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Art in Odd Places

Artist Klimchak posing with his piece "Pied Pipers Payback"
Artist Klimchak posing with his piece "Pied Pipers Payback"

Art in Odd Places: The name pretty much describes exactly what the event is, and yet it’s unlikely that you would expect to see any of the things you’ll see here. Like a gallery without walls, this free festival takes over a stretch of Magnolia Avenue through Saturday.

Art in Odd Places founder Ed Woodham believes that public spaces like sidewalks and parks should encourage “diverse social interactions and the unfettered exchange of ideas.” But instead most of us hurry through staring into our phones. This festival is meant to kick-start communication by presenting art and performance in surprising and unexpected places.

So you may see giant hands bursting out of the ground and reaching for the sky. Or a passing bicycle equipped with a bluetooth speaker, so that any bystander can broadcast her own music. You might be invited to join a dance or a complicated game of tag, or to write down a secret under a giant photographic mural.

Curators Pat Greene and Genevieve Bernard have coordinated more than 50 artists, some local, some from other states or countries. They’re looking forward to seeing their fellow citizens grab a coffee from the Black Bean Deli pop-up in the Rogers Building, stick their phones firmly in their back pockets, and take a stroll along Magnolia this weekend, with eyes and ears wide open.

Go to artinoddplaces.org for more information.