Art is the soul of weekend event

Photo

Mason St.Clair, 5, son of Pat and Karen St.Clair of Niles works on a mural at the YSU Summer Arts Festival Saturday. wdlewis

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Summer Festival of the Arts returns this weekend, the focal point of activities on and around the Youngstown State University campus.

The Tour of the Valley bicycle race and the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Summerfest just off campus add to the weekend fun.

But as the name implies, art is at the center of it all.

This year’s SFA will showcase the work of more than 70 local, regional and national artists, who will be selling original handcrafted pieces, including jewelry, paintings, sketches, sculptures, glass, wood and textiles. The artists were selected from a pool of applicants.

Children can get involved in the artsy atmosphere by creating their own pieces under the guidance of an art teacher at the hands-on art tent.

The SFA will also include, as always, the Festival of Nations, where more than 20 ethnic clubs and churches will set up booths to provide memorabilia and food, as well as dance and music performances.

Dozens of music, theater and dance performances are scheduled on the campus grounds, from the McDonough Museum of Art to DeBartolo Hall, where the Lemon Grove Cafe will provide nonstop entertainment.

Many local arts and cultural groups will also provide activities at their off-campus locations, including the North Side Farmers Market. A free shuttle bus will take SFA-goers to and from the market on Elm Street between 9 a.m. and noon Saturday.

A collaboration this year between the SFA and Art Youngstown will result in the campus being decorated with garden-art pieces. The public art project, dubbed “Here Comes the Sun,” will include more than 100 unique pieces by local artists, each beginning with a large metal ring.

Power of the Arts, the local group that is conducting a survey at Valley cultural venues to determine the economic impact of the arts in the region, will have an information booth at the SFA.