You Can Still Cast Your Votes for Tuesday's Oxford Day for Art

Television and movies may be in the middle of awards season, but events of that type take a different form in Oxford. Day for Art, part of the Pop Up Oxford weeklong series of events, is a project created by community arts organizations to kick off the new year. The twist is that community members can vote on events, people or organizations that are defining our community.
Voting is taking place online now at dayforart.com leading up to the event and live during the Day for Art programs on Tuesday, January 23.
The event takes the place of Mississippi Day of Giving, for which funding was cut from the state’s budget last year. 
Day for Art highlights the visual, literary and performing arts of Lafayette County. Leaders from Lafayette County community organizations began meeting to discuss this idea following the cancellation of Mississippi Day of Giving by Volunteer Mississippi.
“Lafayette County organizations had participated in the Day of Giving with great results as it highlighted the role charitable organizations play in Lafayette County while raising funds,” said Wayne Andrews, Director of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council. The discussion resulted in creating an event to kick off the year and introduce residents to the wide variety of cultural programs in our community.
 
Day for Art will start with an Art Crawl from 6-8 p.m. highlighting the community’s visual art spaces, including the University Museum, Southside Gallery, Misbits Gallery, Powerhouse, Gallery 120, and a few special shows at the Burns Belfry, Chancellor’s House and LQC Lamar House. 
Performing arts organizations will be featured at the Powerhouse as part of the Art Crawl, allowing the community to learn about local theatre, dance, and music options. The event culminates with the Day for Art party from 8-10p.m., featuring cocktails from Cathead Vodka, catering by Party Waiting to Happen and entertainment by Theatre Oxford, Tate Moore and Vinyl Vipers.
Proceeds from the event will benefits the arts and cultural organizations of Lafayette County who helped create the idea, including: Oxford Film Festival, Yocona Sculpture Trail, Oxford Artists Guild, Theatre Oxford, Hinge, Yocona International Folk Festival, Thacker Mountain Radio, and University of Mississippi Museum.
The event is sponsored by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, Pop Up Oxford, Mississippi Arts Commission, Cathead Vodka, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Special to HottyToddy.com.