Expedia Names Oxford One of "America's Most Artistic Towns"

With a tip of its hat to the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council (YAC), Southside Gallery and the Double Decker Festival, travel blog Viewfinder, hosted by Expedia.com, has named Oxford one of “America’s Most Artistic Towns.”
The nationwide survey highlights towns of varying sizes—from populations of 1,000 to 1 million—that have “thriving arts communities, where you may run across colorful graffiti and murals, talented street performers, inspiring art museums, stimulating literary events and world-class theater.”
Oxford was one of five communities that made the list in the “small” category (populations between 20,000 and 100,000). Others included Quincy, Ill., Minot, N.D., Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Edmond, Okla.
The article noted that Oxford “offers places to experience culture not found in towns twice its size.” It singled out the monthly exhibitions at Southside Gallery and the YAC’s Oxford Arts Crawl and Arts Incubator, which helps local artists and entrepreneurs succeed in the arts business.
“Lovers of literature should bookmark the Oxford Conference for the Book or the Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference,” the article states. “At the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, audiences enjoy Broadway shows, concerts and ballet. Annual events like the Double Decker Art Fest electrify the town with two days of live music, art vendors, food and community.”
In other categories, cities like Boulder, Colo. Berkeley, Calif., Honolulu, Cincinnati and Savannah, Ga. also made the list.
“As we know,” the article says, “the major cities of the U.S. are leading centers of art with bigger resources and tourist draws, but this country’s mid- and small-size places keep exciting, surprising and thriving with their creative spirits and innovation.”

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Staff report