Local and out of town artists are bringing their unique pieces of work to the Uproar Art Festival in Orange County.  Sculptures, paintings, and installation pieces will be displayed outdoors for visitors to enjoy.  The festival will take place in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough from July 14th to August 12th.

The Uproar Fest is showcasing 60 large scale artworks scattered over downtown Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough. Visitors can take part in a scavenger hunt by seeking out the art and scanning a QR code beside the piece to rate it 1 through 10. At the end of the festival in August, an awards ceremony will take place and two artists will win.

Katie Murray, the Director of the Orange County Arts Commission, helped make this event a reality. 

 “At the end of the festival, at the awards celebration the people’s choice and the Jury’s first place winner will each win $10,000,” said Murray. “This really prioritizes public input and is designed to provide a free, fun month-long activity for folks both here locally and hopefully outside of the area too.”

The festival has been in the works for the last four years. Murray says it was largely inspired by other art festivals around the country. 

“I started thinking what’s something we could do to help our community during the Summer but also play up our own creative spirit here at Orange County and bring in even more artists and celebrate them while they’re here,” said Murray. 

The art ranges in size and shape. Murray describes some as stationary or isolated and others will even be placed in the surrounding environment. 

“Some of them are really huge and some of them are installation pieces so they’re going to be in the trees or projections and then we have one in particular that’s teeny tiny. It really spans and I think it’s a good representation,” Murray explained. 

All the artwork is outdoors and in accessible locations. Audio descriptions will also be provided for those with low vision. 

“So, it’s really designed to be an inclusive event that almost all people can participate in. And it’s entirely free,” said Murray.  

A kick-off party will take place July 14th 7:00pm-10:00pm and will be invite only. It’s an opportunity for attendees to meet the artists and enjoy drinks and a DJ. The Uproar Fest needs volunteers of any skill level for a variety of tasks including welcome greeters, sign-up crew, and deinstallation help. To sign-up go to their website at uproarfestnc.com 

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