West Main Arts Festival and Glow Night Light Up Canton
Saturday, March 2, was a busy day in downtown Canton, starting with the first-ever West Main Arts Festival, followed immediately by Glow Night at Cannon Park.
West Main Arts Festival
Timed to celebrate the fourth anniversary of local art gallery Menagerie on Main, it featured North Georgia artists from Canton, Woodstock, Acworth, Marietta, Clarkesville, and elsewhere.
![Menagerie on Main at the West Main Arts Festival in Canton Georgia](https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Menagerie-on-Main-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=5b944103c7630e216b42c56705ba56a2 320w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Menagerie-on-Main-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=96271b589f30804b834e621b5c5cb4dd 540w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Menagerie-on-Main-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=d4217ed203603c766902f7b184f0adf5 768w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Menagerie-on-Main-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=6122ee6eb5ad97797b784d6270e373d1 1024w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Menagerie-on-Main-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=4234f22b08f757db1d21f397670f0fb9 1200w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Menagerie-on-Main-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=6dc56ec31e8b0ed4285afcf511fcb98b 1440w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Menagerie-on-Main-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=411d9dc37b2e64ada98dfb52979245fa 1920w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Menagerie-on-Main-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=da8e407f4c10fc8136c1eace476dea11 2560w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Menagerie-on-Main-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=ebcfe00c3aed7f1c3a1a51b0a7ae4fc9 3840w)
As an inaugural event, getting the word out was critical. Jamie Foreman, the curator of Menagerie on Main, credits Explore Canton and Enjoy Cherokee Magazine for both sponsoring the event and promoting it as well. Even ahead of the final tallies of the estimated number of attendees, festival organizers are confident it met their goal of at least 2,000 attendees.
![Jamie Foreman at the West Main Arts Festival in Canton Georgia](https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Jamie-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=4e967b9e48e6bfa47359759a36e0cf78 320w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Jamie-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=d21b682027e1cfe40536e31ea29c724f 540w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Jamie-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=339ff1ccdf88ab6ba8bdb8745cc69a09 768w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Jamie-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=2080aa1cc82d76474a1780ced2f09a1f 1024w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Jamie-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=757d860750e6216446fc045a32bc6415 1200w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Jamie-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=38247f5cf40bd0006a57cd87e3bff5e3 1440w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Jamie-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=1d6158b24303518728fd59ca6665c0d1 1920w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Jamie-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=f05c0ae3885a77b24c11fc2a5ad35fc6 2560w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/Jamie-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=8b6d646746cc9f285ec0432a98fa39a5 3840w)
Festival-goers walked the booths admiring the pieces, enjoyed the multiple food and beverage options, listened to the half-dozen bands that performed, and watched the buskers juggling, stilt-walking, and unicycling. Face painters even turned kids into works of art themselves!
![Beyond the Classics at the West Main Arts Festival in Canton Georgia](https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/MUSIC-Beyond-the-Classics-7.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=c67ba514b336b19db5e99072084f498b 320w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/MUSIC-Beyond-the-Classics-7.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=5a0a0b12ac43807a6a2b1156b1b52388 540w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/MUSIC-Beyond-the-Classics-7.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=d7e25856fd3cfa044d88a8c27251d3b6 768w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/MUSIC-Beyond-the-Classics-7.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=806cb20c796f8f0ca245dd484569b76a 1024w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/MUSIC-Beyond-the-Classics-7.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=598ebad71bf6320473c72497b03d57f9 1200w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/MUSIC-Beyond-the-Classics-7.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=82ead62216c8833cbbe1975968ebd453 1440w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/MUSIC-Beyond-the-Classics-7.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=627754a5ef976892097069e41d817ea5 1920w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/MUSIC-Beyond-the-Classics-7.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=f8a49c4c371135d3dd4c9accc55b89a5 2560w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/MUSIC-Beyond-the-Classics-7.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=cd3bfee6acd6500bfc9e3033eae53c27 3840w)
The vendors were impressed with the number of attendees, including the many visitors who stayed for a long time to enjoy it all. The works on display were wide-ranging: oils, acrylics, and watercolors, ceramics and glass art, and jewelry. Some of the artists were classically trained, and others self-taught; all commented on the high quality of the artwork on display.
Several artists also displayed works in progress to show attendees the creative process itself, or to explain the techniques in use. The festival featured functional art pieces like ceramic vases and mugs, necklaces and earrings, and also whimsical items like ceramic mushrooms for your garden or yard. There were oil paintings of barns and birds, landscapes and lighthouses, fish and flamingos, fairies and fantasies.
