Not only will this week’s Hot Summer Nights feature a special performance from SoulStrum but it will also feature an art festival.
The festival is scheduled to coincide with this week’s Hot Summer Nights from 7-10 p.m. Friday at the Noel Heritage Plaza.
Over 30 local artists are expected to be out with their artwork as the market will take place on fourth street between Lee and Sam Houston.
The event is a partnership between Odessa Arts, Downtown Odessa and the Painted Potter which is owned by Wende Hernandez.
“We think it’s going to be a great addition to our Hot Summer Nights,” Executive Director of Downtown Odessa Casey Hallmark said.
Hallmark said the art festival was supposed to take place earlier this year but was rescheduled.
“Wende approached us,” Hallmark said. “She had been wanting to do an art market downtown and we had it originally scheduled for a different day. That date ended up not working out but I think everything happens for a reason so I think it worked out perfectly where we can have her out and have all of her vendors out in the street. We have food trucks and a mobile gaming trailer so we’re encouraging people to bring their kids and do some shopping and enjoy the concert.”
Hernandez is excited to be able to have this event take place during the final performance of Hot Summer Nights.
“(Odessa Arts Executive Director) Randy Ham thought it would be appropriate to do this particular one because it is showcasing a local band so what better way to showcase art in many different forms,” Hernandez said. “We’ll have the local musicians and the local artists this Friday evening.”
The market will feature over 30 different artists in all different mediums.
“We have oil, we have acrylic, we have water pastels,” Hernandez said. “We have some glass makers. We have various different art there. There will be a lot of hand-drawn art stuff. There will be digital art and digital media as well.”
Hernandez is excited to showcase all the talented artists in the area.
“When I put stuff out there for vendors, I would have people send me samples of their artwork and I was blown away by the talent that we have in the Permian Basin,” Hernandez said. “It’s pretty crazy.”
The event will also feature food trucks as well.
It will be the final Hot Summer Nights for this season as Downtown Odessa and Odessa Arts wraps up a summer that has included eight shows that began in June.
SoulStrum was selected to play at this week’s Hot Summer Nights as part of its reward for winning the Battle of the Bands competition earlier this month.
“We’ve had a great concert series so far this year,” Hallmark said. “We do the Hot Summer Nights in partnership with the Odessa Arts. Being able to bring in any additional businesses and highlight them is really a huge goal of ours. Being able to partner with the Painted Potter and give people in Odessa a reason to come downtown is always a huge win for us. We look forward to having the public out. It’s a really cool show. It’s the battle of the bands winner and an art show so it’s a win-win.”
If you go
- What: Art Festival.
- Where: Noel Heritage Plaza.
- When: 7-10 p.m. today.
- For more information: tinyurl.com/mwswdkpw
