Newton, NC — The Downtown Newton Development Association and Hickory Museum of Art announce the cancellation of this year’s Foothills Folk Art Festival planned for Saturday, October 5, 2020. This difficult decision was made with respect for the health and safety of our exhibiting artists, volunteers, community partners, sponsors, and the fans of the event. Given the unpredictable future of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, both organizations feel the most empathetic course of action is to protect the resources of all parties involved, especially local small business sponsors and artists.
The festival maintains its commitment to artwork that is intensely influenced by and displaying the spirit of folk, visionary, and outsider art. Organizers remain confident that as we recover from the pandemic, the festival will move forward next year on Saturday, October 2, 2021, as one of the nation’s finest celebrations of folk art.
“The Foothills Folk Art Festival represents the best of Hickory Museum of Art’s mission and core values. We are so grateful to partner with the Downtown Newton Development Association on this important celebration of creativity and community. Already, we are working with DNDA and our partners on plans to make Fall 2021 our biggest event yet and look forward to coming back stronger than ever,” said Jon Carfagno, Hickory Museum of Art Executive Director.
“We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with Hickory Museum of Art and bringing the Foothills Folk Art Festival, which complements our mission and is a major fundraiser for our organization, back to Downtown Newton on October 2, 2021,” said Shannon Johnson, Newton Main Street Program Coordinator.
For the latest news about the festival, like its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/foothillsfolkartfestival or go to the festival website at www.foothillsfolkartfestival.com.
