Dutch heritage - WKTV Journal

Tulip Time’s 90th Anniversary Gala will benefit the festival’s “Join the Dance” initiative.

By Susan Zainis

Tulip Time Festival

Tulip Time Festival (www.tuliptime.com) announces plans for a 90^thAnniversary Gala to benefit the “Join the Dance’ initiative on Saturday, March 23.

The Tulip Time Festival is committed to celebrate our Dutch Heritage, our warm and inviting community and of course, tulips. Together, we produce a world-class festival and elevate the experiences of a half million visitors each year. The community is invited to attend the Gala in support of the festival’s most popular events – Dutch Dance.

Dutch Dance strives to maintain cultural authenticity in the costumes worn by dancers. Each costume is modeled after period dress representing provinces of the Netherlands. Producing a Dutch Dance costume is no small feat! It can take an expert seamstress up to 15 hours to create a full costume – some with as many as eight finished pieces to complete the ensemble – at an average of $300 each costume. The Gala is designed to create a fund for Dutch Dance costumes and eliminate the cost of costuming as a barrier to participation. Your support will empower local students to Join the Dance.

Guests of the Gala, which will be held at the Holland Civic Center, will be treated to an unforgettable evening that will feature cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, an elegant dinner, live music, and extraordinary silent and live auctions.

Mark your calendars and save the date for this event now! Tickets will go on sale beginning Monday, January 14, 2019. For more details on the Gala visit www.tuliptime.com/gala. The Tulip Time Festival is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.

Join the dance as we “paint the town orange”at Tulip Time’s 90^thAnniversary celebration May 4-12, 2019. Detailed program and event information for Tulip Time 2019 is available on www.tuliptime.com. Tickets are now on sale for National Entertainment and Local Arts & Culture Series events. They can be purchased online at www.tuliptime.com, in person at the Tulip Time Festival Box Office located at 42 West 8^thStreet, Holland, Michigan, or by phone at 800-822-2770.

By Elizabeth Wallace, Tulip Time

Tulip Time Festival and the Holland Area Arts Council have announced the 2019 Art in Bloom (AIB) Festival Artwork Competition. Each year, the Holland Area Arts Council invites a juror to select the Top 20 pieces for AIB. Kristin Jass Armstrong, Executive Director of the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, will be the 2019 juror.

Until 2011, posters were commissioned work from selected artists. Since AIB transitioned into a Festival Artwork Competition, eight local artists have been awarded this honor:

2011 Beth Charles – “Drama Queens”
2012 Brittany Strabbing – “Beautiful Dream”
2013 Maggie Schultz – “Clothed in Splendor”
2014 Karin Nelson – “Resilience”
2015 Carolyn Stich – “Joy of Spring”
2016 Alla Dickson – “Spectacle”
2017 Michele Gort – “Playful Time”
2018 Cindy Awrey – “Together”

Artists in Ottawa, Allegan, Kent, Muskegon, and Kalamazoo counties are invited to submit artwork. Submissions for the 2019 Festival Artwork Competition will be accepted from Sept. 29 through Oct. 4. The artwork theme should represent Tulip Time’s mission to celebrate Holland’s tulips, Dutch heritage and community with special consideration to our 90^th festival theme: ‘join the dance as we paint the town orange!’ The winner of the 2019 competition will be announced at First Bloom, a special unveiling reception held in February.

To view the submission forms and full entry requirements, please pick up a prospectus from the Tulip Time Festival Office or the Holland Area Arts Council. The prospectus can also be found online at www.tuliptime.com/artinbloom and www.hollandarts.org.

For additional details, artists are encouraged to contact Mary Sundstrom at (616) 396-3278 or mary@hollandarts.org.

The Tulip Time Festival Guide is now available offering complete details for the 2018 program. Festival Guides can be viewed online or you can request a copy at www.tuliptime.com/join.

Join the dance as we paint the town orange in celebration of Dutch Culture, Community and Tulips at the 90^th Tulip Time Festival May 4–23, 2019.