Streetalk: How do your hometown’s art festivals compare with Atlanta’s?

Bruce, Philadelphia: I like Atlanta. It’s got some cool, underground culture. Philadelphia’s art scene is great, but it’s not much of a festival town. People in Philly leave in the summer and go to the beach. And Philly is a union town so it’s too expensive to put on a festival. You’d have four guys charge you $400 to plug a plug in. They probably would charge you to set up a tent even if it’s on the street.

Peter, New Orleans: I find people here looking for art that’s handmade. That’s nice. The best place is New Orleans, just because that’s home. Since Katrina, there’s a difference. There’s more of an appreciation for New Orleans so people support the local artists more, from musicians to visual artists. Even here, people want to support the city. People want to talk about New Orleans to us.

Pia, Unicoi, Tenn: I do approximately 44 festivals a year, but I stay away from Tennessee. We don’t do one show in the whole state. Honey, I love Tennessee but they’re Wal-Mart-bound. They get their $30, get their clock for $10, keep their $20 for groceries or gas. We go to North Carolina, just 30 miles away. It’s like a different world. We’ve been well-received here. Atlanta is wonderful for the arts. We are going to come in more and try different neighborhoods.