A Community (High) Festival

Now in its third year, the Marginal Arts Festival began as a collection of events that “Roanokers would never go see”. Instigated and sponsored by Community High School of Arts & Academics, the festival was organized by local artists, community activists and the dedicated faculty of Community High. The initial goal of the festival was to generate enthusiasm for a broader range of art forms in the region, find easier ways for people to enjoy and feel like a part of culture forming activities and prove that the audience for challenging work does exist in Roanoke. Because we believe everyone should have access to “culture making”, all our events are affordable and most are free. We advocate free and uncensored dialogue, but the ideas and perspectives expressed by participants in this festival do not necessarily reflect those of Community High.

The Marginal Arts Festival is an attempt to critique the mass culture that “meerly”entertains. Festival Director Brian Counihan claims “all culture is a dialogue, in various forms, between small groups and communities. That  is all art is. At best, entertainment  is a way to access culture, and at worst it’s a ‘commodity’ that consumes our culture and leaves us impoverished.” He believes the answer to the ills of mass culture is a constant local dialogue that seeks to define and challenge our assumptions about our regional identity, warts and all. We invite members of our community to join us in partnerships and collaborations that will make Roanoke a better place to live.