Serious Fun Arts Fest in White Plains
announces headliner and street artists
New York City band Sammy Rae & The Friends will perform outdoors on October 16
For Immediate Release
WHITE PLAINS, NY (June 27, 2022) — The Serious Fun Arts Fest will welcome New York City-based band Sammy Rae & The Friends as its headliner for an outdoor concert on October 16.
The five-day Serious Fun Arts Fest in downtown White Plains will brighten the city with activities ranging from concerts to live mural painting, a public art walking tour and dancing in the streets. There will be sculpture, performance art, massive public art unveilings by renowned artists, fun family artmaking and more throughout downtown.
“Sammy Rae is an electrifying artist who is selling out concert venues in New York City and throughout the East Coast. Her band channels a kaleidoscope of influences ranging from classic rock to soul in high-energy performances,” said ArtsWestchester CEO Janet Langsam. “We are excited to bring one of New York City’s hottest up-and-coming bands to White Plains.”
The Serious Fun Arts Fest celebrates monumental new works of public art, including:
- A two-story reflective stainless-steel tear drop sculpture by Bulgarian artist Georgi Minchev.
- A nine-story vibrant fabric installation by internationally renowned artist Amanda Browder.
- A skyscraper-high landmark mural by a celebrity of the street art scene.
- Three sculpture installations by Hudson Valley artists.
- Two major art installations by Barbara Takanaga at the White Plains Station.
- A block-long mural at the construction site of the future Hamilton Green.
“This festival combines public art projects that have been completed and many new ones in a 5-day event that will attract new visitors and position White Plains as a creative force in the county well into the future,” said White Plains Mayor Tom Roach.
The timing of the festival capitalizes on the fall foliage period when consumers seek accessible, exciting destinations for long weekends. The event will be a perfect outing for locals and visitors coming to White Plains by bus, train or car and traveling up the Hudson Valley. Successful “mural fests” in urban settings like Jersey City, Miami and Brooklyn inspired the strategy behind the Serious Fun Arts Fest.
The festival is ArtsWestchester’s latest investment in a public art program that since 2020 has provided artists with more than $700,000 in grants and commissions and delivered two dozen new works throughout Westchester County.
The Serious Fun Arts Fest is possible thanks to a Market New York grant from I LOVE NY/New York State’s Division of Tourism through the state’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative. Major support is also provided by Montefiore Einstein, the festival’s presenting sponsor.
Click here for early bird tickets for Sammy Rae & The Friends’ October 16 performance.
Contact: Ernie Garcia, Thompson & Bender, ernie@thompson-bender.com or 914-762-1900
About ArtsWestchester
For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest private not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to create an equitable, inclusive, vibrant and sustainable Westchester County in which the arts are integral to and integrated into every facet of life. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue. artsw.org