One City Art Festival poster.

Six of Macon’s major visual arts presenters have joined forces to celebrate unity and collaboration. This October, the Tubman African American Museum, the Macon Arts Alliance, the Middle Georgia Art Association, the Contemporary Arts Exchange: Macon, the Museum of Arts and Sciences, and the 567 Center for Renewal will present a city-wide festival in celebration of  visual art. One City Art Festival will be held October 3-6 in traditional and pop-up venues throughout the city.

Jeff Bruce, director of exhibitions at the Tubman Museum, said that the four-day event is intended to celebrate the wealth and diversity of artistic talent in Macon and Middle Georgia, along with bringing innovative art to the city. The One City Art Festival is intended to be a positive force in the revitalization of Macon’s Historic Downtown and a showcase of the local art community.

To that end, the festival will kick off on Thursday, October 3 with a special opening reception at a pop-up gallery inside the former Karsten and Denson hardware store in downtown. The reception will be a ticketed event, featuring an invitational exhibit of work by noted regional artists who were invited by the various founding organizations. Tickets will go on sale later this month.

On October 4, the festival will hold events in conjunction with downtown’s regular First Friday art crawl. The 567 Center for Renewal, the Macon Arts Alliance, the Tubman Museum, and the Contemporary Arts Exchange will all host free receptions that evening. Trolley tours will be available to ferry visitors between the shows.

On Saturday, focus shifts to Ingleside Village, another hotbed of artistic activity, located in the heart of the Vine-Ingle neighborhoods. The Middle Georgia Art Association will host “Painting in the Village” featuring a live painting-in-the-round from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. A special exhibit will open that evening at  MGAA’s gallery beginning at 6 p.m. Admission is also free.

Sunday afternoon the festival culminates with an afternoon of events at the Museum of Arts and Sciences on Forsyth Road. From 1-5 p.m., the museum will offer free admission to Bibb County residents for three art exhibits: “All Creatures Great and Small,” “Georgia Artist Corrine Colarusso: The Sunrise Show” and “Assemblages” by Timothy Hedden.

Over the course of four days, audiences will have the chance to experience art throughout the city of Macon. From downtown to Ingleside to North Macon, this festival represents the best of what Macon’s art community has to offer.

For up-to-date information about exhibits and special events, visit www.onecityartfestival.com.