March 3, 2023 (Surprise, Ariz.) – A free, one-day-only multicultural festival is coming to Surprise, Saturday, March 11th from 11am - 5pm. The IMPRINT Festival, one of West Valley Arts Council’s (WVAC) signature events, is a free event complete with live performances, visual art, live painting, artisan vendors, food trucks, kids activities, and more! Visitors will be immersed in the richness and beauty of diverse cultures around the valley.
“A key component to our festival is storytelling,” said Michael Denson, Executive Director of WVAC. “Not only will you be able to enjoy the sights, sounds, and flavors of different cultures, but you will learn history and heritage through stories. We believe that it is through this combination of stories and experiences that we begin to understand one another and move toward a more unified community.”
The IMPRINT Festival will have key performances by Grammy nominated musician Aaron White, Mariachi Pasion, an all female mariachi band, and Pretty Precise, a performance initiative for minority and at-risk youth providing safe expression through dance and step.
The event also marks the opening of a visual art exhibition, Weaving American Indian Stories. Featuring local indigenous artists, the exhibit captures an informative cultural perspective through contemporary 2D works. Running through April 7th at the Arts HQ Gallery, the exhibit is also free and open to the public.
The festival and exhibit are key components of WVAC’s IMPRINT: Elevating Cultural Diversity in the Arts program, which is a series of annual exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and celebrations recognizing artists of color in and around the valley. Artists of color have made significant and positive contributions to our collective culture and communities through the arts, and WVAC seeks to highlight those impressions through ongoing activities and opportunities to engage with diverse perspectives, places, and heritage.
The IMPRINT Festival takes place outdoors on campus at the Arts HQ Gallery and extends throughout The City of Surpise’s new Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, located at 16126 N Civic Center Plaza, Surprise, Arizona 85374. Program sponsors include City of Surprise, On Stage Now Entertainment, Anderson Windows, APS, SRP and National Endowment for the Arts. For more information and festival details visit www.westvalleyarts.org/imprint
