Elgin festival goers enjoy 'hanging out' with art

Ryan Santillan, 16, was hoping to find inspiration Saturday at the second annual Art and Soul on the Fox festival in downtown Elgin.

"I'm not a good artist, but I draw a little bit," the South Elgin High School student said. And though he hadn't been there long, he'd already seen some cool colorful paintings.

His brother, Logan, 11, also seemed to appreciate the atmosphere.

"I've seen some clay pots that look homemade, not like they were on a shelf at a store," he said.

The Art and Soul event - aimed to showcase downtown Elgin's dynamic arts community - featured 80 artists from the area whose works included jewelry, ceramics, glass fusing, photography, pottery and digital illustrations. It also had live music and entertainment.

Though the festival hadn't been open for long, Santillan said he had no plans to leave anytime soon.

"We're going to hang out here for a long while," he said.

Hanging out is exactly what drew Pierre Thavong and his children, Tyler, 6, and Chloe, 4, to the event.

"We saw a couple signs," the Elgin father said, "and just decided to see what they have. It's nice to just hang out."

For South suburban artist Helen Jones Mayer, the event was a chance to show off her unique pop-up puppets.

"I like working with my hands and creating from scratch," she said. "There's nothing more interesting to me than faces."

Mayer said she was inspired to make the puppets after a relative returned from China with one. She tries to give each puppet a personality and sometimes even a name.

Customers seemed taken with the dolls, exclaiming, "So cute!" as they stopped to look. Mayer was in a good mood - she'd already sold one doll in the first hour and a half after opening.

"So far, so good," she said. "Wish me luck."

Performing on the DuPage Court Stage, the Riverside Chorus didn't need luck. The women's group, singing four-part, a cappella harmony barbershop-style music, drew the attention of many appreciative fest-goers.

Members say their group, which was chartered in Elgin, is more focused on having fun and performing at community events like church ice cream socials and birthdays, than competing or winning competitions. And the Art and Soul event fit with their mission perfectly.

"Our focus is community," said assistant director Wendy Witt.

The festival runs through today at DuPage Court and South Grove Avenue in downtown Elgin.