The 2012 Art Uprising in West Village is a free two-day arts festival featuring local art, live music, food and drinks, and other family-friendly entertainment.

The juried festival will feature over fifty local artists, in all types of medium and genres. Art Uprising kicks off with an art walk and auction event Friday, September 21, benefitting the Emergency Artist Support League (EASL).

“Bringing this type of event to West Village is something we have been thinking about for years,” said Robert Bagwell, President of Urban Partners and West Village Management Company. “Through Art Uprising we hop to raise awareness of local art as well as bring West Village and Uptown as a whole, into this conversation as a supporter of the Dallas art community. Our hope is to be just as inviting as the art community has been, and show people that collecting art shouldn’t be intimidating, but instead, attainable and fun.”

The silent auction was conceived as a way to involve participating West Village merchants and to create synergy between the neighborhood and the art community. Artists will be paired with merchants to display artwork inside each store, each piece of which is being generously donated by the artist for the silent auction. Guests are invited to wander from store to store, enjoying light sips and bites as they bid on their favorite pieces.

Participating stores include: y&i clothing boutique, L.bartlett, Gap, Indigo, LF, Kendra Scott, Lilli London, and more. Funds raised through the silent auction will go directly to EASL, which is celebrating twenty years of providing emergency support for Dallas-Fort Worth area visual artists and whom West Village considers and honor to support.

Art lovers, foodies, music junkies, do-gooders, and fun seekers alike are invited to attend the free two-day festival, which opens on Saturday, September 22, with a variety of local artists displaying their work throughout the village. Music, food and drinks including beer and winde, will be available in the North and South alleys. Patrons are invited to savor delicious fare and drinks from such West Village restaurants as Union Bear, Baboush, Cru, Cork and more.

The festival concludes on Sunday with some additional family fun activities and performances for kids. Your little ones will love the face painting and hula-hooping with the Cirque du Soleil ‘Kooza’ promo squad. The whole family in welcome, including art-loving pooches.

A killer lineup of the best local music that Dallas/Fort Worth has to offer will be playing both Saturday and Sunday on two different stages.

Performers include:

• Whiskey Folk Ramblers
• The Quaker City Nighthawks
• The O’s
• The Roomsounds
• The Hanna Barbarians
• The Will Callers
• My Wooden Leg
• Bravo, Max!
• From Us to You (Beatles Tribute Band)
• Tatiana Mayfield
• Sealion
• Zhora
• Bethan
• Sol Tax
• Uptown Jazz Dallas
• Tweed EQ
• Budapest One

The 2012 Art Uprising is on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/The2012ArtUprisingInWestVillage.

About West Village

West Village is Dallas’ most vibrant walkable shopping and dining district; a place where you can shop from a highly curated collection of boutiques and enjoy fresh local food and beverage concepts. Since its opening by a group of Dallas Real Estate developers in 2001, West Village has seen two additional phases of growth with its largest expansion yet to come. West Village is Uptown’s Downtown. Complementary valet parking is available until 4 p.m. $5 after. For more information, please visit www.westvil.com.

About the Emergency Artist Support League (EASL)

Visual artists often live within narrow financial constraints, even in the best of times. A medical crisis, fire, or other emergency can result in catastrophe. In response, artists and arts professionals joined together to found EASL in 1992. EASL is operated by a volunteer committee, allowing for distribution of financial assistance to individuals in need. In addition to awarding monetary grants, EASL also works with professional resources, from social workers to attorneys, who in turn volunteer their time and expertise to help negotiate medical bills and provide other needed help. Though visible when it is raising money, EASL abides by a strict policy of confidentiality regarding disbursal of funds, thereby protecting artists’ anonymity and dignity. Contributions mean a great deal to EASL, but it is even more important to the artists and their families. For more information, please visit www.easl.us.

What: Art Uprising, a free two-day arts festival benefitting EASL
When: Friday, September 21, 2012
Art Walk & Auction (6:30-9 p.m.)
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Opening Day (11 a.m.-9 p.m.)
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Family & Friends (11 a.m.-5 p.m.)
Where: West Village (Map & Parking Info)
How Much: Free