By: Sarah Boha
July 9, 2014
Brainchild of Penn State University College of Arts and
Architecture and the State College Chamber of Commerce in 1967; The Central
Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has been a summer tradition cherished by
locals and art enthusiasts from around the world. In fact, it’s estimated by the CPFA (Central
Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts) that 100,000 people visit “Arts Fest” every
year. Here are five must see exhibits
happening at the 2014 CPFA, July 10th-13th.
1.)Italian Street Painting
The Italian street painting exhibition has been taking place
on the 100 block of Heister Street at CPFA since 1999. Artists bring their chalk and unbridled
talent to create baroque like artwork, celebrating the centuries old tradition
from Europe. The quality of these street
paintings wows me every year; a must see!
2.)Silent Auction
Thursday July 10th at noon; the Arts Fest Silent
Auction is a must if you’re shopping the featured artists. The auction doubles as a preview of the
artwork that will be carried by each guest artist. If you don’t get a chance to purchase artwork
from the auction, you may want to write down your favorite pieces and the
artist that created them to visit their booth during the festival. A map of the artist’s booths for 2014 are
online, http://arts-festival.com/booth-map.
3.)Sand Sculptures
These monumental sculptures of sand are an absolute must see
for the whole family. Sand sculptor,
Greg Glenn, takes 25 tons of sand every year at Arts Fest and miraculously
transforms it into life like creations, right down to the scales on a fish to
the bulging veins on a football player’s hands.
Don’t miss this whimsical exhibit at Sidney Friedman Park this year at
CPFA 2014.
4.)Heidi’s Strudel
Walking in downtown State College, pondering your next art
acquisition and sweating in the heat of July; you will inevitably find yourself
craving nourishment. Look no further
than Heidi’s Strudel, located on Allen and Calder Way at the 2014 CPFA. Among the food vendors to stop by and munch,
this booth is a must; Apricot, apple, cherry, cheese, almond, strudels and
fresh squeezed lemonade…need I say more?
5.)BookFest
Art isn’t the only work up for display at Arts Fest
anymore. BookFest is in it’s 5th
annual celebration of local authors and will be held at the Schlow Centre
Region Library from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, July 12, 2014. Get autographs from local authors, learn
about writing and being published and get your hands on the latest reads for
summer. A must for any book worm.
This is just a tease of five wonderful events that happen at
Arts Fest. What are your favorite
exhibits that you and your family will be seeing this year?
For more information, visit http://arts-festival.com/.
