Author: Lauren Gill

The O+ Festival returns for the 14th annual exchange of art, music, and wellness October 11-13, 2024. This year’s festival theme is NO+ise. Learn more about the theme HERE. O+ is accepting submissions from artists, musicians, and writers of ALL mediums, genres, and modalities from March 4th – April 28th, 2024. Submitting your work to O+ Festival is free of cost.

Please do not let any barriers – personal, perceived or technical – get in the way. Read on for frequently asked questions, answers, and helpful tips to guide you in the application process. If you need support of any kind to apply, reach out to us for assistance at info@opositivefestival.org or call (845) 399-5343.

Si prefieres Español, disponemos de personal que puede ayudarle con su solicitud y/o paricipación. Comuníquese con info@opositivefestival.org o (845) 399-5343.

How do I apply for Music, Art or WO+rd?

Submissions are ONLY accepted through Submittable. Click one of the links below to find the full application and be sure to fill out the form in its entirety!

MUSIC: opositive.submittable.com/submit/290162/o-festival-kingston-music-2024
ART: opositive.submittable.com/submit/290138/o-festival-kingston-art-2024
WORD: opositive.submittable.com/submit/290141/o-kingston-word-2024

What information do I need to complete the submission form?

To complete the submission form, you’ll need the following:

• Name and contact information
• How many people are performing (if applying as part of a band/group)
• What clinic services you need/are interested in
• Genre and a brief but detailed description of what you plan to perform/create
• Videos, MP3s, or photos of your work – doesn’t have to be fancy but should relate to what you are proposing to present to the public!
• A photo of you/your band or group for promotional purposes
• Links to your site/socials if applicable
• Why you want to participate in the O+ Festival 
• Days you’re available to perform/participate

Is there a submission fee?

Nope!

When is the deadline for submissions?

Submissions are open March 4th – April 28, 2024. All applications must be submitted by 11:59pm on April 28th in order to be considered by the relevant committee.

What if I do not have regular internet access or a computer at home OR I need help with my application?

You can contact us via email at info@opositivefestival.org or call (845) 399-5343. Please do not let any barriers – personal, perceived or technical – get in the way. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance. We’re here to help.

Si prefieres Español, disponemos de personal que puede ayudarle con su solicitud y/o paricipación. Comuníquese con info@opositivefestival.org o (845) 399-5343.

I’ve never played/shown my work publicly before. Does that mean I can’t apply to the festival?

Absolutely not! The O+ Festival is proud to host an eclectic variety of creatives and provide a platform for emerging artists. We are listening to/reading/looking at your work NOT your CV. Please consider applying!

How do the committees decide who gets accepted to the festival?

Each committee is made up of a mix of O+ alum, industry professionals, and community members representing different practices, identities, and perspectives. 

While each festival is different, committee members typically prioritize local and regional artists who haven’t participated in the festival yet, as well as people who need access to the health & wellness services offered at the festival clinic. 

They also evaluate how each application incorporates the festival theme, genre diversity, social media presence, a band/performer’s availability, and how a band/performer/artist’s work fits into and adds to the larger festival lineup.

I played/performed last year. Can I apply again?

We may give lower priority to artists who participated in the previous three O+ Kingston Festivals, though we encourage all to apply. As our mission is centered in cultivating a diverse community of artists to whom we are offering access to healthcare, we want to make sure we reach those who have yet to participate and may have a need to acquire care.

We are currently expanding our art programming towards a year-round model, as we are constantly looking for new ways provide care to artists. If you aren’t accepted for this year’s festival, you may be contacted over the next year if there are other ways to connect with O+. We thank you in advance for your understanding.

If you’re interested in volunteering for a free festival wristband or in exchange for a clinic visit please click HERE

I’ve applied before but didn’t get in. Should I even bother?

