The Hill District Arts Festival is another great event to highlight our community\u2019s progress and the opportunities that still await,\u201d Milliones said.<\/span><\/p>\nACH Clear Pathways, founded by Tyian Battle in 2009, aims to \u201cnurture creativity through the visual and performing arts by providing opportunities to youth and families within the arts,\u201d Henson said.<\/p>\n
The organization was created after the death of Battle\u2019s son, Amon Harris, who died at age 7 due to a heart defect.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe loved the arts,\u201d said Danai Battle, chief operating director at ACH Clear Pathways and Tyian Battle\u2019s sister. \u201cShe was not able to afford the arts when he was alive, so when he passed away, she said \u2018How do I give back to my community? How do I honor my son at the same time?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
The festival, according to Henson, reflects their mission to enrich the community through art and provides a safe, enjoyable way to bring the community together.<\/p>\n
Henson said ACH Clear Pathways looks to spotlight local artists as well as bring in nationally known performers.<\/p>\n
The search for artists at the Hill District Arts Festival is largely based on community response, Battle said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese artists have timeless music that is just hit after hit, time after time,\u201d Battle said.<\/p>\n
Performers this year include Rose Royce on Saturday, Scarface and several DJ sets on Sunday.<\/p>\n
There will also be more than 30 vendors on Centre Avenue, including food trucks and local artisans.<\/p>\n
The four out of nine ACH Clear Pathways\u2019 team members start planning in October, and Henson admits it\u2019s difficult to set up given the size of their organization.<\/p>\n
Fundraising for the event takes place throughout the year, as Tyian Battle works to enlist sponsors.<\/p>\n
Battle and Henson said the effort is largely collaborative, but the team works together all year to organize vendor contracts, find artists, create activities for kids and organize volunteers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gets overwhelming, just because it\u2019s becoming a larger and larger event,\u201d Henson said. \u201cBut what helps most is just being able to talk it out with the rest of the team, as well as remembering what we are doing this for.\u201d<\/p>\n
ACH Clear Pathways has enlisted the help of 10 volunteers from the Hill District community and partnered with Hollywood Productions Inc., a set production company based in Gaffney, South Carolina.<\/p>\n
Saturday and Sunday are free to attend.<\/p>\n
All proceeds from the festival go to supporting ACH\u2019s programming.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n