Lubeznik Center for the Arts 41st Arts Festival is underway, with festivities kicking off on Saturday morning as people from across the Region visited Lubeznik to tour the works of over 70 different artists.
Paintings and photographs of all styles, carefully crafted jewelry from stones and metal, colorful ceramics, and handmade clothing – countless creative visions are on display at the festival, which lasts through Sunday. Lubeznik also organized a number of community activities, such as a mural for kids to collectively complete, various demonstrations and a live mural competition, and access to local food vendors on-site.
“It really introduces people to our arts center, and it’s a non-intimidating way to experience the arts,” said Janet Bloch, executive director of Lubeznik. “It’s all living artists, some doing more traditional kinds of paintings like realism, watercolors, beautiful photographs, things that connect with you immediately even if you don’t know a huge amount about art. We even have someone selling handmade oars, it’s just such skilled craftsmanship.”
Bloch also noted that the festival features a number of indoor exhibits from contemporary artists, as well as free entrance to Lubeznik’s summer exhibition, “Vivian Maier: In Color.”
“We’re all about accessibility, my philosophy is that if we’re going to do something everyone should have a good time,” Bloch said. “If we can’t make the artists happy and can’t make our patrons happy, we shouldn’t have a festival. My priority is engaging the community and making sure everyone feels welcome. You’re welcome to browse, there’s no pressure to buy.”
Many of the artists at the festival are local, hailing from the Region. Others came from as far as Colorado and Maryland to showcase their work.
“It’s important for people to get exposure to art,” said Marco Fleseri, a sculptor. “It’s not just about making sales. It’s a little bit cliché, but it’s exposure for us and of the community to us.”
Fleseri brought along an array of his ceramic works.
“I was a silversmith and made jewelry for about 30 years before I started experimenting with ceramics several years ago,” he said. “It kind of stuck because I got to work a lot bigger than you can with jewelry, and with ceramics, you get to work with a lot more color options.”
Entrance is free all day on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. thanks to a sponsorship from McDonalds of LaPorte County.
“The reaction from the community is so great, people look forward to this all year long,” said Samantha Bean, marketing manager of Lubeznik. “When people leave with bags full of art or if they’re carrying a big picture, they love to stop and show our volunteers what they’ve bought. The kids love our kid’s tent where they can make their own art for free. It’s overwhelming to see the support.”
To learn more about Lubeznik Center for the Arts and its 41st Arts Festival, visit www.lubeznikcenter.org.
“We really care about our community,” Bloch said. “We just want to bring the most equity, diversity, and love to everybody.”
