INDIE ARTS FEST

Well worth the hour drive south

By COLIN ASHER

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In the newest instance of the online world boiling over into the real world, the Providence arts blog indieartsri.org has spawned the IndieArts/ri Fest, an all-day extravaganza of burlesque dancers, bands, fine art, film and DJs. It is the first iteration of what its planners hope will be an annual tradition, where local artists take over Providence's Burnside Park and fill it with art and music and their fans.

The blog, the online locus of the Arts Fest, has been "the place to go to learn about the arts scene in Providence since it was founded," says Tim O'Keefe, manager of IndieArts/ri. He is planning for at least 1,200 attendees at the weekend's event, and the selection of art and performance will be similarly expansive. Local filmmakers will have their work displayed in the "Tunnel of Lumina," dancers will perform, fine arts will be sold in an open marketplace and bands will hold forth onstage. All told, the event encompasses 25 performances in over 10 hours.

After darkness descends, Briana "MISS B" Masterson and the BellaMinx Burly-Q burlesque troupe will perform "The Doctor Is In," an homage to Dr. Frank-N-Furter of Rocky Horror Picture Show fame, between DJ sets. The troupe was originally scheduled to perform with the other dancers around 7pm, but, given the punchline to their act is usually "you're gonna see some titties," they asked for a later spot. "Doing burlesque during the day is just really weird," says Masterson.

The Burly-Q troupe, which was founded a year and a half ago, is a local Providence phenomenon. Masterson describes them as a "mix of burlesque, slapstick, and third wave pro-sex feminism." They devote excruciating detail to their costume and choreography. Their performances are usually full-length vaudevillian sketches, not short "teaser" pieces like the ones they will perform this weekend.

Masterson says she's looking forward to the IndieArts Fest bringing BellaMinx into contact with modern dancers and other local artists, and to it "widening our foundation for promotion. We'll catch a lot of people we wouldn't catch otherwise." She also hopes the event will draw people from other cities to Providence for the day. "Don't discount Providence. It's a smaller city, but the arts scene has a different feel, and it's well worth the visit," she says.

Deb Hickey, a photographer whose work combines collage, photographic images and painting, will be showing and selling architectural photographs at the Arts Fest. She's looking forward to walking into her exhibit and seeing her work, a composite of Providence scenes, displayed together and "seeing the city from a new perspective and from different directions." She's hopeful that the event will give her exposure and new contact with local artists.

Hickey has prepared small prints of her work for easy sale to attendees and hopes to find new customers among the expected crowd. Her only concern, given this summer's record of thunderphoons and hailnados, is that the weather accommodates.

"I'm just hoping for a beautiful day," she says.

INDIE ARTS FEST

SATURDAY 7.19.08

BURNSIDE PARK &

BANK OF AMERICA SKATING CENTER

PROVIDENCE, RI

1PM-11PM/FREE

INDIEARTSRI.ORG

INDIEARTSFEST.COM