Dr. Lucy Daniels + Billy Warden Announced as Honorary Chairs of Artsplosure 2017

Caroline Russell, president of the Artsplosure Board of Directors, today announced that Dr. Lucy Daniels and Billy Warden are the honorary chairs for Artsplosure’s 38th presentation of Artsplosure – The Raleigh Arts Festival.

The annual spring arts festival will take place from May 19-21 in the heart of downtown Raleigh, NC, on Fayetteville Street.

In making the announcement, Russell said that both Daniels and Warden have a long history of support and involvement with Artsplosure, as well as some of the state’s leading arts and cultural organizations. She expressed the Board’s appreciation that they have chosen to lend their leadership to support Artsplosure’s Raleigh Arts Festival.

A noted writer and clinical psychologist, Dr. Daniels is the founder of the Lucy Daniels Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to fostering emotional and creative freedom, and the Lucy Daniels Center for Early Childhood, a preschool program that uses psychoanalytic principles to promote emotional development. Her books range from the fiction bestseller, “Caleb, My Son” to her memoir, “With a Woman’s Voice.” Her latest book, “Maritime Magistery,” is a compelling collection of short stories.

Billy Warden is the co-founded the marketing firm GBW Strategies in Raleigh, NC He is also a former columnist at The News & Observer and executive producer at E! Entertainment Networks, where he worked closely with Joan Rivers. Warden continues to write columns, appears as a regular political commentator on Spectrum News, serves on the board of the Raleigh Transit Authority and leads the seminal indie rock band, The Floating Children.

Both Warden and Dr. Daniels are longtime fans and supporters of Artsplosure. They rarely miss the event each year and credit Artsplosure with turning their kids and grandkids into budding artists.

This year’s Art Market will open at 11:00 am, on Friday, May 19, and will feature nearly 180 visual artists from across North Carolina and the nation. These artists and crafters exhibit and sell their original works of art in the following categories: ceramics, fiber art, glass, jewelry, metal, painting, photography, wood, other 2D and 3D works. Performances on the outdoor Main Stage begin at 5:00 pm on Friday and continue through Sunday evening with performances by Phil Cook, William Bell, Tank and the Bangas, and The Seratones. City Plaza will host Architects of Air’s massive luminarium installation, Katena. Kidsplosure opens in its new location at Fayetteville Street’s Market and Exchange Plazas at 11:00 am on Saturday with special performances by Enloe Jazz Ambassadors, One Tribe Drum Circle and an array of local young talents from across the Triangle.