Cover Image: B.B. Palmer and Sammie Saxon- Image by Charley Windham

By Monica Jones

On May 9, Rose Hill Heights Park will be a little louder, a little brighter, a little stranger—in the best way.

The second annual Crossroads Folk Art Festival isn’t designed to be explained. It’s designed to be experienced—where people aren’t just viewing art, but becoming part of it. Whether you show up knowing exactly what folk art is or whether you just follow the music and end up there by accident…you’re in the right place.

“Once you get in, you realize that you’ve ended up exactly where you needed to be,” says organizer Kaitlynn Etheridge.

Last year’s festival pushed through rain and still managed to create something memorable. This year, with more artists, more music, and a growing sense of community behind it, Crossroads feels less like a one-day event and more like something taking root.

Set in Rose Hill Heights Park, right next to Columbus Collective Museums in the Waverly Terrace neighborhood, the location is more than convenient—it’s intentional. The park and the museums work hand in hand, creating a natural flow between outdoor gathering and indoor discovery.

Inside Columbus Collective Museums, you’ll find a mix of spaces including River Market Antiques, the Lunchbox Museum, and a growing folk art presence that extends beyond the festival itself.

“There are a lot of places we could do this, but we’re choosing to do it right here,” Etheridge says. “This part of the city deserves that kind of energy and attention. There’s so much creativity in this town—people making things in their own time, in their own way—and not all of it has a place to be seen.”

The festival brings together a wide mix of artists and makers, from longtime creatives to those working in the margins of everyday life—after work, in garages, at kitchen tables, in the quiet spaces between everything else.

There’s Ned Berry, who’s spent decades shaping clay into something lasting. Jarrod Turner, working in a style influenced by Butch Anthony. Joel Huff, a wood fire potter carving out space well beyond the local scene. Parker Gibson, Niqo Sama, Amanda Turner, Edwin Roberts, and a range of other artists.

The days music lineup includes Jack Dylan, Below Average, B.B. Palmer, the Jackson Tanner Duo and Barefoot Squirrel, building gradually throughout the day before settling into a late-afternoon rhythm. 

Below Average, fronted by Mary Lake, leans into a sound described as “alternative folk punk rock with a side of Sesame Street,” which tells you just enough to know you should probably hear it for yourself.

There will be plenty of opportunities to join in the creative energy. The Makin’ Station invites anyone, regardless of age or artistic background, to sit down and create. There will be pottery activities, found-object art, and hands-on projects that you can take with you when you leave. A tie-dye tent adds another layer of color, whether you bring your own piece or pick something up on-site to transform.

There’s also a fossil and gem mining setup—part discovery, part nostalgia—and the Mosaic Community Garden, offering a chance to learn, plant, and connect.

The festival itself is free to attend, while Columbus Collective Museums will be open throughout the day with a suggested donation for entry. The museums now house a dedicated folk art space where many of these artists’ works live beyond the festival—available to experience and purchase, with proceeds supporting both the artists and the museum’s ongoing mission.

Food will be available on-site from Luke’s On The Run, adding one more reason to settle in and stay awhile.

“There’s one thing no city can ever get enough of, and that’s culture,” says Allen Woodall, Jr., founder of Columbus Collective Museums. “So we invite you to be a part of our progress.”

Because that’s really what Crossroads is about.

Not just a single Saturday. Not just a lineup. Not just a park filled with tents and music.

It’s about building something—through art, through conversation, through showing up—and letting it grow from there.

And if you leave a little inspired, a little curious, or just a little more connected than you were before, then it’s doing exactly what it set out to do. The festival runs from from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 9th, at Rose Hill Heights Park. For more information, visit columbuscollectivemuseums.com.

LIVE MUSIC + ARTIST EVENTS • MAY 9

10:30 – 11:30 AM
Jack Dylan

11:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Charles Fowler Artist Talk
at Eddie Owens Martin’s Car

12:15 – 12:45 PM
Below Average

1:00 – 2:00 PM
Barefoot Squirrel

2:30 – 3:45 PM
Jackson Tanner Duo

4:00 – 4:45 PM
B.B. Palmer

5:00 – 5:30 PM
Poetry & Spoken Word

5:30 PM
B.B. Palmer Returns / Jam Session