN THE STUDENTS ARE
GONE. AND SO I STARTED THINKING
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING BIG
THAT WE CAN DO AND ALSO WAS
NOTICING THAT IN THE CONTEXT
OF THE TYING GOAL, ESPECIALLY
WHEN IT COMES TO
THE ARTS. ORANGE COUNTY TENDS
TO KIND OF GET OVERSHADOWED BY
DURHAM AND RALEIGH. I
UNDERSTAND BECAUSE THEY'RE MUCH
BIGGER THAN WE ARE OVER HERE
IN ORANGE COUNTY. YOU KNOW WE
DO INCREDIBLE ART PROGRAMMING
ALL THE TIME. AND I JUST REALLY
WANTED US TO BE ABLE TO DO
SOMETHING YOU KNOW, PUT US ON
THE MAP. YEAH. SO THAT WAS SOME
OF THE OTHER FESTIVALS THAT
INSPIRED YOU. AS YOU SAID, YOU
THOUGHT ABOUT PUTTING ON THIS
FESTIVAL.
>> 2 PRIMARY ONES WERE OUR
PRIZE IN GRAND RAPIDS,
MICHIGAN, WHICH
>> IS MASSIVE. IT DRAWS HALF A
MILLION
AND THE PRIZE MONEY FOR THE
ARTIST SAYS IS REALLY HUGE.
AND THEN ART FIELD, WHICH IS IN
SOUTH CAROLINA, AN IT'S A
DIFFERENT CONCEPT. BUT IT IS
REALLY TRANSFORM THE SMALL
INLAND. SOUTH CAROLINA TOWN
INTO A YEAR-ROUND ARTS
DESTINATIONS. SO THOSE 2 REALLY
INSPIRED WHAT WE'RE DOING.
AND WE BROUGHT TOGETHER ARTISTS
THAT HAVE PARTICIPATED IN
SIMILAR FESTIVALS TO KIND OF
PICK THEIR BRAIN AND FIGURE OUT
WHAT THEY LIKED. AND YOU KNOW
WHAT WASN'T SO GREAT SO THAT
WE COULD REALLY MAKE OUR HAS
BEEN OFFICIAL AS POSSIBLE FOR
THE ARTIST AS WELL AS THE
COMMUNITY. SO IN YOUR
ESTIMATION, AS IS BEING THAT
THIS IS THE FIRST ONE WOULD
THINK WILL MAKE IT A UNIQUE
UP ART FESTIVAL.
>> I THINK ONE OF THE MOST
UNIQUE FEATURES IS.
THE FACT THAT ACCESSIBILITY
HAS BEEN FACTORED INTO
EVERYTHING FROM THE GET-GO.
SO
IT BOTHERS ME THAT SO MANY ARTS
AND ENTERTAINMENT VENUES AND
EVENTS.
THEY MAY BE 80 A COMPLIANT, BUT
THAT DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN
THAT THEY'RE ACCESSIBLE TO
PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVE PHYSICAL
CHALLENGES. SO EVERY WORK OF
ART IS IN A FULLY ACCESSIBLE
OUTDOOR LOCATION. WE HAVE
CHARLIE'S RUNNING ON SATURDAY
IS FROM 12 TO 8 IN CHAPEL HILL
AND CARRBORO AND HILLSBOROUGH.
WE HAVE THE ORANGE COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION,
MOBILITY, ON-DEMAND UNIT,
HELPING SHUTTLE PEOPLE AROUND
WITH MOBILITY CHALLENGES.
WE'RE ALSO DOING AUDIO
DESCRIPTIONS FOR ALL 60 WORKS
OF ART. SO PEOPLE WITH LOW
VISION CAN STILL EXPERIENCE
EACH WORK OF
>> WHEN YOU SEE THIS COME TO
FRUITION. KATIE, WHAT DOES IT
MEAN TO YOU?
>> IT IT.
>> AND I DON'T. AND I THINK
I'VE BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE THAT
OUT. IT'S DEFINITELY BEEN A.
THE BIGGEST THING THAT I HAVE
DONE IN MY PERSONAL KERR IRAN.
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE
BEEN INVOLVED IN PUTTING THIS
TOGETHER IS JUST COMPLETELY
OVERWHELMING. AND I THINK THAT
THAT IS WHAT HUMBLES ME THE
MOST THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS WOULD
NOT BE HAPPENING WITHOUT ALL
ARTISTS AND PROBABLY.
50 CORE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE
HELPING PUT IT TOGETHER AND
AND I'M JUST SO THANKFUL FOR
ALL THE SUPPORT THAT WE HAVE
AND WE'RE THANKFUL TO BE
COMMUNITY PARTNER REALLY
QUICKLY, WHERE CAN PEOPLE GO
TO LEARN MORE INFORMATION?
>> UPPER FEST IN C DOT COM.
EXCELLENT. ARE THE ORGANIZERS
OF A POOR FEST IN SEE WE SO
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME THIS
MORNING. AND WHAT A WAY TO WALK
AROUND ORANGE COUNTY THIS