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Woman forges fantasy into art at YSU fest
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
YSU Festival of the Arts
Gallery
Lizz Beltz relishes building bridges between fantasy and reality, and paving them with steel-enforced creativity.
“I bring the fantasy world to life,” said Beltz, who owns The Dragon Smith, a Niles-based art-forging business she started about two years ago in which she uses and manipulates mainly steel to make swords, knives, daggers and other weapons.
Beltz, who works at Komara Jewelers in Cornersburg as a goldsmith, specializes in bladesmithing, the art of making such weaponry with forges, hammers, anvils and other similar tools. The art form also allows her to bring stories and ideas she’s invented to life, Beltz explained.
Her work may delve into the realm of fantasy, but much of it was on display Saturday afternoon as part of the very real 19th annual Summer Festival of the Arts on and near the Youngstown State University campus.
The event continues from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. Since nearby Wick Avenue is closed, attendees are encouraged to use parking lots off Fifth Avenue near Stambaugh Auditorium or the Wick Avenue deck, which is accessible via Walnut Street and offers a bridge to the campus. Parking in both spots is free.
Eighty-one local, regional and out-of-state artists and performers, along with about 30 performances and presentations, make up much of this year’s fest, said Lori A. Factor, the event’s coordinator. Another major piece is the Festival of Nations, which captures longtime cultural traditions and memories while offering numerous kinds of ethnic foods, she added.
Beltz, who earned her bachelor of fine arts degree in 2015 from Bowling Green State University, said one of her pieces was based on a paper she wrote for her degree.
“I had a story going and wanted to bring it to life. So I decided to make an item from the imaginary world” upon which her thesis was built, she said.
At the festival, Beltz had for sale an 8-pound diamond broad sword that took her about eight months to assemble, as well as many smaller items such as jewelry and nails she had flattened, twisted or extended.
“It requires a lot of heat and twisting,” she said about a small steel cross she had made.
Assisting her in selling her artwork were her parents, Dan and Mary James.
Among those interested in Beltz’s work and techniques were Lexi Cloud of Youngstown and her boyfriend, Chris London of Columbus.
Nothing sharp made up Jessica Blair’s artwork, though you could say that much of it looked sharp.
“I’ve been doing this since I was a young teenager and progressing each year,” said Blair, who owns a Youngstown-area business called Shop Jessi Blair and specializes in using acrylic paint and canvas to create pop and folk art.
Blair had in her booth numerous small paintings that capture her combined wide-ranging interest in animals and celebrities – everything from a pug to President Abraham Lincoln to singer Bob Dylan to The Beatles. She also had for sale hand-painted greeting cards for $15 each.
“I’ve always been into art and music,” said Blair, whose mother, Debbie Blair, also is an artist. “I love animals, and I love making things for people.”
A sampling of items for sale at the festival includes plenty of handcrafted earrings, bracelets, bangles and rings, ceramic-tile paintings, artistic note cards and prints, hand-crafted bowls and goblets, chiseled coffee and ice-cream scoopers, clay stoneware, stainless-steel yard pieces, stained-glass products, prints and reproductions of Idora Park and other iconic Youngstown attractions, embroidered clothing and colorful glass items, courtesy of Diane Gambassi.
“I took a soldering class, and I enjoy doing smaller things; any kind of glass fascinates me,” said Gambassi, who runs Pittsburgh-based Treasures in Glass.
Some of her treasures include replicas of postage-stamp pins, two-sided pendants, wall vases and hangings, paperweights and Irish/Celtic jewelry. Gambassi has been an artist about 22 years, she added.
The festivities also include numerous book displays outside Maag Library, cultural artifacts and information from Ukraine, Croatia, the Mahoning Valley Historical Society and the local Carpatho-Rusyn Society and a variety of ethnic meals.
Youngsters certainly were part of the festival, thanks to a children’s art fest, which gave them an opportunity to color, design and paint plenty of crafts. Not shy about displaying their artistic talents were 6-year-olds Susie Wardle of Youngstown and her cousin, Natalie Burrell of Austintown, both of whom busily made chalk drawings on nearby pavement.
In addition to giving artists a place to display their creations, the Summer Arts Festival showcases much of what YSU and the city have to offer. It also symbolizes the value of collaboration, consistency and cooperation among people and entities, Factor explained.
“It’s really a total package, and that’s what we’re striving for. We are better together, because in the arts and cultural worlds, it’s difficult to do things on your own,” she said, adding, “We couldn’t do this without the support of the local arts community.”