WILMINGTON — Last fall Quinn Cook had an idea to display the artistic talent of her neighbors in the Carolina Place and the Ardmore Historic Street Car District, located on the fringe of downtown Wilmington. So she culled 19 painters, quilters, musicians, sculptors and other creative makers to launch a neighborhood porch exhibit and sale, Art-Oberfest.
The art crawl returns Saturday, Oct. 17, noon to 4 p.m. — this time at nearly double the size with 37 featured artists.
“Our neighborhood community offers a ‘Norman Rockwell/nostalgic’ feel, while still being diverse,” Cook described of the craftsman-style homes lining the streets.
In 2019 Art-Oberfest brought in 250 patrons, who wandered up and down the sidewalks, and stopped by each porch to get to know a little about the artists. Sales went entirely to the artists.
The 2020 event will take place along Pender, Wrightsville and Creecy avenues, as well as Church, Nun, 19th and Castle streets. It will be Covid-19 compliant, with masks being required and contactless payments offered via Venmo and/or PayPal.
Art in Bloom will have a booth set up at 1916 Pender Street, representing artists like Mark Gansor (acrylic paintings), Debra Bucci (archival prints), Bradley Carter (paint-skin transfer sketch books and archival prints), Ann Howard (jewelry), Brian Evans (ceramics), Dianne Evans (ceramics), and Richard Bunting (blown glass art).
Over on 2101 Pender Avenue, Martha Bateman of Mbat Glass will be stationed with Jo Anne Alford, Bateman’s friend. A retired teacher, Bateman started doing art shows only last year.
“I have some pieces for sale at Bryand Gallery downtown,” she said.
Bateman will sell around 50 of her fused glass works, including functional art like bowls, plates and serving dishes. Prices will range from $3 to $75.
“I try to create a little everyday in some way,” Bateman said.
Though the Covid-19 pandemic limited her travel, it allowed her time to experiment with different techniques. “There will be new ‘experiments’ for sale,” she confirmed.
Covid-19 also led Kelly Franklin into pouring more of herself into art. Franklin left her job during the shutdown to stay home with her daughter, Beatrix. During this time, she began making original mosaic folk art, derived from shells and featuring various terrestrial and marine imagery. One piece, inspired by her homesteading, showcases a chicken.
“We got chickens in early summer and I was on a beach walk with my cousin when we sat down in a pile of shells, and I said, ‘Oh! This shell totally looks like a chicken feather! Is it crazy if I want to make a chicken out of shells?’” she recalled.
Thus began a new passion.
“I really enjoy creating pieces that are accurate to certain species,” she said.
Franklin will have works featuring a snowy egret and horse head, among others, ranging from $25 to $125. She will share her spot at 1913 Pender Avenue with local candlemakers 2ChicksWithScents.
“I usually paint the background first, based on what I think will complement the color range of shells I use,” Franklin detailed of her process. “Next, I grab my containers of organized shells, by color and size, and start searching for the right shapes, and let them lead me into the outline of what I’m creating.”
Art-Oberfest also will highlight furniture makers, vintage clothing consignors, culinary artists, stationary makers, and performance artists. Jordan Sutherland and Big Al will perform an acoustic jam from noon to 4 p.m. on Pender Avenue, while Johnny G and the Shadowboxers will take over Church and Nun streets.
“Jordan and Scott Butler (Johnny G) live in Carolina Place and the Ardmore Historic Street Car District and are great representatives of the musical talent in our community,” Cook said. “Our poet-in-residence, Kali Szczypta, will be reading throughout the event and will have copies for sale.”
Szczypta, 16, is planning to sell seven or eight different poems for $5 each at 2106 Pender Avenue. Most of her work is an expression and interpretation of how she experiences life.
“Poetry has always served as a sort of coping mechanism for me,” Szczypta said. “I mostly write when I need to clear my head; I take the weight off of my shoulders and put it into my words and my work.”
Throughout the pandemic’s isolation she turned to poetry to help process the world. Politics and the Black Lives Matter movement inspired her to document this time period, especially from the perspective of youth growing up in a fractured America.
“So, I wrote a poem called ‘we live in a time,’” she said.
She will be reading it, as well as “her,” “i met a boy” and “paper airplanes,” at Art-Oberfest.
Szczypta has performed locally at Femme Speak Outs, presented by Athenian Press and Workshop, since summer of 2018. She also performed and sold work at last year’s Art-Oberfest. The reaction folks brought to her performances have helped grow her confidence as a writer and artist.
“Some lady came up to me in tears after my reading [last year] and told me about her husband who had passed,” Szczypta said. “She explained to me that she felt as if he was talking to her through me. It’s always so amazing, hearing the different ways people interpret my work.”
According to Quinn, participants of the crawl can park and walk through the neighborhood. Ample parking spaces align Pender and Gibson avenues, and 19th, 21st and Church and Castle streets. Route maps (see below) will be available at every porch stop along the way, so participants know addresses where artists are stationed.
“People can start at End of Days Distillery and end up at Wallace Park at Pender, or they can start at Pender and end up at End of Days,” Cook said.
Cook already is looking ahead to next year with hopes of growing the event more. “I’d love to get to 60 artists,” she said. “I may have to hire an intern, though.”
