Homegrown Happy Valley

It’s that time of year again in Central Pennsylvania for reuniting with family and friends, hiding from the stifling heat, and renewing our love and commitment to art and the people who produce it.

This year 45 locals will display their creations at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.  And that doesn’t include the musical and theatrical performances by Happy Valley denizens. Meanwhile, in Boalsburg, The People’s Choice Festival will celebrate its 17th year showcasing arts and crafts from artisans around Pennsylvania, including more than a dozen local artists in our own backyards.

Starting today and throughout the festival, we’ll spotlight some of the Centre County artists and musicians participating in the festivals. In honor of the Children and Youth Day Sidewalk Sale at Arts Fest, we’re kicking off our coverage with some budding artists. On Wednesday the 8th, they’ll join other local artists, ages 8 through 18, on South Allen Street from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attention parents: their creations make unique, affordable gifts for the bazillion birthday parties you’ll be shopping for throughout the next decade.

Photography

Kelsey Egan, 11, is no stranger to arts festivals. For the past few years he has been helping his mother, State College artist Staci Egan, sell her jewelry at various events, including last year’s Arts Fest. But this time Kelsey is showing off his own work.

Kelsey, who’ll be heading to 6th grade at Park Forest Middle School this fall, dabbles in several mediums, but a love of dogs and an appreciation for a Baltimore photographer who alters his photos to look like paintings led him to his current work, Happy Valley Hounds. Kelsey’s photographs, which feature eye-catching canines that are digitally altered, are the result of walks around his neighborhood, as well as visits to Centre County PAWS and local dog parks. After the festival he hopes to continue his project, arranging photo shoots with dogs and their owners and looking for opportunities to exhibit his work.

Check him out at booth 208 (between Foster and Nittany Avenues).

Jewelry and Mixed-Media

The State College artists comprising Four Peas in a Pod—Mya Jeffries, 10; Mackenzie Harvill, 10; Mason Harvill, 8; and Alex Small, 9—will be showcasing their creations at Art Fest for the first time.  “I am excited to be part of it,” says Mya Jefferies, whose mother Lee Anne Jefferies will also be showcasing her work. “It will be fun to see some of my friends stop by.”  Four Peas in a Pod will be selling origami and sea animal jewelry, pet rocks, and aqua bracelets.  Mya and her friends learned origami in the 3rd grade when their class made more than 1000 paper cranes. With inspiration from art classes at school and camps, this group is excited for their first festival. “Art is fun,” says Jefferies, “It’s always great to see how it looks when it is finished!”

Check them out at booth 217 and 218 on Allen Street (between Foster and Nittany).

Fiber Art

Morgan Costello and Maddie Brindle, both 14, have created the cuddlier, friendlier version of the “Uglydoll.” Their “Monster Bean Bags” are small felt toys stuffed with rice and adorned with colorful button eyes, stitched mouths, and other whimsical details.

Brindle came up with the idea while fooling around with her sewing machine over Winter Break. She actually ended up with a minor concussion after she ran outside to show a prototype to her mom and slipped on ice.

When Brindle teamed up with Costello to create a line of dolls for Arts Festival, things went a lot smoother. “We had a lot of fun making then,” reports Costello. And it definitely shows. Each doll is one a kind (the early-bird shopper will definitely want to nab the Cyclops) and guaranteed to make a children of all ages (and adults) smile.

Check them out at booth 267.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 at 11:12 am and is filed under 2009 Arts Festivals, Art, Events, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.