Art Festival – heART for the City – St. Joseph, MO
2015 brings an array of new folk and fine artists that exemplify “heART for the City,” this year’s festival theme
- Joseph, MO – Trails West!® 2015 has added many new faces to the festival, along with your favorite returning vendors. From henna tattoos, photography, and paintings, the community is sure to be pleased.
The festival welcomes several new fine artists. Paola, Kansas artist Cynthia Schmidt’s booth, Discovery Art, is full of wheel-thrown and hand-built pieces of pottery. Each piece is an original with hand carved patterns and rich textures. All of her work is mid-fire stoneware, dishwasher and food safe.
From Kansas City, Missouri, Jeremy Morton brings his unique acrylic screen print on paper. Jeremy is a freelance visual artist with a focus in screen printing and multi-media painting. Be sure to stop by his booth in the fine art section area.
St. Joseph Woodworkers Guild consists of multiple local woodworkers demonstrating how to use different tools to carve pieces of wood. The woodworkers have a full schedule all three days of the festival. The Guild showcases a number of different tools and strategies which includes demonstrating a Beall Buffing System, a Scroll Saw, Wood Lathe, Pen Making, Scroll Saw Puzzles, Carvings, and much more. You don’t want to miss seeing these skilled woodworkers put their talents in action while teaching the crowd along the way.
The fine arts area also showcases two artists in the arts incubator, Aaron Schmidt and Colby Walter. The goal of the incubator is to provide emerging artists a space to showcase their talents before a large, diverse crowd to help further their creative endeavors. Aaron Schmidt works with pencil on paper. Many of Schmidt’s pieces are meant to convey normal subject matters and setting. However, upon closer examination one will find one or two articles in the drawing that may not seem normal components of the scene being portrayed. Colby Walter refers to his paintings as geometric abstractions. They call to mind the mathematical drawings of M.C. Escher and the meditative pattering of Mandalas.
The festival also welcomes several new folk artists to the west side of the grounds. “In My Second Life” creates new bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings from vintage pieces. These pieces range from old watch parts, typewriter keys, and old beads. Stop by and see how “In my Second Life” turns the old into new.
Also demonstrating this year in the folk art area is a local organization, The Crossing Outreach Ministry, with five vintage rag rug looms. They use the looms to make rag rugs, rag bags, and laptop bags. Each rug is unique from the other to give you a personal look in your home. The Crossing also takes tires and paints them to make a unique planter. All proceeds from their art goes towards The Crossing Outreach Ministries to give back to the community and to help the homeless, veterans, and ex-offenders.
Also new to the folk art area is Bloom Wildly with handmade women’s accessories and beauty products. Barnboard Creations creates birdhouses, feeders, benches, etc. out of wood, and Quirky Creations uses glass to make anything from bird feeders to glass flowers. For a full list of artists at Trails West!®, visit trailswest.org and go to the folk artists and fine artists tabs.
Admission to the festival is by souvenir button or 2015 Trails West! ® T-shirt. The buttons, good for admission to all three days of the festival are on sale now and are $8 in advance and $10 at the festival gates. All guests over the age of 10 need a button for admission.
Trails West!® is an outdoor arts festival, hosted by the Allied Arts Council, celebrating the unique cultural heritage of St. Joseph, Mo. Now in its 23rd year, the festival features fine arts, folk arts, culinary arts, music, dance, and theatre. The 2015 festival will be held August 21-23 at Civic Center Park.
Ashley Jones, Communications Director
Allied Arts Council of St. Joseph, MO
Ph. 816-233-0231
Fax 816-233-6704
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