Yes, please! Each year our committees review hundreds and hundreds of submissions and have to curate that down to a much smaller list of performers. Capacity is determined largely by the amount of care we are able to provide at our clinic during the festival weekend.  We ask for your patience and understanding should your submission not be accepted for this year and encourage all who are not chosen for O+ Festival 2024 to reapply next year of artist slots. Bottom line: it’s not personal at all! Please apply again.

When will I find out If I got accepted?

Musicians, artists and writers will be notified via email of acceptance by early June. Folks who are not selected for this year’s festival will be notified shortly thereafter.

Helpful Tips For Your Application

1. Fill out the ENTIRE Submission form. Double check that you’ve filled in all of the applicable and required fields.
2. Be specific! The information you share in your submission should give us an idea of who you are as a musician/band/artist/writer AND what you plan to perform at the festival. Be as detailed as possible about yourself and your work and what exactly you want to do at the festival – and please use media/examples that reflect that.
   For example, if you’re a musician who primarily plays in a full brass band but are applying to the festival as a solo folk musician, include video clips of your solo performances so that our committee can get a better idea of that work.
   OR if you are an artist hoping to paint a mural – you do not need to have experience painting murals in the past but you do need to provide work samples that make clear what your practice is so that the committee can imagine your work being successful on a larger scale.
3. Remember the festival theme. Each year’s theme plays an important role in how our Art, and WO+rd committees, especially, evaluate submissions and curate the final lineup. Tell us how the work you’re submitting relates that theme in your application – it doesn’t have to be perfect! Our committees mostly just want to see how you relate to it and that you’re considering it as part of your submission.
4. It doesn’t have to be fancy. You aren’t required to have a website or an Instagram account with thousands of followers. Any way that you can accurately portray your craft so that committee members can get a sense of your work/sound is acceptable.
5. Don’t hesitate to ask for help. Seriously! Whether you have questions about the process, need technical assistance, or just need a few tips we are here to help and want to make the application process as seamless as possible. Email us at info@opositivefestival.org or call (845) 399-5343. We will make every effort to make the process as smooth, transparent and successful for you as possible.

The O+ Festival will return to Kingston, NY for the 14th annual exchange of art, music and wellness October 11-13th, 2024.

This year’s O+ Festival explores the duality of noise.

In this year of consequential electoral politics, protest, war, disinformation, oversaturation and overstimulation we are seeking to examine, engage with and transcend the noise of our humanity. 

Noise can be heard, seen or felt. It is not merely a nuisance or disturbance to be silenced but a dynamic force that shapes our perceptions, emotions, and interactions. It is a metaphor for the constant barrage of stimuli that inundates our senses, shaping our perceptions and influencing our behaviors. It is the gray area between what appears black and white where the majority of life happens. It can distract, obscure, and harm as it can also clarify, motivate and energize. 

Within noise lies the potential for both disruption and innovation, discord and harmony. At once, noise has the capacity to uplift, inspire, and unite as well as to be used to disrupt or distract us from what is real or distance us from the sounds of our own minds. Noise can be righteous, insistent, a catalyst for profound transformation, a source of creativity, and a vehicle for social change. Through embracing the richness of noise in all its forms, we seek to foster a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between individual expression and collective experience. There are power dynamics inherent in noise – who controls the narrative, whose voices are amplified, and whose are silenced. Inequities and injustices are perpetuated by the amplification of certain voices over others. We can reclaim agency in the face of noise, forging connections, and building communities grounded in empathy and understanding. But we must reflect critically on the threats posed by the manipulation of reality in the digital age and not be overwhelmed into complicity by the din.

We are calling artists, musicians and writers of all mediums, genres and modalities to explore the paradoxical nature of noise and its role in shaping our shared human experience. They are invited to reflect on their own relationship with noise – to interrogate the sources of discord in their lives and envision pathways toward harmony and equilibrium. From vibrant murals that capture the pulse and persistence of life on a grand scale to immersive, intimate soundscapes that invite contemplation, to drum beats, exclamations, collective exhales and shared silence, we hope to build a symphony of noise– full of the beauty, dissonance, harmony and resonance, chaos, silence and amplification – in order to reframe noise not as a disturbance, but as a vibrant force of empowerment, positivity, liberation and connection from which deeper truths can emerge.

