Proceeds benefit the Briscoe Art Wing & Ashland Schools.

Over 75 regional artists and local musicians on two stages. A benefit for the Briscoe Art Wing and the Ashland School District. At the old Briscoe School, Corner of Laurel and N. Main in downtown Ashland.The grounds of the old Briscoe School are idyllic for such an event. Under the boughs of the 100-year-old cypress tree will be the local stage, appropriately named the Cypress Stage featuring music all weekend -- 50 art booths will grace the front area. The athletic field in back of Briscoe will host the Main Stage and another 50 art booths; additionally, food will be available out back, and the kid’s craft project area. Inside the Art Wing itself will be a third stage of music and an art exhibit featuring the art of local school children from kindergarten through high school.

The History
Though in the intense planning stages for the past four months, Midsummer’s Dream is actually a culmination of a vision, which has been manifesting within the local artist community for well over a decade now. Roughly 20 years ago a group of artists got together and proposed the creation of an open-air weekend marketplace along Ashland Creek in the alley behind the plaza. That was the beginning of The Lithia Arts Guild of Oregon. The Lithia Arts Guild worked with Parks and Recreation of Ashland to create what we all now know to be The Lithia Artisans Market of Ashland (LAMA). Working in partnership with the City of Ashland, LAMA has now been recognized by the New York Times as one of the top small-town art and craft markets in the country. From May through October the marketplace shines along the creek on what is now called Called Guanajuato.Nearly two years ago the board of the Lithia Arts Guild of Oregon (LAGO) had the foresight to recognize an opportunity for the artists of the Ashland area. Turning the old Briscoe Elementary School into an art center was an idea, which had never been tried here in Ashland. It was an ideal solution to provide affordable studio space for local artists; a venue to expose the greater community to art with festivals and workshops; and a model method of using common space for the enrichment of the community.

The Mission
This is Ashland's Premiere Art & Music Festival which celebrates the very best that the Pacific Northwest has to offer in art, craft, and music. This year’s theme is honoring the artist within each of us. The collective mission is to make Midsummer’s Dream into a festival, which allows us to take common space and make it into a community place to gather and celebrate the arts.