Daviess County Public Schools will celebrate the district’s art programs with their 9th annual Arts Festival, a 3-day showcase held at the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum.
DCPS Fine and Performing Arts Coordinator Karen Alward said that the theme, “Believe, Belong, Become,” plays directly off the district’s theme this year of “Believe.” More importantly, she said, it challenges their students to become what they believe through the arts.
“In the arts, students get an opportunity to believe in themselves and to believe that it’s okay not to be just like everybody else all the time. It’s okay to be an individual, an artist, and a creative,” Alward said.
The showcase will run from March 19 to 21, featuring performing and visual art from all grades and across the district. The schedule and gallery breakdown can be found here.
Starting on March 19, visual art galleries will be displayed throughout the building, wth the works grouped by school. Each day, the choirs, orchestras, and bands will perform in the Woodward Theatre starting as early as 4:15 p.m.
Alward said the groups can select their own music to perform, presenting a unique view of what each school’s culture offers.
“That turns out to be almost like a kaleidoscope when you go into the building with all of the art from the different levels being in different places,” Alward said. “… Sometimes we get sameness, but it also lets people do something brave and creative.”
The 3-day festival is free to the public, and the community can attend any portion.
“We want people who never get to see these groups perform have a local opportunity to see these kids perform in a way that is unique,” she said. “… Not everybody gets to see the groups that aren’t performing as much as others. So this is a great opportunity to see kids do solo and ensemble work that they don’t always get to do for the public.”
