Festival Season Sprint & Important Updates

Hello to all our makers, shakers, and creative boundary breakers!

We are officially back in the swing of things! As many of you know, we took a brief hiatus from our monthly Art Syndicate meetings while I recovered from a persistent mystery bug. I’m not quite at 100% just yet, but I’m good enough to be back in action—and just in time, because we are smack in the middle of festival season!

August is shaping up to be an absolute whirlwind. Klee and I are involved in a whole lineup of happenings over the next few weeks:

• The Wearable Art Fashion Show in Pipeline Alley (Aug 8)
• Bridgefest (Aug 14)
• Oil City Mural Fest 2026 in Town Square (Aug 21–22)
• The 6th Annual Oil Region Festival of the Book (Aug 29)

This time of year is ALWAYS busy for us creative. Everyone seems to love having festivals and events in the summer. Because the August calendar is so packed with live events and festival prep, we are going to wait until September to hold our next official Art Syndicate gathering. Keep a close eye on our channels for the exact September meeting date as we get closer!

In the meantime, we have a stack of critical deadlines closing out right now. Here is what you need to know today:

TODAY’S MAJOR DEADLINES (July 31)

• DEADLINE TODAY: Festival of the Book Applications
  • If you are an author or literary organization wanting to participate in the Oil Region Festival of the Book on August 29th, today is the final call to get your materials submitted!
• DEADLINE TODAY: TED & Fine Acts POSCA Residency Grant
  • The Grant: A massive USD $15,000 award covering artist fees, production/community activation, and project documentation for social-change-driven public art.
  • Link: https://fineacts.co/ted-posca-residency

TOMORROW’S DEADLINE (August 1)

• OPEN CALL DEADLINE: Oil City Mural Fest 2026
  • The Event: Live painting on custom 2’x5′ vertical wooden monolith panels right in Oil City Town Square during the festival (Aug 21–22).
  • The Compensation: Selected artists receive a flat-rate stipend of at least $200 USD.
  • Deadline: Tomorrow, August 1st, 2026 at 11:59 PM.
  • Link / Details: Submit your sketch to https://rafiandklee.com/muralfest/

UPCOMING GRANTS & OPEN CALLS TO WATCH

• August 3, 2026:Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grant
  • Funding women, trans*, and gender nonconforming artists engaging in social change work (Greater Philadelphia region).
  • Link: https://www.leeway.org/grants
• October 23, 2026:OPEN CALL: Neon Nostalgia (Submission Deadline)
  • Looking for pieces capturing the electric, vibrant spirit of autumn nights with bold palettes, radiant light, and maximalist energy. Think glowing neon against deep fall twilight!
  • Link: https://rafiandklee.com/events/art-night/open-call/

Final Thought: Even though we aren’t meeting in person this month, we’ll see so many of you out in the community at Pipeline Alley, Bridgefest, and Town Square. Get those last-minute applications in today and tomorrow, take care of yourselves, and let’s make this August unforgettable.

Stay creative,

Rafi & Klee