SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Hosted on the great lawn of the National Museum of Dance in the Saratoga Spa State Park, the Saratoga Arts Celebration has been celebrating and promoting artists for 15 years.
This year’s recent weekend-long celebration brought together an estimated 55 artists from various mediums to connect and sell their creations with the community. From Jewelry to pottery, glasswork to sculptures and more, the Celebration provided a platform for Saratogians and out-of-town art lovers to find something new and interact with masterful artists. Matt Gabel of West Milford, New Jersey was one of the many artists who attended the celebration, bringing with him a variety of his mixed media paintings.
While it was his first year taking part in the celebration, Gabel shared he had absolutely loved it and plans on returning for more in the future. “It’s been an amazing show, there are very good art patrons and art community in Saratoga,” Gabel stated. “Just getting to show my work and making connections has been really great.
I absolutely do see myself coming back, I’ll be here next year.” Festival Director Sue Brown Gordon, who puts on the celebration with her husband David, explained there is a mix of local and far away artists as well as returning and many new artists this year. With the juried component of the festival, a big factor when selecting which artists to feature each year is making sure high-quality and impressive work is presented, meaning those interested in participating must submit four images of their work as well as a photo of their booth display.
“We really want it to look great, and we want it to reflect that everybody is of great quality and that it’s worth people’s time to come to the show,” Gordon explained. “Everything here is being represented by the artists that actually made it and that adds another value. You have an opportunity to talk to the artists and see how they made it, what their motivation was ad they might tell you something really fascinating about the piece that just makes you connect with it.
” Gordon also adds that a lot of the artists who attend will also do custom orders and sit specific work for the patrons they meet, meaning that while the weekend celebration might end the show is not over. “Artists are going to people’s homes, they’re bringing large works of art and taking on commissions, taking on outdoor sculptures that are site-specific,” Gordon explained. “it’s really a wonderful way to build a connection with an artist and also create your home which is your masterpiece and your creative project, so why wouldn’t you want to put something really special in it?” “What I really love about the patrons up here (Saratoga) is that they’re so loyal.
Some people have been coming to the show since we originally started way back when and the whole situation has evolved and grown like this organically, like it was meant to.” Not only is the celebration a great place for the community to find art, but it is also a great opportunity for these artists to get their name out and sell their hard work. Allison Sherwood explained that this was the second year taking part in the Saratoga Arts Celebration, and according to her in the three years since she and her husband Richard started Sherwood Clay & Wood Designs, Saturday, the first day of the festival, was their best day of business.
“It’s nice when people appreciate the same things that I do,” Sherwood noted, regarding how the people she interacted with really seemed to enjoy her horsehair raku pottery, which is when horse hair is put onto a hot pot and singes into the surface at a specific temperature to create a unique design. “I think that the people that come by (the festival) really appreciate the art of things, and whether they buy things or not, they love to hear about it and touch things — I want my pieces to speak to people so I’ll encourage people to pick things up,” Sherwood shared. “I really think, honestly, it’s an absolutely beautiful area to come to and just to be among people that have a real art appreciation makes me happy because it makes me happy to make things and it makes me happy to just see people appreciate it.
” The appreciation the community displayed is one of the reasons Gordon truly enjoys putting on this celebration. It has always been very important to her to be able to provide the community with a free, accessible event because ultimately Gordon wants to inspire the younger generations to be involved in the arts and also provide living artists the outlet to express themselves and make a living. “People just appreciate good work, they know the quality and whether it’s a really little, tiny, piece of jewelry or it’s a grand sculpture, the people of Saratoga have good taste,” Gordon stated.
“I hope those who come here leave highly motivated about the creativity and maybe the artistic spirit within themselves. Maybe they want to try something that they saw here, or maybe they want to connect with an artist later over a project that they’ve continued to think about.” “A lot of these artists were brought to museums and art shows when they were young, so through this we are growing the next generation of artists and inspiring people to raise the bar.
It’s a casual, informal atmosphere, but that’s so that people feel welcome. I hope everyone takes away some sort of inspiration, either with a piece of art or inspiration for later, and I hope when they think about the show, they’ll think that it’s one of the better ones and really want to come back every year.” Gordon Fine Arts, led by Sue and David, puts on several other Art festivals and celebrations around the country.
Their next one is an Art Invitational in Weston, Connecticut on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.
For more information about other festivals and the Saratoga Art Celebration, visit https://www.gordonfinearts.org .
Allison and Richard of Sherwood Clay & Wood Designs shared they had their best day of business during this year's Saratoga Arts Festival, and received a lot of appreciation for their Raku pieces. (Emma Ralls - Medianews Group) The celebration was held on the lawn of National Museum of Dance in the Saratoga Spa State Park, displaying a mix of fine art and fine crafts. (Emma Ralls - Medianews Group) About 55 artist from a variety of medias were brought together for the weekend celebration.
(Emma Ralls - Medianews Group) Allison and Richard of Sherwood Clay & Wood Designs shared they had their best day of business during this year's Saratoga Arts Festival, and received a lot of appreciation for their Raku pieces. (Emma Ralls - Medianews Group).
