New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival is an Outlet for Community Creativity
Alana Jaeger
Staff Writer
Over 160 artists from Bucks County and surrounding areas gathered at New Hope-Solebury High School on the weekend of Sept 21 to exhibit their artwork for the 30th Annual Outdoor Juried New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival. The New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival is a great way for local artisans to show off their craft, which helps them garner patrons and inspire future artists. Artists showcased many different mediums including oil painting, crocheting, 3D printing, ceramics, basket weaving, fiber art, sculpture, wood carving, furniture, photography and much more! Attendees were able to admire and purchase art. In addition to artwork, the festival was jam packed with food, live music, and entertainment for all ages.
Spooky season was in full swing at the festival with an exhibit of repurposed vintage dolls given a “creepy” appearance. “I take unwanted dolls and repaint each one into what I think they should look like,” explained Denise Kennedy, creator of Creepy Dolls of Perkasie. She makes sure to maintain “the essence of the porcelain dolls” throughout the whole process of painting the doll and customizing its clothing.
Another peculiar booth was also practical–handcrafted brooms in varying sizes decorated with colorful twining. “When I was younger, I participated in the 4H fair. My 4H instructor taught me broom making, and now I teach my own classes,” said Catherine Fulton, the owner of Feral Broomcraft. Her brooms are made from broom corn, which can grow up to 14 feet tall. Broom corn thrives in Mexico where it has a long growing season.
The best thing about the New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival is that there’s a little something for everyone! Another artist showcasing a unique craft was Jeff Nelson from Hudson River Inlay. He’s been creating striking wood inlay pieces of local natural landscapes and animals for thirty-two years. Inlay, or marquetry, is accomplished by cutting out a piece of wood fr0m the base of the artwork and then gluing stone, metal, resin, or another type of wood into that negative space. “I saw somebody else doing [wood inlay] and liked it…you start small; make little pictures first,” explained Mr. Nelson, when asked how he got into marquetry. Wood inlay is believed to have originated in Egypt around 3000 BC, but it was introduced to the Western world about 600 years ago.
The event ran from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday in the New Hope-Solebury High School parking lot. The $5 parking fee at the Upper Elementary School went to supporting student activities, and more than $4,000 in prizes were awarded to exhibiting artists! This event was made possible by the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce and the generosity of dozens of volunteers who helped with parking, setting up booths, and cleaning up after the event.