Andrew Watters
Audio By Carbonatix
Each May, the surrounding blocks of the Eisemann Center in Richardson, Texas, flood with musicians, artists and attendees alike for the annual Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival or “Wildflower!” for short. Currently, the festival is gearing up for its 33rd run during the weekend of May 16 – May 18 at Galatyn Park.
We sat down with Dianna Lawrence, festival director and superintendent of community events, to discuss this year’s lineup and how the city of Richardson keeps the festival fresh each year.
Premiering in 1993, Wildflower! has been a hub where local and national musicians and artists can perform, showcase their art and connect with the communities in and around Richardson. The festival has been known for showcasing legacy acts such as Goo Goo Dolls, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as popular alternative acts like Neon Trees, Judah and the Lion and Young the Giant, who is performing on Friday.
“Our biggest goal is to have an opportunity for individuals to experience whatever type of music and genre they enjoy at any point during the event,” says Lawrence, who has served as the festival director for two years.
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Over the course of the third weekend in May, attendees from all across Dallas will get the chance to enjoy live music on the festival’s six stages, including their singer-songwriter stage, which is geared toward showcasing local artists. In addition to music, attendees can walk through the Eisemann Center and the surrounding park to enjoy and purchase physical art. One mainstay of the festival is the ever-popular Art Guitars-guitars that have been painted and are on display and auctioned off at the festival.
More than music and art, at the heart and center of Wildflower! is the community.
“We have an interactive [30-foot] Wildflower! WonderWall community mural that people have the opportunity to be a part of creating,” Lawrence says when asked how the festival remains innovative and engaging each year. “We just look to really reinvigorate the artistic experience that people have by bringing in new bands and new musicians each year, but also staying very true and classic to the festival experience that people have loved for 33 years.”
Wildflower! prides itself on being an event for the whole family. With live acrobatic performances, art markets and the WF! Kids section of the festival, there’s truly something for everyone. Young Picassos and Monets even have the chance to show off their own art with the Student Art Contest featuring art from students in the Richardson Independent School District.
While a mid-sized suburb outside of Dallas may seem like an unusual spot for such a large festival, Richardson, in fact, has a history of supporting local art and music. The Cottonwood Art Festival, which happens twice a year in May and October, serves as a market for local art vendors of all kinds. The city’s annual photo contest encourages amateur and professional photographers from all around the country to enter and have their art on display at the Eisemann Center and Richardson Library.
“Richardson has such a deep enrichment and support of the arts and music here in our city, and it really speaks volumes with every music and art festival that our city hosts,” she says.
The festival dedicates itself to featuring music and art of all kinds. The singer-songwriter stage often features folk and Americana artists, while the main stages run the gamut with cover bands (including this year’s ELO cover band, EVIL WOMAN), soul-funk fusion like this year’s We Them Grays and indie rock groups like Cold War Kids, playing Saturday night at this year’s festival. Each year before the festival, organizers hold the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter contest, where artists from around the country enter for the chance to perform on the CityLine Stage throughout the weekend. This year’s finalists include Zach Maberry from Tyler, Gloria Anderson from Luling and Rene Moffatt from Denver.
Up for some friendly competition? Stop by the Methodist Richardson Medical Center Stage on Sunday to catch the finale of the Battle of the Bands and see awards presented for Outstanding Lead Singer, Guitarist, Bassist, Drummer and Keyboardist.
Pulling off the feat that is Wildflower! is not easy. With over 800 volunteers, 60-plus sponsors and hours upon hours of planning from the city, hard work and dedication are in the DNA of Wildflower! “What makes Richardson such a special location for us to have this event is the support of our community and our residents and those adjacent cities that come together to really make Wildflower! happen,” says Lawrence of the city’s support and efforts.
When you witness an entire community gathering to share in their love of music, art and togetherness, it’s hard not to love a festival like Wildflower! From the heads of the festival who ensure the lineup and events remain relevant and entertaining to the volunteers who teach free CPR courses and give their time to help others, it truly takes a village to create a weekend full of fun.
Whether this is your very first time attending Wildflower! or your 20th year going, you’re guaranteed to find something new and exciting for you and the family.
“We’re really excited to continue to do it each year,” she says. “And there’s really not another music festival, I think, in the area that has been around as long as we have.”
