The murals of downtown Corpus Christi will act as inspiration for artists participating in the Marina Arts District’s Masterpiece-in-a-day competition Sept. 12.
A new art-focused festival will decorate downtown Sept. 12, only this one expects participants to do more than look. All ages are invited to participate in three categories of art — visual, music and spoken word — during the day-long Masterpiece-in-a-day competition. Each category will have two divisions: Open and ages 18 and under.
Put together by the Corpus Christi Downtown Management District, the competition’s main goal this inaugural year is to capture the essence of the newly named Marina Arts District. DMD officials announced the new name, which follows the old outlines of the DMD, during a meeting August 19. The district's area is bounded by Kinney Street to I-37, and Lower Broadway to the Corpus Christi Marina L and T-Heads.
“[The new name] unites and excites and shows that we aspire to do more and be more,” said DMD executive directory Terry Sweeney at the meeting. The goal is to make downtown a destination for both tourists and residents, he said.
Masterpiece-in-a-day brings the many aspects of rebranding and improving downtown all together. Participating artists will spend the day outside creating their masterpieces from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Artists much check in and pick up their packets between 9-11 a.m. at the Art Center of Corpus Christi. Judging begins at 5 p.m.
An art parade at 4 p.m. will offer a platform for “presenting artwork in a public sphere,” reads details on the Marina Arts District’s spiffy new website. The parade is free and open to all groups, organizations, family and friends of all ages.
Participatnts are encourage to create outfits, paint faces, build floats, wear costumes or make an artistic statement. Participants must pre-register and sign a waiver to participate. The route will follow Chaparral Street from John Sartin to the parking lot at 619 N. Chaparral St.
Art judging begins at 5 p.m. in the parking lot of 619 N. Chaparral St under the K Space Loteria Mural. Music judge begins at 6:25 at the House of Rock, while the spoken word judging will begin at 7:30 at the Executive Surf Club.
For online registration, rules and prizes, visit the Marina Arts District website at marinaarts.com.
