Waters
The City of Carmel has announced the renaming of Main Street to Rosemary Waters Way for the duration of the upcoming Carmel International Arts Festival (CIAF), Sept. 27 and 28.
To honor this occasion, CIAF invites you to the Rosemary Waters Dedication at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 on the Main Stage. Artist, community leader, and long-time friend Randy Sorrell will help with the presentation. Waters was the heart and soul of the Festival during her 18 years of leadership.
“Rosemary Waters transformed a vision into reality when she headed up the Carmel International Arts Festival, bringing the world’s artistic talent to our doorstep and reinforcing Carmel’s identity as a premier destination for arts and culture,” Mayor Sue Finkam said. “The temporary renaming of Main Street to ‘Rosemary Waters Way’ during the CIAF is our community’s heartfelt thank you for her dedication and legacy.”
Waters was the President of the Festival from 2006 through 2014. She started as a volunteer for the annual festival in 1996. During her tenure, she relocated the festival from the Providence Apartments at Old Meridian to the Arts and Design District in 2007 and expanded the festival from 45 artists in 2006 to 135 highly talented, juried artists, two music and event stages, and an estimated 30,000 visitors in 2014.
In addition to her relationship with CIAF, Waters was active in multiple areas involving the arts in Carmel during the 35 years she lived there. She served on the Development Committee for The Center and was one of five founding Executive Board Members of The Center for the Performing Arts, now the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts. She was the co-chairperson for the inaugural and second year Galas, and a committee member for the following annual Galas.
Waters joined the Carmel Arts Council board in 2006 and was Treasurer from 2007 to 2010. She served as a board member and treasurer for the Carmel Clay Historical Society and was a board member for the Actors Theatre of Indiana. She had many jobs, from accountant, to popcorn shop owner, to business manager for Paxton’s architecture practice, but her passion was promoting the arts and volunteer work in Carmel.
In 2015, Waters was the first person to receive the Pillar of the Community Award from then-Mayor Brainard for her extraordinary contributions to Carmel. She became a member of the Carmel Chamber of Commerce in 2005 and the Carmel Rotary in 2008.
The presentation will take place on the Main Stage of the festival on Sept. 27. Click here to see the map for directions to the stage.
The CIAF committee expects nearly 30,000 people to attend this year. The festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27 and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28.
You can learn more about the festival at carmelartsfestival.org.
