ArtBeat 2016: Roots!

ArtBeat is one of the area’s largest and most innovative arts festivals, with over a dozen bands, dance troupes, 75 craft vendors, food, and all-age activities. On Friday night, the 15th, there will be music and interactive performances, then on Saturday we shut down Davis Square for the craft vendors, two stages of music, dance in the Somerville Theater, and a host of great interactive peformances. This year’s ArtBeat theme is “roots,” a celebration of all things that have roots, are grounded, that tie people and place together.   How do the roots of our families, friends and community define us, project an image of what we value, what we endear?   Do roots inhibit us, tie us together, and limit our growth?  We invite artists and all community members to explore how roots ground our expression and influence how that expression is publicly shared.   How do roots inform a work of art or a concept?  “Roots” evoke many things:  music that expresses a cultural heritage, a dance which pulls from layers of movement, or a visual work of art that suggests ground, dirt and growth.  Perhaps we need a parade that is not linear but tangled.   It’s time to go back to our roots. We look forward to your creative interpretation of this theme! Click here for the schedule of performances.