The morning mist still clings to the rolling lawns of Chastain Park as the first artists arrive, their pickup trucks piled high with fragile treasures. Sarah Chen carefully unloads her glassblowing equipment, standing in the same spot under the sprawling oak tree she has occupied for twelve consecutive years. Nearby, young painter Elijah Washington sets up his first booth at the festival, his hands trembling as he adjusts his display. This delicate dance of preparation takes place every Mother’s Day weekend, a ritual that has remained unchanged in essence since 2007, when fifty courageous artists placed their hopes in these trees.
What began as a bold experiment by the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces has grown into something extraordinary. The Chastain Park Spring Arts Festival now attracts nearly 200 juried artists from across the continent, selected from thousands of applicants through a process as rigorous as any museum’s curation. Yet, walking the crushed gravel paths today, you still find founders Timmy Dyer and Elena Rodriguez making the rounds, greeting returning artists like old friends, their laughter mingling with the tinkling of wind sculptures.
The festival’s magic lies in these contrasts, where world-class art merges with small-town warmth. At Booth 47, third-generation quilter Maybelle Watson demonstrates Appalachian quilting techniques to a circle of fascinated children, her needle glinting like a small silver fish. Just a few tents away, digital artist Raj Patel projects augmented reality murals that transform oak trunks into swirling galaxies. The air vibrates with creative energy, with snatches of conversation in a dozen languages, the sizzle of local food truck grills, and occasional applause from the demonstration stages.
This year’s festival unfolds over two golden days in May, each moment carefully crafted, leaving room for serendipity:
Yet the true heartbeat of the festival exists between scheduled events. It’s in the way collectors become friends over shared admiration for a woodturner’s perfect bowl. How children’s eyes widen when they witness metal transformed into delicate jewelry. The quiet moment when an elderly couple pauses before a landscape painting, silently remembering some private joy.
As afternoon shadows lengthen on Sunday, volunteers begin carefully packing away the magic until next year. But the festival’s impact lingers in the artwork gracing Atlanta homes, the careers launched, the community bonds strengthened.
What began as a simple idea eighteen springs ago has grown deep roots, becoming not just an event, but a living tradition that renews itself each May beneath Chastain’s watchful oaks.
The Chastain Park Spring Arts Festival welcomes you all on May 10 and 11, 2025, at 4469 Stella Drive. Hours: Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Free admission.
The spirit of Buckhead heads forward. This is the way it has been, and perhaps this is the way it will always be. The spirit of Buckhead points forward. You see it in the way we work, and you see it in the way we play. The reach is always extending further. The search is for excellence and beauty and grace and vibrancy.
We are a community of individuals. We are diverse, we are dynamic, and we are discerning. We are builders. We are connected to one another with a common bond. A common dream. A common quest. Pointing life in one direction. Forward.
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