 The Artsplosure spring festival’s origins go back to 1972 when the Raleigh Art People (RAP) presented “Art in the Village” at Cameron Village. Bob Rankin, who had recently graduated from East Carolina University and had returned to his hometown, founded RAP. Raleigh embraced this new festival, which featured the works of 75 visual artists. The festival continued to grow in magnitude and popularity and, within three years, had outgrown Cameron Village’s parking capacity. During this same period, a new group of artists formed, calling itself the Raleigh Artist Community (RAC). Along with Bob Rankin, the RAC leadership circle included artists Nancy Redman and Willis Williams.In 1975, RAC moved the arts festival to Pullen Park, beginning a productive presenting relationship with the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department. In order to be more inclusive of all the arts, the festival’s concept and name was changed to Pullen Arts Together. Concurrently, the newly formed City of Raleigh Arts Commission began planning a citywide arts festival that would combine an “explosion” of art activity with people’s “exposure” to all types of art. On April 11-13, 1980, the Arts Commission presented “ArtsPlosure” on Fayetteville Street Mall and in other locations across Raleigh. Arts Commission Executive Director Elaine Lorber oversaw the planning and implementation of this large-scale undertaking. The staff and volunteers who made the festival possible were named “The ArtsPlosure People,” and their first citywide arts festival was deemed a success. In 1982, the Arts Commission established a relationship with Preservation Jazz and began presenting jazz concerts at the Rose Garden outdoor theatre. In 1983, the Arts Commission hired Jane Elizabeth Teague to coordinate Artsplosure. The Artsplosure board of directors and the Raleigh Artist Community combined forces and began presenting a visual and performing arts festival at Pullen Park. The 1983 festival’s key programming values and components – a high quality, juried visual arts exhibit and sale, multiple performance stages, a hands-on children’s activity area, and a welcoming and family-friendly atmosphere – are at the core of today’s Artsplosure festival. Moreover, the Artsplosure festival has remained a vital and well-attended rite-of-spring because of the hard work, dedication, and integrity of Bob Rankin, Jane Elizabeth Teague, Elaine Lorber, and hundreds of volunteer “ArtsPlosure People.” |
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| Purchase Ghost Ranch for $5 through Artsplosure 919.832.8699 or email info@artsplosure.org | |
| Rankin, whose works of art are part of numerous corporate and personal collections, has created many of the visual images people have associated with Artsplosure over the past three decades. Artist’s Statement: My work is an exploration of color, composition, texture and surface using a representational and or abstract approach inspired by international experiences. |
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