Raleigh’s 11th annual SPARKcon wrapped on Sunday after four full days packed with a diverse array of creative expression from local artists.
Brandon Cordrey, executive director of Visual Art Exchange, a nonprofit devoted to supporting North Carolina artists that has produced SPARKcon since the beginning, said that roughly 60,000 people came out to the 14 different “sparks,” or artistic ecosystems, including: artSPARK, circusSPARK, comedySPARK, filmSPARK, designSPARK and musicSPARK.
The event was initially conceptualized in 2006 by NC State alumna Aly Khalifa, who studied product design and mechanical engineering, and Beth Khalifa, a UNC-Chapel Hill alumna.
SPARKcon is heavily dependent on volunteers and support from those who are passionate about fostering creativity in the Triangle area. Each year’s sparks are populated through an open invitation for groups or individuals who want to contribute their work.
Cordrey said his highlights from the weekend were fashionSPARK’s strong showing in the Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh, as well as several others that set precedents for years to come.
ComedySPARK had record attendance, featuring a pun contest in which participants get 12 seconds to come up with an inventive pun, plus local standup comedy and improv.
CircusSPARK was moved to City Plaza this year to give it more visibility as it performed extravagant routines with a heavy Prince theme in honor of the late icon.
Lastly, litSPARK, or “literatureSPARK,” which was in its first year as a part of the festival, flourished with 18 events, including poetry readings, book swaps and writing workshops, Cordrey said.
“They were first-timers coming in to join this very tight community,” Cordrey said. “They had to learn to swim or sink and they soared really high.”
Chase Bryan, director of community art and events at VAE, said that the great thing about the event is that the organizers have virtually no control over the content of the work presented.
“We provide the underpinnings — they choose what they do and their finances,” Bryan said. “We let them take it; they know what they’re doing.”
Visitors of circusSPARK lead a banana dance flashmob through the street of SPARKcon on Sept. 18. Flash mob dancers were given inflatable bananas and taught choreography to various banana themed songs before taking the streets by storm.
