A brush with art
Vendors, visitors alike attend event in drovesBy Katie Jacobs, For the Mirror
Article Photos
STATE COLLEGE - South Allen Street has been transformed from a downtown city block to a place for overheated pedestrians to cool off.
A water mist system placed above a maze of small trees and shrubs creates a mini rainforest. Water buckets fill with and then spill blue-tinted water over a platform for kids to run under. Nearby, vendors sell lemonade and coconut shrimp to hungry patrons. And, most importantly, artists line the streets displaying and selling everything from watercolor paintings and photographs to handcrafted cutting boards and jewelry.
It's the 42nd year for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, which debuted in 1967. The first festival lasted nine days and featured many of the same attractions that it does today, including musical performances and artists lined up along College Avenue.
This year, it's running through Sunday and has grown to cover much of downtown State College. It's also grown in scope. In addition to art, it now features music, sand sculptures, Italian street painting and performance art.
Art inspired by nature is prevalent at this year's booths.
Mark Matthews, a self-described nomad currently residing in Oswego, N.Y., has been making nature-inspired garden sticks and wall hangings for 10 years. He learned the technique from his father, who is now his business partner.
The garden sticks and wall sculptures are constructed from brass and copper with various finishes for color. Among his pieces are sprays of purple water lilies and sprawling trees.
"Nature's my main inspiration," said Matthews, who said Monterey's Lone Cyprus tree was the basis of one of his works.
Robert Hagarty of Broomall also borrowed themes from the outdoors for his work. His wall hangings are composed of copper-clad steel wire twined into tree trunks, branches and roots. Some sway in the wind, others stand tall. The finishes also vary - some appear as plain copper, others as silver or gold.
According to Hagarty's wife, the different colors come from special finishes or an oxidation process.
Even though it's the first year the couple is exhibiting their work, they are veterans of Arts Fest.
"Rob's a Penn State alum," Hagarty said, "so we've always come to Arts Fest. It's great."
Among the other booths is one selling "strumsticks," which resemble travel-sized guitars. A banner reads, "No wrong notes!" Another is labeled "Crazy Bones" and is filled with bone-inspired jewelry.
Many of the artists that come to Arts Fest continue to return for years. Aileen Lampman, a jeweler of 20 years from Pittsburgh, is displaying her jewelry for the ninth year.
One of Lampman's signature pieces is a pocket necklace - a locket that can hold "love notes, medications or photos" among other things. She cites the sun as one of the reasons she keeps coming back.
"The weather's always perfect," Lampman said. "It's always a great show."
