Even with the morning showers, the Lubeznik Center for the Arts 40th Arts Festival on Saturday, August 20 was an event no one wanted to miss out on. Families and friends from all over the Region came out to enjoy all the new things Lubeznik had added to its annual festival.
Whether you are an art enthusiast or not, there was something for everyone to enjoy. There were indoor exhibitions and over 60 art booths to explore. Guests could chow down on some delicious food from Social Que BBQ or savor some ice cream from Cabo’s. For the kids, there was a kids’ area where kids could come and create their own art or get their faces painted. For the adults, there was a beer and wine tent for people to grab a cool drink to sip on as they adventured through the festival.
To make the 40th Annual Art Festival even more special, Lubeznik decided to hold a mural invitational. Three local graffiti artists, Felix Maldonado, Chris Silva, and Dredske, were invited to each paint a mural live during the festival. Visitors could sit and watch the creation of a masterpiece, and vote on which artist was their favorite.
“Each of them has a unique style and their own audience,” said Ish Muhammad, the Lubeznik board member who organized the mural invitational. “They’re bringing a new layer of art to the festival. A new way to look at art.”
The mural invitational was an inventive way to get people to engage with a type of art they don’t normally get to appreciate. Lubeznik is always finding creative ways to adapt and make the art festival more enjoyable for everyone. Each year the festival changes and exciting new things are added to make the festival even better than before.
“This festival has been here for 40 years. And it’s nice to have a festival during an era where a lot of festivals don’t last that long. It’s just nice to know that the Lubeznik Art Center is able to adapt and change and continue to run a successful art space,” said Muhammad.
Janet Bloch, Executive Director of Lubeznik Art Center, believes that the future of the festival is bright and that there are endless opportunities for the festival to evolve.
“I could see 10 artists doing murals next year. There are just so many possibilities. We go with the flow,” said Bloch.
Bloch’s biggest hope for the festival is that it will serve as an entry point for people to become more interested in the art center. Bloch explained that many people may feel intimidated by an art institution when really Lubeznik Art Center is meant to be a family-friendly resource for the Northwest Indiana community.
The art center is free six days a week and offers many scholarships for both kids and adults. The center even has a family area for parents to create artwork with their kids. Bloch hopes the festival encourages people to come back and take advantage of all the wonderful things Lubeznik has to offer.
“I just hope to introduce more and more people and have people say ‘that was a really good time, let’s go back,’” said Bloch.
The Lubeznik Arts Festival has received an incredible amount of support from businesses and organizations all over Northwest Indiana. Mcdonald’s of LaPorte County, First Source Bank, Purdue University Northwest, Stranco, and NIPSCO are just a few of Lubeznik’s generous sponsors that support the center and helped make the festival possible. The Lubeznik Art Center team is extremely grateful for all the help they’ve been given.
“It’s nice to know that the Lubeznik Center for the Arts receives so much business support. It’s nice to have that support because it allows us to change and take more chances with new projects,” said Muhammad.
If you missed out on the festival on Saturday, don’t worry. The festival will still be going strong from 10 a.m to 5 p.m on Sunday, August 20, and thanks to Mcdonald’s of LaPorte County, admission will be free. With so many amazing different types of art to come and enjoy, everything from photography to jewelry making to basket weaving, it’s something you definitely don’t want to miss.
To learn more about the Lubeznik Center for the Arts and its annual art festival, visit https://www.lubeznikcenter.org/.
