By Michael McHugh

Somerville’s 36th annual Artbeat festival took place last Saturday, with artists of all kinds sharing their work with countless attendees. The day included a combination of live performances, music spanning several genres, interactive activities, culturally significant food, community outreach organizations, and much more.

Artists of all specialties were encouraged to take inspiration from this year’s theme centered around the word “Rise.” This theme was interpreted in countless ways, some artists such as the student performers from Esh Circus Arts viewed the idea of “rising” in a literal sense, by performing aerial silk acrobatics in the center of Davis Square. Others like the “Through the Realities” exhibit at the Somerville Arts Council Inside Out Gallery viewed the “rise” prompt as an opportunity to use poetry and photography to “rise” to address inequality prevalent within mass media. The members of Somerville Community Land Trust, a community organization fighting to create permanently affordable housing, interpreted the theme through the lens of their work addressing the rising rents and increased levels of displacement in the city. “We can represent ‘rise’ similar to how we take these various different types of art and figure out all these different avenues that at first might not seem connected but can be joined in a way for them to live and work together.” explained Michael Talbot, the graphic designer whose work can be seen on the posters advertising the event and various other festival products.

As the past couple years have required a more subdued festival due to the pandemic, ArtBeat 2022 provided residents from Somerville and beyond the opportunity to enjoy activities that wouldn’t have been feasible not too long ago. “People are starved for good live music because of the pandemic, and I think going into crowded spaces is something that people are maybe still a little wary about.” explains the Somerville Arts Council’s cultural director Rachel Strutt. “So, I think that festival is just a tremendous opportunity to go check out so many bands, and if you were to go see them at venues it would probably cost you hundreds of dollars. And I also think there’s a really good mix of genres, everything from reggaeton, to American folk music, to Indie, to pop from Mozambique.”

With over 65 different craft vendors lining the streets of Davis Square, it’s almost impossible that someone could leave without seeing at least one piece of art that caught their eye. Jewelry, paintings, metalwork, artisan cooking utensils, and digital art were only a sampling of the types of art on sale during the festival. “I think a festival like this really speaks to the symbiotic relationship between arts and economy,” said Strutt. “And I think it’s about cultural tourism. When you draw so many people to a place on a day, they bring their wallets (…) I think it’s important to remember that art drives the economy and it’s not something frivolous to support. Arts are an important part of the cultural and economic ecosystem.” Events like this showcase just how important the arts are to the diverse and complex culture of Somerville. “It’s such a cool mix of people here,” remarked artist Megan Stelzer of Stelzer Metalworks “They’re like the best of cities and the best of towns, right here in the people.”

~Photos by By Michael McHugh