Welcome to the Savannah Urban Arts Festival presented by All Walks of Life Inc and Cricket Wireless.

SUAF 2010 Special Guest and Artist Line-Up will be posted Jan. 2010!

The Savannah Urban Arts Festival is a six-day series of live performances, forums, workshops and film screenings presented as a celebration of the diverse styles of art, music, writing and self-expression that have developed in urban culture, with a goal to foster dialogue between area youth, citizens, and civic leaders about ways to utilize these art forms to create positive change in communities by engaging people, particularly youth, in activities that offer creative outlets, teach job and life skills, and create new entrepreneurial opportunities.

SUAF 2009 PHOTOS! 800+ images have been loaded to the awolinc Flickr Photostream! Check them out! Download and Share!

SUAF 2009 Commercial Spot by Paragon! Check back soon for 2010 Commercial!

SUAF TV spot from Andrew on Vimeo.

Although youth culture, and particularly hip hop, often carry a negative connotation in communities around the country, the goal of the SUAF is to demonstrate how music, dance, writing and art can be employed to achieve a level of critical consciousness necessary to promote positive growth in people of all ages. By directing the content of the SUAF programming toward the interests of youth (hip hop culture, after-school programming) as well as the interests of civic leaders (entrepreneurial opportunities, community improvement, job training), the SUAF hopes to initiate a civic conversation about their shared vision and shared values, and how those goals can be met practically on a local and regional level by utilizing arts education to create positive community growth.

While budget cuts in schools and social programs have damaged arts education in communities across the country, many young people have grown up without the necessary means to understand the intrinsic value of self-expression, leaving many of them further disenfranchised, particularly those young people who grow up in low-income families or poverty-stricken neighborhoods. What many people have failed to recognize is that the arts and artists hold a mirror up to a community or society by allowing its members to express themselves and their perspective, giving voice to those who might not be heard otherwise.

The Savannah Urban Arts Festival hopes to help citizens and civic leaders alike realize the concrete bonds between the arts and community revitalization. By cultivating a culture of creative self-expression, we have the power to enrich our communities by providing people with the information, ideas and tools necessary to effect positive change.