The O+ Festival will return to Kingston, NY for the 13th annual exchange of art, music and wellness October 6-8, 2023. 

This year we are focusing on, investing in and celebrating the expansion of health care for artists and musicians, progressing toward our goal of providing medical support 365 days a year.

The theme of the 2023 O+ Festival is FO+rward.

Forward is the button you pressed on the VCR when you couldn’t wait to get to the best part of the film. The symbol on the button was like two arrows running towards or pushing against a wall. FF> Fast Forward. 

Forward is an action, a description, a position, a choice and a direction.

Forward is where you are heading and the movement of a body through space, through pain, through healing. It is one day at a time. It is an arrow pointed in a direction determined by where you are facing or where you are trying to go. It is sending a letter on to a future location. It is moving ahead more quickly through time than if you were to just sit and wait for something to happen.

Forward, the adverb, is defined as “to move onward so as to make progress; toward a successful conclusion.” And when we consider progress, we think of it as forward movement towards a destination or towards a better, more complete ideal. We may look back, but we move inexorably forward.

Forward is movement, it is a choice to do better, to keep trying, to survive. It is the direction of feet marching down the street in protest. Folks chant “we won’t go back” as a song of resistance and in recognition of the lessons of history. Not back… only forward. 

As we look to the future, we are moving forward towards a culture of care wherein everyone can access the healthcare that they need to not just survive but to thrive, feel valued and continue to make the creative work that our communities rely on to be well. 

The O+ Festival will return to Kingston, NY for the 12th annual celebration of art, music and wellness October 7-9, 2022. As everyone imagines a “new normal” after the extraordinary last two years, we ask our community to envision where we are going together. 

The theme of the 2022 O+ Festival is SO+mewhere.

For years, Somewhere Alley was an essential element of O+ Festival’s programming; a place that was unexpected, intimate and where innumerable memories and connections were made. Marked by a neon sign made by local artist Erika DeVries, Somewhere Alley was a tunnel behind BSP marked with graffiti writing and bands playing pop-ups for those who stumbled upon it. While the community now grieves the loss of beloved venues like BSP, and we respond to change in our communities, the surprise, wonder, weirdness and joy brought by experiences like Somewhere Alley are being carried into O+’s future… somewhere.

We have hung the Somewhere neon in our new office window, across the street from another beloved O+ venue, The Old Dutch Church, as a sign post along the highway of change, a lighthouse in the unknown, sometimes dark, space of what’s next. We see that sign as a symbol of hope, energy and direction as we move forward as an organization and a community.

The term Somewhere is defined by Merriam Webster as: in, at, from, or to a place unknown or unspecified, to a place symbolizing positive accomplishment or progress,  in the vicinity of, or an undetermined or unnamed place. We welcome our community to join us in imagining what “Somewhere” can look like, feel like, where we are going and what we build together. 

Somewhere is an imagined utopia, a place of refuge, a place free of the confines of antiquated structures or arbitrary boundaries. Somewhere is a place we go in our memories of the past, it is being present in the present, and it is a future moment not yet relegated to history. Somewhere is pink neon in the sky, a Stephen Sondheim song, a place we have never been and a place we discover along the way. Somewhere is where we lost or left things along the way, it is a future home not yet found, it is searching, seeking, striving. Somewhere is possibility. It is where we find hope, direction and the inevitability that change is the only constant. 

If you don’t start somewhere, you’re going nowhere. ~ Bob Marley 

There’s a place for us, Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air, Wait for us, somewhere.
There’s a time for us, Some day a time for us, Time together with time to spare,
Time to learn, time to care. Some day, Somewhere, We’ll find a new way of living…”
~ Stephen Sondheim