Art in Your Eye is more than just an arts show
One should not be fooled into thinking the festival Art in Your Eye is simply about art.
The Batavia event is dedicated to the residents, giving them something they can enjoy, even if they don’t know much about art.
“We wanted an art festival to attract artists to Batavia, but wanted it to be enjoyed by Batavians,” said Rebecca Allen, who is the fest’s overall coordinator. “We wanted it to be well attended and well liked, so we thought we could include different things for a broad range of people.”
The Art in Your Eye festival celebrates its seventh year from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 and 14, along the Batavia Riverwalk.
Allen, who has been involved with the event from the beginning, is proud of the 75 artists the festival features, most of them from the Midwest. But the festival offers more than just a fine arts show. Participants can enjoy local and Midwest bands that change every hour to keep the music fresh.
Paul Wieland, who has been the entertainment coordinator every year, said the music has a lot of variety this year.
“It’s a little more varied this year. (The bands) are probably more on the acoustic side this year,” Wieland said. “We always have live music playing.”
The artists perform in the Batavia pavilion, which was finished last year and, Wieland said, makes the atmosphere much better. Music groups from all over the Midwest are playing, including Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Margaret Carlson, who is from Batavia.
There are also two Batavia bands performing, an acoustic duo called Fight With Monsters and the pop group One Brick Short.
“We try and get some local performers too, especially to start the day,” Wieland said. “We also bring in a great sound system. It’s not like a PA is just thrown up there. It is very good quality.”
In addition to the musical entertainment, the city hall exhibit will display local artists that are not featured at the main art show outdoors. These artists will show two or three of their pieces at the indoor juried exhibit.
There is more than just art to look at. The children’s art area lets kids get into the action and be creative.
“It’s not just an art show, it’s a festival,” Allen said. “We’ve added more amenities than the art. We have a very large children’s activity area. And the music is another element to that. We put a lot of effort into the music.”
Another highlight will be poet Barbara Perry, who creates on-the-spot poems. In the program “Fresh Squeezed Poetry,” participants can give her personal information and she will make a poem about it.
She will perform from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. each day.
Local poets and authors will do readings of ghost stories, poems and science fiction thrillers at the “Art of the Spoken Words” booth, sponsored by the Batavia Arts Council.
There is a contest for the artists that encompasses the theme of Art in Your Eye. The objective is to create any kind of art but there must be an eye, and the winner collects $500.
“It’s just a really pleasant day to be there,” Allen said. “The art is really high quality, the music is high quality and the setting is just beautiful.”
If you go
What: Seventh annual Batavia Art in Your Eye festival featuring an outdoor fine arts fair, City Hall exhibit, childrens section and live music.
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Along the Batavia Riverwalk at Houston Street and Island Avenue, just east of Route 31.
Cost: Free admission; costs for food and art varies.
Details: Call (630) 761-3528 or visit <a href="http://www.artinyoureye.com/">artinyoureye.com</a>.