The Columbia Infringement Arts Festival, founded by University of South Carolina senior Emily Olyarchuk, will take place from March 20-22 around Columbia and feature over 15 free events and approximately 28 artists. The festival is intended to bring attention to social issues through artistic expression and support local artists. It will include spoken word performances, an art exhibit, and a performance by DJ group MOAS Collective. The weekend-long festival aims to remind participants that there is an artist within everyone and further progress Columbia's community development.

1. Emily Olyarchuk
(864) 907-9786
emily@infringementcolumbia.org
For Immediate Release
Columbia’s First Infringement Arts Festival March 20-22
COLUMBIA, S.C. (March 10, 2015)- The Columbia Infringement Arts Festival, founded
by a senior public relations major at the University of South Carolina, is a free weekend of arts
appreciation March 20-22 in multiple venues around the city including Conundrum, Drip Coffee,
the Cotton Gin and City Yoga.
An Infringement Arts Festival is a grassroots arts movement that brings attention to
social issues through artistic expression. This style of festival began in 2004 in Montreal and has
since progressed to numerous cities around the world. This student project brings an
Infringement Arts Festival to Columbia to help the city further progress in its community
development, to give opportunities to all local artists and to bring students into the discussion.
Emily Olyarchuk, senior public relations major, theatre minor and student of USC’s
Honors College, is conducting the festival for her senior thesis and Magellan Scholar project.
Olyarchuk attended the Buffalo Infringement Arts Festival in 2011 and was inspired by the
intense community involvement and support for all kinds of artists, big and small.
“I knew that I wanted my senior project to combine the communication skills I have
learned in the past four years and my love of the arts,” Olyarchuk said. “My goal for the festival
was to have a weekend filled with free arts events that would remind everyone that there is an
artist in all of us.”
The weekend contains 15 events and approximately 28 artists. Every event is entirely free
to the community, ranging from spoken word performances, an art exhibit, ritual séance, and
hula-hoop lesson to a performance by DJ group MOAS Collective at the Cotton Gin. The festival
kicks off with the senior recital of percussion student Brennan Davis and ends with a community
art project, “Selfie” Self- Portraits,” at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, in Martin Luther King Park.
The full schedule of events is available at www.infringementcolumbia.org.
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For more information, please contact Emily Olyarchuk at (864) 907-9786 or email her at
emily@ingringementcolumbia.org.