Rise Up Festival Announces 2015 Date and Location

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The Rise Up Festival Committee make it’s official announcement today for 2015! The festival will be held on Friday, August 21, 2015 on Washington Avenue and will be based out of the new Rise office at 1627 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63103.

The festival will have all of the favorite attractions and activities from 2014 while, once again, taking it  to the next level. The Dirty Muggs will headline the event and we will be increasing the categories for the Artists Village. Look for more information and a call to artists soon. For questions and information e-mail [email protected].

RISE UP logo AIfor Ta

Rise Named Best Worthy Cause of 2014 by RFT

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 This is a copy of the Riverfront Times post naming Rise as “Best Worthy Cause of 2014”:

Though Rise as we know it started in September 2013, it has been around in some capacity since 1997, working to revitalize some of St. Louis’ most struggling areas. Over the years, Rise has consulted in the development of more than 4,000 homes and some 60,000 square feet of commercial space, with direct participation in the development of nearly 2,000 homes and nineteen commercial spaces. From Overland to Lemay on the west side of the Mississippi and from East St. Louis to East Alton on the Illinois side, Rise has spearheaded projects that aim to energize local communities. In 2014, Rise hosted its inaugural Rise Up Festival in Crown Square. The fest was held on land that has been redeveloped by Rise, and it celebrated revitalization and its goal of bring communities together. “We go into areas, sometimes St. Louis’ most distressed areas, and we improve the quality of life where most other organizations won’t go,” says Rise’s communications manager, Larry Perlmutter. “That’s the most important thing to us.”
We consider it an honor to receive this Best of Award and would like to express our gratitude to the Riverfront Times.
To view the RFT’s post click here.

Rise Up Festival Announces Best of Show Artist Mark Swain

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Mark Swain, St. Louis multi-medium artist was voted Best of Show for the 2014 Rise Up Festival – Celebrating Revitalization held in Crown Square on August 21st, 2014. Mark is an active artist in St. Louis who participates in arts shows, street festivals, and special events as a live artist and/or showing artist. We will be sharing Mark’s up and coming events as information is available.

Mark Swain/ Artist Biography
At age eight, Mark Swain would accompany his father to his job as groundskeeper for Forest Park, and sit for hours by the waterfall drawing. Today, he continues to interpret the world around him through various artistic media – music, floral design, jewelry making, painting, drawing, photography and sculpture – turning often to the human form for artistic inspiration. Indeed, the human form has been a life’s passion for Mark, who is a licensed cosmetologist, esthetician, national board certified massage therapist, and holistic health and massage therapy instructor. Excited by photographers such as Skrebneski and Edward Curtis, and artists such as Michelangelo, Bernini, Hieronymus Bosch, Salvador Dali, Botticelli, and Rodin, Mark also knew that the emotion and experience of past generations are inherent in the
seemingly unconscious entwining of cellular being, and readily express themselves through the artist’s hand when the artist has the sensitivity to touch that mystery within. Of Native American descent, Mark walks “the Red Road,” observing Native traditions and sacred ways. His intense love of the natural world, his fluency with mystical experiences, and his awareness that “everything is alive” lend depth, intensity, and anima to his pieces. Mark’s Native ancestry informs his artistic vision and in particular, his brilliant works in leather and on canvas. The spirits of his Native elders breathe their inspiration and regard for the sacred earth into him, and work through him to shape each unique and powerful piece. You can feel their presence as their stories come to life through his craft.

https://www.facebook.com/markswainarts?ref=hl

http://markswainarts.blogspot.com/

[email protected]

*Currently Mark has work at Dogtown Gallery and Frame.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dogtown-Gallery-Frame-Shop/167029263369322

Old North St. Louis Restoration Group Announces Southeast X Old North Benefit Concert Featuring Band Five Eight

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SE x ONSL Hi Res

Old North St. Louis Restoration Group is one of Rises’ strong partners in the revitalization of Crown Square. It is important to us to promote events that benefit our partner Community Development Corporations.
Old North St. Louis Restoration Group welcomes an eclectic showcase of up-and-coming musicians from the southeast region of the United States to play a benefit concert here in St. Louis. The event, aptly named Southeast X Old North is slated for Saturday, September 27th at Plush St. Louis, located at 3224 Locust St with doors opening at 7PM. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketfly.com and searching for “Old North St. Louis.”
Featured artists include Five Eight hailing from Athens, Georgia; The Pauses from Orlando, Florida; Hannah Aldridge based out of Nashville, Tennessee; and Corvus and Canis from Columbus, Georgia. Along with the scheduled entertainment line-up, raffle tickets will be available for purchase for a wide variety of local gift items and get-away packages.
Proceeds from Southeast X Old North will help Old North St. Louis Restoration Group (ONSLRG) continue their important work of revitalizing the physical and social dimensions of the Old North neighborhood in a manner that respects the community’s historic, cultural, and urban character. This revitalization strategy includes the restoration of historic homes and buildings, comprehensive community engagement and the operation of the North City Farmers’ Market which provides much needed access to healthy and affordable food for the neighborhood. ONSLRG is a 501c3 non-profit and all donations are tax-deductible.

For more information about the event or to become a sponsor or raffle item donor, please contact Sean Thomas at [email protected] or (314) 241-5031 x103.
Contact:
Sean Thomas
Executive Director
Old North St. Louis Restoration Group
2700 North 14th Street
St Louis, MO 63106
(314) 241-5031 x103
[email protected]