Batavia art fest draws crowds for 7th year
As the clay grew taller and then wider, then developed a lip along the upper edge, 5-year-old Nicholas Maskell of Batavia glanced up, eyes glowing, and said, “Mom, look!”
The boy was learning how to use a pottery wheel in the kids activities section of Batavia’s 7th annual Art in Your Eye festival Sunday. Water Street Studios has held art demonstrations in past years, but this was the first time kids like Maskell have been invited to try it themselves.
“It’s great,” said Grace Maskell, watching her son. “It gives the children an opportunity to experience creating art.”
Another first for this year’s event was an Art of Spoken Words tent where festival goers could hear the work of local poets and authors live.
The centerpiece of the festival, though, was the outdoor juried fine art show.
Brad Pogatetz, of Batavia, has been a photographer for about 10 years. His work, which documents decaying and forgotten buildings, meshes with his background in engineering and machining. This is his first year displaying work at Art in Your Eye, and it was a successful one — Pogatetz won a first-place ribbon and the Mayor’s Choice award for his photography.
Pogatetz said his art is a way to suspend time as the buildings he finds fall apart.
“I was always inspired to capture some of these images and preserve them,” he said.
The outdoor art show was complemented by indoor exhibits for local adult and youth artists. Live music floated through Batavia’s downtown Riverwalk for the two-day festival.
Though the event competed with storms Saturday, Sunday offered sunshine and not-too-hot temperatures for festival attendees. Lynn Tucker, of St. Charles, took the chance to slowly wander through the fine art exhibits, admiring the work and taking ideas for her own photography. After her first hour or so of browsing she had a watercolor print in hand.
“My husband and I have a nice art collection and we’re always looking for something new,” Tucker said.
Erin Melloy coordinated the fine art section of the festival. She said this year there were more vibrant, energetic artists that seemed to have worked well with the crowds.
“Patrons have come out to purchase,” Melloy said. “That’s a good thing.”