Reisterstown's Bloomin' ArtFest is an annual savior for procrastinators who haven't gotten a jump on their Mother's Day shopping. Held each year on the Saturday before the spring holiday, the ArtFest brings together the community's best jewelers, artists and craftspeople for a celebration of the creative arts.
The May 7 festival, sponsored by the Reisterstown Improvement Association and the Reisterstown Recreation Council, features more than 40 arts and craft vendors, booths for a variety of local nonprofits, food vendors and displays of artwork from Franklin Elementary and Franklin High School students.
Vendors include painters like Alan Fink Fine Art Studio, clothing and jewelry makers like Breathe Let Go, artistic groups like the Butler Watercolor Society, and artisanal companies like Eisner Woodworking, as well as work created with floral arrangements, gemstones, stained glass, and stoneware pottery.
Pat Brooks, who is running the craft vendors at the event, said this year will feature an almost equal mixture of new and returning favorites. She said it's a vibrant group with an interesting blend of techniques and products for sale.
"We have several vendors this year who do recycled products, using old wood and metal to make furniture and gifts," Brooks said. "It's always nice to have the feeling like you're doing something good for the environment while you shop."
Margie Shapiro, of MJ Designs in Reisterstown, said this will be her first year exhibiting her jewelry made from original and recycled pieces. Shapiro said she was a long-time fan of the festival as a guest, but this year decided to turn around and sell her art as well as pick up some of her favorite pieces.
"I'm going to be selling a lot of homemade pins and crafts and jewelry," Shapiro said. "It's made of all sorts of things, from broken and put-back-together wood pieces, shells and various things that I've found."
A Reisterstown native, Shapiro said she loves having the opportunity to see work from fellow local artists. She said these kinds of events are mostly a way for her to sell work to her friends and neighbors in a fun atmosphere.
Kevin Hogan is a Reisterstown-based artist who creates his own hand-drawn portraits. Hogan said he's primarily done private commissions, but he plans on using the Bloomin' ArtFest as a way to jumpstart his exhibitions in the community at-large.
"Reisterstown has a ton of great art going on here," Hogan said. "It's a great area to do artsy things. It's the perfect place for a portrait business."
In addition to selling his pre-drawn pieces, Hogan will also be sketching live on site as a way to show off his talent. Hogan says he sketches portraits based off photographs, either copying the image freehand or using precise enlargers to trace the image exactly.
"I pretty much attend the Bloomin' ArtFest every year," Hogan said. "It's the perfect place to pick up something new and original."
In addition to the arts and crafts for sale, the event will feature live music by the Reisterstown Jazz Ensemble from 10 to 11:30 a.m., from the band Riot House from 1 to 2:15 p.m., and by Maryland Sings from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The event will also feature a children's area sponsored by the Reisterstown Kiwanis Club, tours of the historic Reisterstown Community Cemetery and an appearance by the 1st Maryland re-enactor group.
"All around it's a fun day; it's a family day," Brooks said. "There's music; there's food and crafts and flowers. With the next day being Mother's Day, there's no better way to spend a Saturday."
Jacob.deNobel@tribpub@com
410-857-7890
Twitter.com/Jacob_deNobel
If You Go
What: Bloomin' ArtFest
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 7
Where: Franklin Middle School, 120 Main Street, Reisterstown
Cost: Free
For more information: Visit www.bloominartfest.com
