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Have you always dreamed of creating a giant, interactive art installation in Eureka? Or maybe you have a vision for a performance art piece or an extravagant costume, but you just don’t have the means to execute it? Well, now is the to make your art dream come true, because there’s a new festival coming to town and the City of Eureka is giving away lots o’ grant money to fund your wacky project. 

The newly created event is called Festival of Dreams – a collaboration between the North Coast Repertory Theatre (NCRT), Ink People Center for the Arts and the City of Eureka. The festival will happen in two parts: an outdoor event Aug. 18 through 20 that will take place at Halvorsen Park and around Old Town, and an indoor festival on Oct. 5 through 8, that will be held throughout multiple different Eureka venues. And to make this new festival even more exciting, the City has made more than $40,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant money available to fund local artists who want to participate. 

“We’re excited to create a festival that has mystery and playfulness to it,” Calder Johnson, artistic managing director for NCRT, told the Outpost. “We want to promote the idea that art is something to be explored, played with and experienced, rather than just observed.” 

Johnson said that he and Leslie Castellano, Eureka City Council member and executive director of the Ink People, have both wanted to hold some kind of interactive art festival here for years. The Ink People and NCRT collaborated on an event last summer called the Parade of Dreams, where community members were invited to dress up in costumes inspired by their dreams. The festival is based on the same idea of people making their dreams come to life, Johnson said, which is why they chose the name Festival of Dreams. The event will also kick off with another parade, which will take place in Old Town on Friday, Aug. 18. 

Johnson said he and Castellano were also inspired by interactive art spaces in other cities, particularly Meow Wolf — an immersive art and entertainment space built out of an abandoned bowling alley in Santa Fe. Johnson thinks Meow Wolf is a great example of how artists can really utilize space and how the public can experience art in an unexpected way. “It’s like Burning Man meets the Exploratorium,” Johnson said. 

The Festival of Dreams will accept a variety of art projects — including large-scale outdoor art installations, smaller installations, performance art, music and even costumes for the parade — and grant awards range anywhere from $100 to $4,000 per project. Applicants are also encouraged to partner with local businesses to create art and events inside different businesses, including window displays, performances inside or outside the business, music shows and after parties. These grants will require matching funds from the venue or business owner.  

The theme for the inaugural festival is “Secrets of Wigi,” and will center around the beauty and resources provided by Humboldt Bay (Wigi). Johnson said that it’s a loose theme, meant to serve as inspiration for the artists and that submissions do not necessarily have to reflect the theme. 

Johnson said the organizers will respond to people’s submissions as quickly as possible to let them know if they have been approved, if the organizers have questions or suggestions on how to make the project work within the confines of the festival and the grant budget. Johnson also wanted to mention that the organizers strongly encourage applications from BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+ and youth artists. 

Once the submissions have been selected, there will be an artist meeting on June 2 to help guide the creation process. There will also be other meetings and festival announcements between now and August, so stay tuned. Since announcing the festival and grant availability on Monday, Johnson said he has received a lot of positive community feedback and multiple applications have already come in. As the word spreads and the deadline nears, he can’t wait to see what other ideas people cook up for the festival. 

“I’m excited to see what people come up with,” Johnson said. “It’s just going to be a loving celebration of expression and creativity.” 

You can find more info, check out the proposal guidelines and submit your grant application here. The application deadline is May 19.