Arts Huntsville announces new Panoply Arts Festival highlights and expanded layout
2022 Marks Historic 40-Year Milestone for the Three-Day Celebration of Art, Music and More –
HUNTSVILLE – Arts Huntsville today announced plans to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Panoply Arts Festival. It will return to downtown Huntsville’s Big Spring Park on April 29, 30, and May 1.
Over four decades, Panoply Arts Festival has evolved into a premiere arts weekend showcasing Huntsville’s innovative spark through a three-day celebration of art, music and more. On Thursday, March 24, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle joined local artists and musicians and Arts Huntsville board, volunteers and staff at the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau to announce details about the 2022 festival, presented by Mazda Toyota Manufacturing.
Panoply’s 40th celebration kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 29, showcasing many local and regional musical acts, including regionally-celebrated and critically-acclaimed bands and musicians, the juried Art Marketplace, STEAM Street, art and STEAM interactives, community art projects, craft beer and wine, festival food, select local food trucks and more. This year the festival will feature a new layout spanning across Church Street and into Big Spring Park East.
Featured Music: Arts Huntsville welcomes over 30 musical performances in a variety of genres – jazz, rock, R&B, indie rock, blues, pop and more – to Panoply’s two stages: the Showcase Stage, presented by Pepsi, and the Indie Stage.
Panoply’s Indie Stage will be featured in a new location in Big Spring Park East and will showcase local solo and duo music performances throughout the weekend by favorites such as Delaney Faulds, Shelly Williams, Josh Allison, Jerome Villarreal, Charles and Tanya, Jimmy Henderson, Remy Neal and Cheryl Llewellyn to name just a few – full schedule available at www.artshuntsville.org.
The Pepsi Showcase Stage, located on the back of the Huntsville Museum of Art, will feature multiple bands and shows during the three-day festival. Friday night is host to a rock-packed evening starting with blues-influenced rock band Tres Locos, followed by indie rock band Jayne & the Huntsmen opening for headliner, Hero the Band, whose performance is presented by Pearl Behavioral Health Services. Hero the Band is a multifaceted group from Decatur, Georgia comprised of four brothers with a unique musical vision that blurs lines and genres. Rolling Stone says that Hero the Band’s recent EP “Unicorn” is “the absolute top of its game” and “Hero the Band is ready to explode.” Arts Huntsville Events Manager Cat Turner added, “These guys are super high energy and will put on a wonderful performance to kick-off the festival.”
On Saturday, the music starts when the gates open at 10 a.m. The festival welcomes Rule of Thirds, Knightshade, Shane Davis, Grove Yard and Will River throughout the day. That evening, the stage will be filled with big sound and big horns as festival attendees can enjoy local powerhouse opening act Element XI and then catch Saturday’s headliners The Suffers. The Suffers’ eight-piece band, hailing from Houston, Texas, has played sold out shows in Japan and Latin America. NPR’s Bob Boilen attributes the band’s allure to their “Soul, straight from horn to heart.” Their contagious and combustible energy has also been featured at the Newport Folk Festival and the Afropunk Festival.
Sunday celebrates a day of Alabama Music, presented by The Orion Amphitheater. The day features the fresh, local band TGTG, followed by Moon Tree out of Muscle Shoals. Local favorite and past-Panoply contest winner Alex Banks & Co. hits the stage in the early afternoon, followed by Huntsville singer-songwriter Lana White with her soulful, soft rock sound. Closing out the festival’s Pepsi Showcase Stage – and returning to the town he grew up in – is Paul McDonald, whose voice is noted as immediately recognizable and impossible to ignore. Since first touring in his early 20s, McDonald’s various bands have been featured in Rolling Stone, Billboard, Yahoo and American Songwriter.
-Closer to festival date, a playlist of this year’s Panoply Arts Festival musicians will go live at www.artshuntsville.org-
New to Panoply: This year Panoply welcomes a new Art OutLoud Stage, presented by Pei-Ling Charitable Trust, that will provide an outlet for spoken word performances from local literary figures, poets, authors and comedians. A special stage dedication will take place on Saturday from 3:30-4 p.m. in honor and memory of beloved, local poet and author Carey Link.
Art Marketplace: The Art Marketplace, presented by Hiley Mazda, provides prime shopping in a beautiful setting. This year the juried Art Marketplace will welcome more than 100 visual artists. One of the most popular features of the festival, the 2022 Art Marketplace will showcase both longtime festival artists as well as over 50 first-time Panoply exhibitors. This year’s artists come from 25 states, with some traveling from as far as California and New Mexico for the 40th Panoply Arts Festival.
Student Art Tent and Face Painting Tent: Two popular tents make a comeback this year at Panoply. The Student Art Tent, presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama, returns to Panoply in Big Spring Park East to showcase budding talent across the community. The popular tent will feature artwork from students of all ages that attend public and private schools across Madison County. At another popular destination, festivalgoers can celebrate their creative side at the Panoply Face Painting Tent, presented by T-Mobile.
Arts in Action and Community Art: Regional artists will offer demonstrations of their craft at Panoply’s Arts in Action tents, where festivalgoers can get a first-hand look at the process of en plein air painting, art journaling, vinyl art and cigar box guitars. Festivalgoers of all ages will also get to stretch their creative muscles with hands-on community art activities as First Baptist Church will be returning to Panoply again this year. Together with festivalgoers, they’ll create a new mosaic to be placed on display in the community and enjoyed long after the festival weekend ends.
