Lewisburg's arts festival returns with in-person workshops, online events
Apr. 12—LEWISBURG — Celebration of the Arts returns to Lewisburg with a mix of virtual and in-person performances and workshops spread over two weeks.
The festival opens April 23 as do the online vendor booths at www.lewisburgartscouncil.com, where visitors can learn about participating artists and purchase their works and wares. Celebration of the Arts continues on select dates through May 8 including each of three weekends.
The novel coronavirus pandemic caused the Celebration's sudden cancellation in 2020 and the large street festival isn't returning just yet. Della Hutchison, vice president of the Lewisburg Arts Council, said organizers took a cautious approach to create a safe and flexible event in 2021. That includes following the usual pandemic protocol: masks, social distance, hand hygiene, avoiding large groups.
"We can do plein air events. ... We can do workshops if they're done outside or virtually, so we're doing both," Hutchison said. "Instead of large gatherings, we're doing several small gatherings."
Among those small gatherings is "Books Like the Piers," where registrants join Davis Moore of the Lewisburg Artists Guild at 10:30 a.m. April 24 for a lesson in making an accordion-style book. The workshop is inspired by, and held at, the concrete rail piers in the grassy lot between Bull Run and Fifth Street. The piers are particularly highlighted during Celebration since it's being planned for use as an interactive art site and revamped public park.
"It's very exciting to make something of these piers," said Connie Timm, president of the Lewisburg Arts Council. "The Rail Trail is near them, and that is interesting. People are now interested in the 50-plus years of lichen and such that has appeared on them and given them even more character and ancient art look."
Lewisburg Neighborhoods hosts "Chalk It Up to Experience," a socially distanced chalk art event at the piers from 1 to 4 p.m. April 24.
Another is "Murals of Modern Art Alley," with small-group guided tours led by artist Jim Reid who will speak to his murals painted on buildings along Cherry Alley. Four separate tours will be held on each of the following dates: April 24, May 1 and May 8.
Additional workshops on varied dates throughout Celebration include Tips on Nature Photography, Nature Photography for Children, Plein Air Workshop, Urban Sketching, Botanical Monoprinting with Gel Plates, and Children's Garden Fun.
Among the virtual events planned is "Tarrstown Tales: Kris's Time-Traveling Lewisburg Adventure" Radio Drama on April 24, Stadler Fellow & Roth Resident (Poetry) Reading on April 27, RiverStage Theatre videos on April 30 and Annual Student Poetry Readings, Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts, on May 6.
A full calendar of events with registration information is available at www.lewisburgartscouncil.com.
Bill Ledgerwood, treasurer of the Arts Council, noted how crucial the annual Celebration is for the organization. As a street festival, which was the custom prior to 2020, it generated the most revenue for the group and funded other activities.
"Absent that, we've had to reorient ourselves, looking more at grants," Ledgerwood said.
Celebration of the Arts sponsors include Bucknell University, which provided new funding and allowed the group to keep last year's donation, Hutchison said. M&T Bank also provided a use-as-needed donation for the Arts Council.
"Which is great. Making this up as we went along, we didn't really know what we would need," Hutchison said, expressing gratitude for additional organizations that donated toward the event.
