…the Bethesda Arts Festival is not a place for the faint of heart—you either come to spend some cash or be annoyed by those who seem to be know-it-all’s of the “Art” world.
All that can be said from a Creative of Color is that there are places where you’ll see who’s clearly clamoring for attention to pay the bills and who—most likely—doesn’t have either the capital or the relationships to be included.
The Bethesda Arts Festival seems to be a showy upscale snobby type of environment that does very little to be really diverse and inclusive of others unless you fit a specific profile. What we experienced was basically a follow-up to last years participants and products with most artists being Caucasian and notably obnoxious when it came down to discussing their work with certain interested parties.
While there was a lot of inspiration there provided by the many types of work, there was an apparent desire for diversity and more meaningfully cordial and welcoming individuals to inform and discuss their works. Defined as “the Washington, DC area’s premier outdoor fine arts festival”, yes, this is an event for a certain type. With that said, there are many things to appreciate especially as it operates within one of the nation’s most affluent and economically rich communities. Get a chance to strike up the right conversation and you might learn a lot…but those conversations might require a friend or two that are already within the “know”.
As a business local to the Bethesda area, we once had a goal of getting involved within such an organization but…I think we’ll keep to our small circle and see how things go into the future. Don’t get us wrong, the place has potential…but it seems the horses they ride stand a little too high to even believe.