![Vendor display at the West Main Arts Festival in Canton Georgia](https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/VENDOR-Art-Vendors-36.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=458e313b033af0c3ecc4543303c6afe7 320w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/VENDOR-Art-Vendors-36.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=d90a5949decb4ad2a43742763bd9bb5c 540w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/VENDOR-Art-Vendors-36.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=559cee8c4dd2975abb035740b06cc901 768w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/VENDOR-Art-Vendors-36.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=24bb82e9d3fedcd051778ffb4fd6ec90 1024w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/VENDOR-Art-Vendors-36.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=07c0c561a220f0888613dd047fc6b033 1200w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/VENDOR-Art-Vendors-36.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=4bf457ab56001ecc654a41f6fc56f033 1440w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/VENDOR-Art-Vendors-36.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=567bdcb10f9abb2f184ba1d0923313f4 1920w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/VENDOR-Art-Vendors-36.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=5fd5d91233cef3ca5e62e5b9123df7cd 2560w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/VENDOR-Art-Vendors-36.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=0695a62835b04209e4d6886dc2ed7413 3840w)
The artists say the opportunity to interact with people viewing their work makes it special for them. Some said their goal is to bring joy or beauty to the world, and seeing their work appreciated inspires them to continue what they do.
One bravely spoke of her art helping her deal with postpartum depression, and said that art allows her to reach out to people and share her knowledge and experiences with those challenges. Another emphatically stated that meeting other local artists and seeing their works inspires her. Another, also a local art teacher, was excited that this provided an opportunity for her students to see her work, which doesn’t happen in the classroom.
The West Main Arts Festival, based on the turnout and the responses from attendees and participants alike, will become an annual event. The next West Main Arts Festival is targeted for Saturday, March 1, 2025. Planning is already underway, aimed at ensuring that next year’s event is even more successful than this one.
![West Main Arts Festival in Canton Gerogia](https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/CROWD-Crowd-Shots-15-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=f480da8705b9e680b064acd175cd940a 320w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/CROWD-Crowd-Shots-15-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=0ff1ace918de106ce42b6b0797ca79c5 540w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/CROWD-Crowd-Shots-15-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=ce3ea0c229c4346a93d8c24a7c11cd73 768w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/CROWD-Crowd-Shots-15-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=30d1bb290ea2d1358a042afb997be100 1024w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/CROWD-Crowd-Shots-15-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=62c2510c02783b6d18dce073f1dbc4c0 1200w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/CROWD-Crowd-Shots-15-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=9a4b08e5de01cfb9ce708db3f5f99824 1440w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/CROWD-Crowd-Shots-15-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=52b42ffa8deaa9725bb37c35b85c74b1 1920w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/CROWD-Crowd-Shots-15-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=ea87d358917224127a15b0d82a9b774d 2560w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/CROWD-Crowd-Shots-15-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=0e61b82ce4fbbced073a9deb1cfa0353 3840w)
GLOW NIGHT
For those who stayed downtown after the festival, Glow Night in Cannon Park was filled with family-friendly activities, featuring glow-in-the-dark games: mini-golf, corn hole, spike ball, bucket pong, and even axe throwing with Moving Target ATL, a co-sponsor of the event.
Megan Hall, an elementary school teacher at the event, summed it up nicely: “Glow Night is great; kids enjoy it, it’s family-friendly, and a really good time.”
![Glow Mini Golf at Glow Night in Canton Georgia](https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/JC_00208-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=38efe4287e2fe1ee3db132f9e84114c4 320w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/JC_00208-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=319fa3d1c1caabdc7e44de7a7b23bed7 540w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/JC_00208-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=d3065dfd4442e26c47c46eea7668b45c 768w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/JC_00208-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=00a1af5d2cc4ed3b016112d30e13f30a 1024w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/JC_00208-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=c2b3a1aa00a8ac29c253222dc2809d8f 1200w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/JC_00208-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=3430d26b9b4de3667b919231a1b9c18f 1440w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/JC_00208-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=bbd6dbea55460c6b10e43a70db9268c3 1920w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/JC_00208-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=72e0cb9f9eed0fb5d5f6ce442a5031fa 2560w, https://cantonga.imgix.net/images/JC_00208-min.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=36ca5bac51fc061077c0ddaba83ea260 3840w)
This article was written by Bruce Baker and is featured on Enjoy Cherokee.