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Lewiston Art Festival file photo
Lewiston Art Festival file photo

Lewiston Art Festival brings top artists, family-friendly events to Center Street

Submitted

Fri, Aug 5th 2022 11:00 am

Submitted by the Lewiston Council on the Arts

The Lewiston Art Festival is back!

Lewiston’s reputation as a thriving arts community and cultural epicenter is due in no small part to the annual Lewiston Art Festival, sponsored by Lewiston Council on the Arts. Now in its 56th year, the festival has been named “Top Cultural Destination” by First Sunday Magazine; a “Summer Festival Showcase Event” by Bi-National Niagara Tourism Alliance; US News, "10 Perfect Places to Plan a Trip"; and Buffalo Spree Magazine, "Hot 5/An Opinionated to-do list.”

"We are very excited to welcome back the 56th annual Lewiston Art Festival. Lewiston has never looked better, and people are ready to stroll down Center Street and enjoy the many artists and their works. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the Lewiston Council on the Arts for their service, dedication and hard work in making the Art Festival one of our best festivals!" Village of Lewiston Mayor Anne Welch said.

On Saturday, Aug. 13 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), and Sunday, Aug. 14 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), this prestigious event will showcase the work of more than 160 professional and student artists representing eight states and Canada. 

In keeping with our commitment to foster the development of young artists, College Alley will again feature the work of high school and college students (located near Eighth Street). It provides them with an opportunity to gain exhibiting experience without adhering to the more stringent requirements for professional artists. Don’t miss this chance to start collecting the work of these emerging artists!

Modern Corporation generously co-sponsors the “Modern Art Awards” given in seven categories (painting, photography, graphic arts, mixed media; artistic crafts I – jewelry; artistic crafts II: fiber, leather, wood; and artistic crafts III: glass, ceramic, metal). Best in Show and Best Booth awards are also chosen.

The pedestrian-friendly layout will close Center Street to cars from Fourth to Eighth streets, and fill the village roadway with art and music. The Barroom Buzzards and the 12/8 Path Band will add their great musical energy to the Art Festival, and a strolling stilt walker from Farm Arts Collective will wow the crowd from 11:30 a.m. to noon, and 1-1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Hennepin Park Gazebo will be transformed into an Iroquois market that brings to life the rich culture of our Haudenosaunee friends and neighbors. Join us for a celebration of traditional and contemporary Native American culture expressed through art, music, drumming and dance. The market will feature more than a dozen Native artisans. Our host and emcee Randy Greene will introduce the Niagara River Iroquois Dancers, Perry Ground, Talking Turtle Stories and singer/songwriters Mark Porter and Darryl Tonemah.

While you’re visiting the Iroquois market, you can learn to make a “Jitterbug,” a popular Tuscarora craft.

At the intersection of Center and Fifth Streets, watch internationally recognized 3-D chalk artist Anthony Cappetto add 4-D augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to his 3-D mural to create a unique viewing experience on the street. He is the founder of Art for After Hours and a pioneer in the use of AR and VR technologies in this genre. He has brought his art to venues across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, Asia and South America. Alongside Anthony will be two elite teams of students, representing Lewiston-Porter and Niagara Falls high schools, for the first ever “Chalk Walk Invitational.”

There’s plenty of interactive fun for all ages at the Art Festival this year. Get a henna tattoo (in front of Northwest Bank), your face painted or a caricature done (corner of Center and South Seventh streets); and there will be two free, hands-on activity areas that will make it fun for the kids!

At ArtZone No. 1 (No. 504 in front of DiCamillo’s), the Lewiston Public Library will sponsor activities from noon to 4 p.m. both days. Children of all ages can make a “sharktastic” shark magnet!

ArtZone No. 2 (near Stuart Sport) will bring Artpark’s free family activities to the Art Festival on Saturday. It will feature artmaking by the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University on Sunday. Hours are noon to 4 p.m.

 Don’t forget to visit the information booth at Fifth and Center to pick up this year’s colorful Art Festival T-shirt. The 2022 image was designed by artist Douglas Mess to commemorate the 56th Art Festival. Stop by and meet him in person at booth No. 607, located on the south side of Center Street, between Sixth and Seventh streets.

For the safety and comfort of our two- and four-legged friends, we strongly discourage bringing non-service dogs to the festival. If it’s too hot for your bare feet, it’s too hot for their bare paws!

Art Festival sponsors include the Town of Lewiston, Village of Lewiston, Niagara Falls Bridge Commission and Modern Corporation.

Chalk Art sponsors include KeyBank and Mount St. Mary's Hospital.

Cappetto’s residency was made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Services Inc.

The Iroquois market sponsor is AMD Environmental Consultants Inc.

For more information, visit www.artcouncil.org.

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