Annual Fall Arts Festival Coming to Southbury

This following was submitted by the Southbury Women’s Club. 

Mark your calendar for Saturday September 7, 2013 for the 9th Annual Fall Fine Arts Festival of Southbury. This event is generously sponsored by Shop Rite, Newtown Savings Bank, Connecticut Community Foundation and Southbury Music Studio and hosted by the Southbury Women’s Club.  

New England's finest artists and handcrafters will fill the Southbury Green at 775 Main St. South from 10 am to 4 pm with unique and reasonably priced paintings, photographs, art to wear, sculptures, handmade home goods and wood crafts.

This eagerly awaited festival will also include facepainting and crafts for the kids by Southbury Juniorettes, scrumptious baked goods, music by Changes Urban Instrumental and Scratch, along with health and wellness practitioners including Reiki Master, Eileen Gorham, and Massage Therapist, Laura Ahern and Spinal Exams by Dr. Ernest Marrone.  

Back by popular demand, the festival will include voting for your favorite photo contestant in the FFAF Walgreen’s Amateur Photo Contest booth.  New this year, art demonstrations, including wire wrapping a gemstone briolette by Jewelry Cafe owner and artist Laura Vhay.

Three participating artists offered how they got started in their medium, what inspires their work and what they like about this festival.

Joe Sorge sculpts out of steel and stone. He says, “I found stone 20 years ago and love it. Last year I found steel and its beauty. The qualities of each attract me. Stone, with so many colors and translucence moves my emotions. Steel, and its interaction with light moves me deeply. Both have a strong solidness to them. To make something that brings lasting joy to people is my mission, enhancing life through visual art is my goal! I attended the Southbury Women's Club Fall Fine Arts Festival last year and enjoyed meeting the wonderful people. It was my first fair and I loved it!

Georgia Sheron said, “I was primarily a painter but found photography more challenging and creative. I have been photographing for over 40 years and still love the medium. I am inspired by the work of some master photographers like Sebastiao Selgado. But I am also inspired by what I see around me every day. I am always observing.” She enjoyed participating in “this lovely community gathering. It was a great way to reach a new audience.”

Lastly we spoke with Donna Tye, a silver crafts artist who got her start when she was asked to participate in a holiday house tour. She decided to add a kitchen themed Christmas tree to her large country kitchen.  She visited flea markets for vintage silverware and other silver for the tree, took several metalsmithing classes at Brookfield Craft Center, and learned how to bend form and solder silver to create her unique ornaments and jewelry.

Donna told us she was very impressed with Southbury Women’s Club professional jurying process. “I felt honored to have been accepted into the show. The day of the event the organization was attentive, prompt and helpful. The show was very well advertised, well attended and ultimately profitable.”

Artist booth spaces are still available for $75.  Amateur contestants can enter the photo contest up until August 31.  Visit http://www.southburywomensclub.org or contact Nannette Dorsey at FallFineArtsFestival@gmail.com or 203-706-0724 for more information about the festival, including art applications and photo contest entry forms.

All proceeds from the Fall Fine Arts Festival of Southbury are donated locally, including supporting the arts.