Art Blast festival to focus on creativity, feature local artists
GREENSBORO – A wooden spindle slipped through fiber artist Cody Edgar’s hand and spiraled downward. Just as it did, the soft wool held in his other hand lengthened before twisting into a thick thread pulled by the spindle.
“It’s not hard to make yarn like this once you get the hang of it,” Edgar said while demonstrating. “I’ve made spindles out of toy car wheels and dowel rods, and I’m bringing them with me. Anyone who wants to learn, I’ll show them how.”
As it has for more than a decade, the Art Blast on the Mon Festival in Greensboro brings talent from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and other local art organizations to teach through doing.
The festival this weekend held at Ice Plant Pavilion keeps the focus on creativity with live music and fine arts and crafts from local musicians, authors, artists and entrepreneurs.
Members of Washington County Spinners and Weavers Guild will be at the 11th annual festival Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with bags of unspun wool, yards of yarn and a table loom, along with an impressive assortment of tools used to make everything from shawls and sashes to cellphone cases.
Small cardboard looms are part of the kit for beginning weavers to make a “snuggie” for their smartphone – one of the many fun make-and-take-home projects offered by professional artists and crafters who will be vending their wares and demonstrating this weekend.
Around the corner in historic downtown Greensboro, Betty Longo’s old store, once the place to get a milkshake, is now full of pottery and collectibles and will be open, said Keith McManus, who owns the store and is the borough’s mayor.
Greensboro also has artist studios to tour and a handicapped-accessible kayak launch on the Monongahela River is waiting for paddlers.
Save-A-Horse Stable will give pony rides and information about the Rogersville nonprofit’s mission to care for aging or unwanted.
Meanwhile, author Uncle Dave Howard is working on a new children’s book about alpacas and will have all his publications for sale.
The Monon Center of Greensboro kids arts and crafts corner has other weaving projects to do involving ribbons and cut paper. The free face-painting booth is next to the weaving demonstrations and no one has to wait in line – kids can make things until it’s their turn.
Metal smith and enamellist Lindsay Huff of Pittsburgh is bringing hammers, anvils and letter stamps to be used to transform flattened pennies into personalized pendants, fobs and key chains.
Mixing art with environmental awareness, Sharpsburg native Albert Pantone will use wildflower seeds and recycled paper to teach “Guerrilla Gardening.” Participants add seeds to colored paper pulp, then shape “seed bombs” that can be planted around the house or thrown into areas that need an infusion of wildflowers to come up next year.
There will also be numerous music acts performing Saturday and Sunday at the festival, including Sugar Family, which includes three French folksingers who toured the United States this summer learning American folk songs and sharing their own folk tunes.
Art Blast is sponsored by the Nathanael Greene Community Development Corporation and funded through grants, donations and community support.