Spring has sprung, and with it comes two staples for Atlanta residents: a yellowy haze of pollen covering everything in the Metro Atlanta area and the Atlanta Dogwood Festival.
The festival, held April 11-13 at Piedmont Park, is one of the largest arts festivals in the country and features a weekend of food, folk art and beautiful scenery.
Founded in 1936 by Walter Rich, founder of Rich's department store, the festival has sought to bring prominence to Atlanta through the blooming of the beautiful white petals of the dogwood trees.
More than 250 artists set up around the Piedmont Park path to showcase works in mixed media, three-dimensional art, photography and more.
Tiffany Ownbey is one such artist, who displayed works in mixed-media printmaking that won "Best-of" in this year's festival.
"I've been an artist since the age of 10," Ownbey said as she pointed to a sculpture made from sewing paper and covered in stamps. "In order to appreciate mediums like this, you have to come in and see the bigger picture."
On Saturday and Sunday, the weekend featured "Backyard Barbeque and Brews," a food festival celebrating local picnic food, moonshine and other fare, and Disc Dogs, one of the most prestigious canine sporting events in the south.
Thousands of visitors streamed in and out of the festival, chowing down on drinks from the Lemonade and Vodka stand or humming a tune they heard on one of the two stages filled with performers of all styles.
Whether you are an ATLien or a temporary visitor, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival is one event you cannot "leaf" the city without experiencing.
– By Stephen Fowler
Arts Blossom at Dogwood Festival
Photo by Jenna Kingsley
Art by Tiffany Ownbey, who won this year's "Best of" in mixed-media printmaking at the Atlanta Dogwood Festival.
