HISTORY OF NO.FEST
Websites 2009 | 2010
No.Fest was conceived in April, 2008 between Sean Ongley, Jeffrey Helwig, and Chad Ferguson. Initially, a simple plan between Chad and Sean to fill Proper Eats -- the best venue in St. Johns at that time -- with our PDX friends' best bands. Jeffrey Helwig offered Legong Gelato, making it a two stage music event. The trio began integrating the idea in to daily life, rather naive of the tremendous work ahead -- not thinking, just doing. The idea tumbled in to a four stage affair with twenty-five performances. Held on Summer Solstice that year, the tradition began to hold the event during the first weekend of the summer. In those three months, the trio scrambled together a unique music program including spoken word. Sean brought KBOO Community Radio on as co-sponsor, including a partial live broadcast from the square. The event became known as "No.Fest: Nu.Music.Arts" on June 21st, 2008.
In November 2008, the aforementioned trio began to brainstorm toward 2009. By January, KBOO lifted No.Fest to a new level with the elevator of fiscal sponsorship, giving a temporary 501(c)(3) non-profit to work within. Chad stepped back from organizing, leaving Sean and Jeffrey to lead an ad hoc army of volunteers, pro-bono helpers, and program sponsors. www.nofest.net, program booklets, company cargo van, sound-stage, and infrastructure manifested with diligence and help from many friends and volunteers. KBOO stepped up for a full 9-hour broadcast. And on June 27th, No.Fest doubled its program with 43 performances in 8 venues: new children's programming, movement arts, and musical diversity colored the calendar. The audience also doubled in size.
However many hundred hours involved in preparations, it was
over in a flash, but all of us stood on a new, solid foundation.
Following the excitement, Jeffrey and Sean realized something greater
than themselves: a cross-cultural event elevating peace and friendship
for hundreds of artists and thousands of witnesses.
Inspiration struck to make this even more cross-cultural, more cross-disciplinary, more organized; friends urging the duo to go for 501(c)(3), and in September 2009 and committed to the possibility, Sean and Jeffrey registered with Oregon as a Domestic Non-Profit: InterArts.
Growth and expansion is the energy behind No.Fest, every year.
Still umbrella'd by KBOO, but operating as InterArts, we grew as a company In 2010. We picked up more sponsors, booked over fifty performances, added a visual arts program originating Last Fridays in St. Johns with our first annual Opening Night shows. We also changed the name from "No.Fest:Nu.Music.Arts" to a simpler friendlier, "No.Fest Arts and Performance Festival". In our third year, we tried to let go of our "noise fest" and "weird music" by seeking greater diversity and involving more members of the community in the planning and organization.
Now is 2011, and we are InterArts without an umbrella organization. Community involvement is far more integrated to the organization. We are as innocently organizing now as we were in 2008, but oh my how much we've learned. We just keep putting too much on the plate! But that's what makes it great! History will go down on to film this year with a documentary. Our second music series volume will be released concurrently.