Published: August 06, 2008 04:32 pm            

ART: Lewiston festival returns

This weekend’s prestigious Lewiston Art Festival has several advantages over most clog-the-sidewalks art shows presented in late summer by small towns across America.

The village’s reputation as a thriving arts community, its dedication to historic preservation and the standards of the art itself combine to make this event special. Now in its 42nd edition, this friendly exposure to art and entertainment is, for many, a highlight of the year.

“We’ve been adding to it every year,” said organizer Eva Nicklas of the Lewiston Council on the Arts, a 20-year veteran of the event. “We have an army of volunteers, about 100, and that kind of volunteerism personifies the spirit of Lewiston.”

This art festival, considered a showcase event by artists and local tourism proponents alike, presents the kind of picture a visitor hopes to see: main streets closed off for artwork in a variety of media, the work of artists from across the United States and Canada, music and entertainment, food vendors galore and a display of the sort of lively enthusiasm that emerges when a big show settles into a small town.

Of the artists, Nicklas says she expects “more than we’ve ever had, over 200. We’re closing off two blocks of Center Street, the first time we’ve ever done that, and putting the artists right on the street.” About half are from the western half of New York, but “artists are from all over the country.”

While the Lewiston Art Festival is a popular event on the artists circuit, it’s a crowd-pleaser as well. Some 30,000 visitors are expected for the two-day event.

Performance art, or at least entertainment, is on the schedule as well, including belly dancers, oom-pah orchestras and a long list of popular local bands that include the reggae-centric Riddim Posse, the “gypsy jazz” ensemble Babik and appearances by “Chain Saw Chick” Alicia Charlton of North Tonawanda.

In a noisy and exciting demonstration, the petite Charlton will wield a chain saw in the cause of creating on-site art. She, in weekend residency with saw-slinger Rick Pratt, are billed as “Masters of the Chain Saw.”

Another intriguing example of hands-on art occurs Saturday, when Center Street will be closed between Fourth and Sixth Streets for the “Western New York High School Chalk Walk Competition.” Teams of local students, armed with chalk, will create art on the asphalt for prizes and cash awards to their schools’ art departments.

According to Fay Northrop, a retired Lewiston-Porter High School art teacher and volunteer director of the contest, “It’s easy to get carried away. Every local school is invited, and some use it as part of the lesson plan. We’ll have 30 students this time, in 3-student teams, and each team gets an 8- by 10-foot rectangle in which to work.”

Applying a rainbow of chalk to the streets of downtown seems a perfect fit to this laid-back event. Nearby Academy Park will be dedicated to food and a car show. Fifth Street becomes “College Alley” with the work of high school and college artists on display. The “Art Zone” and the Castellani Art Museum’s “Make and Take” exhibits will encourage kids to create art of their own, and needless to say, making a mess is a happy option.

While a festival such as Lewiston’s has the gravity and significance of a serious art show, its visitors also get a look at the joy of art, as well as an opportunity to join in.

Keeping the fulcrum balanced between an important regional presentation of art and a fun-in-the-sun carnival of things to see and try has kept this festival relevant and popular. In Lewiston this weekend, art will be all around you as the wood chips fly in the summer air.

Ed Adamczyk is a freelance writer from Kenmore.



IF YOU GO

* WHAT: The 42nd annual Lewiston Outdoor Fine Arts Festival

* WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

* WHERE: Center Street, Lewiston

* MORE INFORMATION: Visit artcouncil.org



FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Saturday

* ACADEMY PARK: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Masters of the Chain Saw” Alicia Charlton

* HENNEPIN PARK GAZEBO: noon, Trill Seekers; 1 p.m., Rainbow Singers; 2 and 4 p.m., Jena Abati

* APPLE GRANNY’S: noon to 4 p.m., “Squeezebox” Johnny

* FRONTIER HOUSE: 1 p.m., Niagara Experience Players

* LEWISTON COURTYARD: Chain saw carver Rick Pratt

Sunday

* ACADEMY PARK: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Masters of the Chain Saw” Alicia Charlton; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Lakeside Blues Band; 1 to 5 p.m., Riddim Posse

* HENNEPIN PARK GAZEBO: noon to 2 p.m., Babik; 2 to 4 p.m., Bergholz German Band; 4:15 p.m., Thymelass

* FRONTIER HOUSE: 1 p.m., Hot Country Liners; 2 and 4 p.m., Ilya’s Belly Dance Studio

* LEWISTON COURTYARD: Chain saw carver Rick Pratt

        

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