Lewiston Art Festival shines spotlight on 'far-reaching impact of a vibrant arts sector'

Annual event is Aug. 10-11 on Center Street

Submitted by the Lewiston Council on the Arts 

It’s time once again for the Lewiston Art Festival, our annual celebration of the creative spark that lives in all of us! On Saturday, Aug. 10 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), and Sunday, Aug. 11 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), the Lewiston Council on the Arts will showcase the work of more than 200 artists, musicians, performers and concessionaires who come from near and far to be a part of this annual festival of imagination and skill.

“We at the LCA are excited to bring our signature event back to Center Street, and we acknowledge with gratitude the continuing support of our elected officials from all levels of government,” Lewiston Council on the Arts Executive Director Maria Fortuna Dean said. “The ongoing investment in the arts from the boards of the Village of Lewiston and the Town of Lewiston, as well as the Niagara County Legislature, recognizes the far-reaching impact of a vibrant arts sector. Lewiston's artistic profile stimulates our business growth, attracts tourism and creates a community where people love to live.

“We are very excited to welcome back the 58th annual Lewiston Art Festival,” Village of Lewiston Mayor Anne Welch said. “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!”

Since 1968, the Art Festival has nurtured Lewiston’s identity throughout the region as a home to artists and art-lovers alike, and showcases our community to tens of thousands of visitors.

“The Lewiston Art Festival is an extremely important part of the Lewiston community and presents a weekend that people look forward to every year,” Town of Lewiston Supervisor Steve Broderick said. “One of the more frequent questions I get from people outside our immediate area is, 'When is the Lewiston Art Festival?’ Absolutely one of my favorite events of the year.”

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 Grant Asklar Quartet will be performing at South Seventh Street, near Orange Cat Coffee Co. from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, from 1-3 p.m., the Barroom Buzzards will stroll the festival, playing their mix of New Orleans and Dixieland jazz, swing and blues. Visiting from Torrington, Connecticut, St. Peter’s Drum Corps will treat us to a parade and marching band concert starting at 2 p.m. Sunday.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, make sure you find yourself at Sixth and Center streets when Cirque Kickasse, sponsored by Artpark & Company, serves up amazing acrobatics from their Not-Necessarily-A-Food-Truck truck!

In keeping with our commitment to fostering the development of young artists, College Alley, located in the KeyBank parking lot, will again feature the work of high school and college students. Student artists have the 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!

The Lewiston Art Festival returns to Center Street Aug. 10-11. (Photos by Chelsea Modern Images // courtesy of the Lewiston Council on the Arts)

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This year’s Chalk Walk theme is “Cosmic Creations” and we will have 15 teams of all ages, with prize categories for youth artists, emerging artists, high school, and advanced artist (individuals 18 years or older). We are grateful to our sponsors First Presbyterian Church, KeyBank and Mount St. Mary’s, whose support makes it possible for this to be a true community event. Be sure to grab a piece of chalk and add your special touch to our “Cosmic Creations” group street mural!

For participating festival artists, Modern Corporation generously sponsors the “Modern Art Awards” given in six categories: painting; mixed media; graphic arts / photography; artistic crafts I: jewelry; artistic crafts II: ceramic, glass, metal; artistic crafts III: wood, leather, fiber. Each category will award first-, second- and third-place prizes. Best in show and best booth will also be awarded.

This year’s “Indigenous Experience,” sponsored by Sevenson Environmental Services, offers a full schedule of Indigenous music, dancing, presentations and children’s activities curated by Kehala Greene Smith (Tuscarora Nation) and hosted by Jordan Smith (Mohawk Nation). Please see the schedule and visit the Indigenous artisans at the gazebo to experience the rich traditional and contemporary culture of our Haudenosaunee friends and neighbors.

Honoring the traditions of our Haudenosaunee neighbors, Jordan Smith will open each day of the festival with “The Words Before All Else,” a thanksgiving address in his native tongue, at 10 a.m. at the gazebo.

The Trail of Treaties & Treaty Loom Project, sponsored by Artpark and curated by Artpark's Indigenous producer, Michele-Elise Burnett and professor Richard Hamell, is an immersive and engaging audio/visual journey through six significant wampum belts that have shaped the lands you walk on today. As you travel the Trail of Treaties, discover each treaty through the Indigenous lens with interpretive descriptions and narrations by Dr. Joe Stahlman of the Tuscarora Nation. We encourage you to listen via QR code and read about each of the six wampum belts.

Don't forget to stamp your commemorative Trail of Treaties passport booklet at each station. Once completed, visit Hamell and the team at the gazebo to have your questions about the treaties answered, discover one of the largest wampum displays in the U.S., and learn how to make a wampum bead using traditional tools.

New this year, all are invited to participate in weaving the Treaty Commitment and Intentions Loom. Together, we can build a stronger cross-cultural future for the next seven generations.

There’s plenty of interactive fun for all ages at the Art Festival this year. Get a henna tattoo (near the clock at North Fifth Street), or have your face painted or a caricature done (corner of Center and South Seventh streets). There will be two free, hands-on Kids Art Zones along the street:

•At ArtZone No. 1, by St. Peter’s rectory, the Lewiston Public Library will sponsor activities from noon to 4 p.m. on both days for children of all ages.

•ArtZone No. 2, in booth 730 (across from Tim Hortons), will bring Artpark’s free family activities to the Art Festival on Saturday, and feature artmaking by the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University on Sunday. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. each day. 

Come visit the wonderful Lewiston Council on the Arts volunteers at the information booth at Fifth and Center to pick up this year’s Art Festival T-shirt and merch. The 2024 image was created by featured artist Laurissa Widrick. Her linocut, “To Have,” features mountains, trees, sun and a river, all cradled gently in the palm of a hand, and calls to mind Mother Nature and our connection to the living Earth. Stop by and meet Laurissa at booth 716, in front of the Rite Aid plaza.

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 County Legislature, Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, Modern Corporation, Sevenson Environmental Services, and AMD Environmental Consultants Inc. Chalk Art sponsors include KeyBank, Mount St. Mary’s Hospital and First Presbyterian Church. We are grateful to Tin Pan Alley for providing a delicious sit-down breakfast for the artists!

For more information, visit www.artcouncil.org.