BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Whether it’s a celebration of culture through a painting or a mixed-material abstract piece that’s a bit harder to explain, it was on display Saturday as artists made their way to Main Street Bethlehem.
And after a full day of festivities, Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission's 58th Fine Art & Craft Show continues from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 14.
- The Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission's Fine Art & Craft Show continues today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Vendors are displaying a variety of works along Main Street — including paintings, stoneware, woodworking, clothing and rugs
- The commission looks to "advocate, educate and celebrate" the arts year-round
Grace Mugala, acrylic and watercolor
Grace Mugala — a native of Nairobi, Kenya, and owner of Asante African Art of Southside Bethlehem — said many of her acrylic and watercolor pieces represent her experience growing up on an African homestead and observing people around her.
They’re cultural paintings, which depict our way of life, the way we grew up, the way we eat, the way we dance.Grace Mugala, owner of Asante African Art
“They’re cultural paintings, which depict our way of life, the way we grew up, the way we eat, the way we dance,” Mugala said.
Each piece is different, and a work of art can take up to six weeks or more to complete, she said.
“You don’t just do it at once,” Mugala said. “You keep doing it, wait a little bit to come up with something else — and you keep going.”
Mugala’s pieces cost $50 to $2,000, and she said she sold five or six paintings during the event’s first day.
Mugala said she’s been part of art shows in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and beyond, and plans to open a gallery in Palmer Park Mall next month.
Ric Charlie, jewelry
Ric Charlie and his partner, Mihaela Nistor, came from Shohola, Pike County, for their first time taking part in the event.
Charlie, a Navajo Native and internationally acclaimed jewelry craftsman, grew up on a reservation in Arizona.
According to Charlie’s official biography, his teenage years were a time of experimentation with traditional Navajo jewelry-making techniques, and he's dedicated four decades to honing his craft.
It’s taking an old traditional method of making jewelry and creating a modern look to it.Ric Charlie, jewelry craftsman
“It’s taking an old traditional method of making jewelry and creating a modern look to it,” Charlie said.
His work in traditional tufa stone casting is a practice that dates to the early 1800s, he said.
“The Native people used to melt down silver coins and carve a mold inside of a stone and put it back into it," Charlie said. “Once they heat up the metal, they poured into the mold, and once they pulled it out, it breaks the mold.
“You only get one shot at it, and every piece of jewelry that I made here is one-of-a kind.”
Nistor said there’s more to each piece than meets the eye.
“Every piece has a story to it. It’s not just the beauty of the design, it’s actually what goes into it, the meaning in the story of each one.”Mihaela Nistor
“Every piece has a story to it,” she said. “It’s not just the beauty of the design, it’s actually what goes into it, the meaning in the story of each one.”
Their booth featured a spread of rings, bracelets, bolo ties and belt buckles, with some sporting sterling silver, semi-precious and precious stones, gold and more.
One of the featured bracelets, “The Midnight Chant,” had a price tag of $27,000.
Its design highlights Yeibichai, spiritual beings that perform a sacred dance during winter nights.
Pauline Brown, mixed media
Pauline Brown, a mixed-media artist out of New Cumberland, Cumberland County, owns Little Stories Studios. She said she has worked with a variety of materials and mediums for her art, including baked clay, stone clay, reclaimed barnwood, ceramics and photography.
I see something, and then I just start working with it. And then I keep adding more.Pauline Brown, owner of Little Stories Studios
“I see something, and then I just start working with it,” Brown said. “And then I keep adding more.”
She said she has found inspiration for her art through children’s stories and while perusing antique shops.
Brown said her favorite projects probably are her mixed-media shadow boxes, with her “In the Woods” piece featuring a self-taken background photograph of Hershey Gardens.
She’ll be part of other art shows in Frederick, Maryland, as well as Carlisle, Cumberland County, this summer.
Michael Cho, stoneware
Michael Cho, an artist specializing in stoneware, has a studio in Allentown.
A native of Seoul, South Korea, he moved to Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1988.
Cho said working with ceramics came “by accident” for him, as he made his way through art school.
He said he had one idea in mind to separate his work from the likes of others.
My goal was to work on a contrast between gloss and matte finish. Usually all the powders result in a very shiny finish, but I try to work on the contrast.Michael Cho, stoneware artist out of Allentown
“My goal was to work on a contrast between gloss and matte finish,” Cho said. “Usually all the powders result in a very shiny finish, but I try to work on the contrast.”
According to information provided by Cho, the process behind his pieces includes the following:
- “Hand-throwing” and designing each work
- After shaping, the piece is allowed time to dry before it's sprayed with oxides to produce a matte metallic black background
- A high-gloss glaze is applied as the last step before a firing process that reaches upwards of 2,300 degrees
- From firing, clay becomes “stone-like, its oxide finish acts as a thin shell of metal coating it, and the brush strokes decorating its surface acquire the properties of glass”
- The pieces can be cleaned with dish soap and water, scrubbed with a soft or medium-bristle brush and left to air dry
Tina Cantelmi, oil and acrylic
Tina Cantelmi, a Bethlehem native, is serving as the event’s “artist in residence,” painting live on the street near Historic Hotel Bethlehem on Saturday and Sunday.
To me, it’s like giving back and talking to children and talking to people combined. It was really fun.Tina Cantelmi, Bethlehem native and event's artist in residence
“To me, it’s like giving back and talking to children and talking to people combined,” Cantelmi said. “It was really fun.”
She spoke on what she planned to add to some of the works on Sunday, as well as her inspirations behind the colorful paintings involving some oil and some acrylic on canvas.
One of those inspirations included a trip to Mexico, where a “vibrant ocean meets bright sky.”