Panoply Poster Artist: Each year Arts Huntsville commissions an artist to create a piece of art that captures the spirit of the festival and the community. This year’s Panoply poster artist is Sonya Clemons, known in the state of Alabama as the Artlady. Clemons grew up in Huntsville, where she was very involved in art at Lee High School. The artist now lives in Scottsboro, and, over her 25-year career, she has worked in a variety of media and environments. Noted accomplishments include working over eight years as a muralist with the Madison County School System – with over 50 murals completed – and launching the Pictures of Hope art program serving people in recovery through the Jackson County Drug Court.
“To celebrate the 40th Panoply Arts Festival, we selected an area artist who grew up with the event and whose artwork could celebrate Panoply’s community history and its place in Huntsville today,” said Arts Huntsville Executive Director Allison Dillon-Jauken. “Artlady Sonya’s celebration of Panoply showcases the festival’s iconic setting in Big Spring Park and celebrates the art, music, food and fun that festivalgoers of all ages have experienced at Panoply for four decades.”
Clemons will be selling her original paintings at Panoply Arts Festival, and festivalgoers will be able to purchase merchandise featuring her artwork at the Panoply Stores. Arts Huntsville will also be offering a limited number of signed posters for the public to purchase.
“I never would have dreamed as a student this experience would be real. As an artist, it became a goal that I hoped to reach,” said Clemons of becoming a Panoply Arts Festival poster artist, noting that this milestone follows a 2021 resolution from Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon and commendation from Governor Kay Ivey celebrating her 25th year as an artist.
Hands-on Activities: Panoply’s STEAM Street, presented by Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Alabama, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Panoply Arts Festival with special activities:
- Huntsville City Schools Magnet Programs Rockin Rockets!, presented by National Space Club – Using paper straws and pipettes, festivalgoers will create a propulsion system. Once the design process is complete, they will test their rockets to see how far they will go and then adjust to increase distance.
- Huntsville Ballet’s Twirling Tops, presented by Davidson Technologies – Festivalgoers will learn about the physics of pirouettes, learn how to pirouette and create and decorate their own spinning tops.
- North Alabama Arts Education Collaborative’s Fresh Beats – In this DIY electronics project, by building banana pianos, festivalgoers will discover how to make a simple circuit and how electricity is conducted.
- Fantasy Playhouse presents Nutrition with Nick Nutrition and His Wonder Dog Fiber – Using visual art, health science and math, festivalgoers will learn about nutrition.
This year’s Creativity Corner will offer Art Adventures for all to enjoy:
- Mini Macchia Madness, presented by Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children – Festivalgoers will create Chihuly’s famous Macchia series using vibrant dashes of color on coffee filters to recreate the color and shape.
- Wonders of Watercolor, presented by Virginia and Parker Griffith – Festivalgoers will learn simple watercolor techniques to create one of several designs or create their own watercolor masterpiece.
- The Dot Stop, presented by Parkway Place Mall – “Everything starts with a dot” ~ Wassily Kandinsky. Using paint, foil and other artist tools, festivalgoers with create their own dot monoprint.
- Black Out Poetry, presented by Representative Mike Ball – Festivalgoers can find their inner poet with just a page from a book and a sharpie.
- Huntsville Symphony Orchestra Guilds Instrument Petting Zoo – The Symphony Guild’s popular musical experience always introduces young people to musical instruments at Panoply.
Military Salute Night: The Panoply tradition of Military Salute Night, presented by Dynetics, continues on Friday, April 29. All active-duty military and Armed Forces reserves, along with their dependents, are welcomed to the park for a free evening of entertainment. Military personnel will be asked to show their current military ID at the entrances.
Panoply Beer, Wine and Festival Food: Along with Panoply’s diverse array of art and music, festivalgoers can enjoy local tastes from 13 food trucks. This year, the popular Craft Beer Tent, presented by Diamonds Direct, returns, featuring beer from breweries across the region. The 2022 festival also features a new partnership with Church Street Wine, with select wine available in the Panoply Art Marketplace and the Craft Beer Tent.
Festival Seating and Fireworks: Enjoy Panoply’s music and performances with open-air seating. Festival patrons are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets to sit on as they enjoy the lineup of Panoply performers. Friday and Saturday nights will both end with a stunning fireworks display, presented Delta Research.
Tickets: Arts Huntsville is once again offering a Panoply weekend pass available online in advance for $18. The pass offers an affordable way to enjoy Panoply’s diverse entertainment all weekend. Weekend passes are only available until 4 p.m. on Friday, April 29. Day passes are $10 and can be purchased in advance online or at the festival ticket booths, sponsored by Redstone Federal Credit Union. Tickets are on sale now at artshuntsville.org. Children 12 and under are free of charge.
Panoply Arts Festival will be held April 29, 30 and May 1, 2022. Panoply 2022 Hours by Day: Friday, April 29, from 5-9:00 p.m.; Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (Art Marketplace closes at 7:30 p.m.); and Sunday, May 1, from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Festival entrances are presented by Huntsville Utilities and TVA.
For more information, volunteer sign-up and to purchase tickets, visit the Arts Huntsville website at https://www.artshuntsville.org/panoply-arts-festival/. Follow @ArtsHuntsville on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest updates leading up to Panoply Arts Festival.
