The energy, the creativity, the experience. There is nothing like the atmosphere of a festival.

As the summer sun sets into fall, a new season of festivals is on the horizon. For the last nine years, Art Outside has partnered with Art Seen Alliance to bring together an eclectic community of artists, performers, professionals and families to celebrate creative culture.

The three-day festival does not boast the major crowds and lines like you would imagine, but instead offers a more intimate experience filled with music, workshops, art, camping and more.

After attending numerous festivals all over the world, we were eager to talk more with Warren McKinney, who is on year nine of producing the beloved Art Outside festival, to find out more.


WHAT IS YOUR VISION IN BRINGING TOGETHER THIS DIVERSE GROUP OF ENTERTAINERS?

A sense of community drives our vision. By bringing different types of art
together, we hope to inspire everyone involved by sharing what we create. Through this process, skills are learned, ideas are born, relationships are formed, and community is developed.

IS AUSTIN IDEAL FOR THE CAMPOUT?

The Austin area is a great place for Art Outside since we’re home to a diverse group of artists and the location is convenient for folks to travel from a variety of nearby cities.

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE FESTIVAL SCENE?

I fell into the festival scene by chance and I’m always interested in what the “other guys” are doing. I get really inspired by other productions and also spend time picking apart other producers’ decisions as I have learned more about what it takes to produce events. There is an obvious need for festivals in our culture, but I see the focus changing from pure entertainment to a more intimate, interactive, and meaningful experience. I see boutique festivals with unique concepts thriving in the years to come.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ART OUTSIDE AND ART SEEN ALLIANCE?

Art Seen Alliance and Art Outside feed each other: Art Outside is an annual event where Art Seen Alliance is the producer and developer. Art Outside supports the arts through a community festival setting, and Art Seen Alliance supports the arts through our facility and other events.

WHAT WOULD YOU LOVE TO ADD TO A FUTURE VERSION OF ART OUTSIDE?

I would love to see Art Outside as a two- or three-week-long event to allow more time for learning and skill sharing. I would also like to see us hosted on land that allows for permanent art installations to better showcase areas of interest such as permaculture and sustainable living practices.

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