Arts fest starts June 21 this year

To Lisa Sewell, the 2007 Utah Arts Festival feels like Christmas — now that the planning is completed, she must endure the seemingly endless wait for it to begin.

"The festival is a multidisciplinary event and has stuff for everyone to do," said Sewell, the festival's events executive director. "We really wanted to focus on each area and add a lot of depth."

The arts festival will run from noon to 11 p.m. June 21-24 at the downtown Library Square.

The festival was conceived in 1984 with the purpose of promoting the arts and enriching the quality of life in Utah. But putting on the large annual event came at a cost, placing the festival in debt for several years and forcing current organizers to create a three-year plan to fix it.

That's a feat that Edward Havas, the festival's chairman, believes is in close reach — pending a successful outcome of this year's event.

"We have worked extra hard this year to bring the budget back into the black," Havas said. "There is a delicate balance that has to be struck between balancing the budget and not losing the quality of the art."

And that precise balance of art has largely been struck, according to Sewell.

Organizers have been working hard to make sure the festival's events have broad appeal. For example, "we are including filmmakers in addition to showing the 60 films that have been selected to be shown," Sewell said.

"You don't see the depth on the billboards," Sewell said. "You have to come down to the festival and experience it."

Added Havas: "It will be an amazing festival. There are great performers and great art — it is going to be a magnificent festival and a great time for all."

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