Third Times a Charm
Stephanie Coppula
Produced by the non-profit organizations, the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc. and the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival juries some of the best artists from throughout the United States. The festival focuses on high quality fine art and fine craft and features 130 contemporary artists whose works include painting, photography, jewelry, ceramic, glass, fiber and turned wood.
Artists travel to downtown Bethesda from as far away as Maine, Florida, California and Canada. Downtown Bethesda is a community known for affluent residents, an area featuring nearly 200 restaurants within 300 acres, unique retail shops and public art. This is why artists were willing to participate in this festival during its first and second years even without proven success. Artists were confident that the Bethesda community would not only be able to support this festival, but it would also be a well-run event due to the expertise of the Bethesda Urban Partnership which has managed large-scale street festivals and has effectively marketed downtown Bethesda since 1994.
Catriona Fraser, Director of the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, is a 12-year veteran of arts festivals and as an artist she works to ensure that the focus of the festival stays on the artists. Although the festival also features live entertainment and several local restaurants, the attention is on the vibrant visual art that attracts residents of the Greater Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas.
Ms. Fraser is also a Bethesda gallery owner, an award-winning photographer and curator and is sharing her expertise with downtown Bethesda. According to Ms. Fraser "we are working to establish the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival as one of the premier festivals in the country," she also added "we are also pleased to already have a reputation from our participating artists who greatly appreciate our artist amenities and the serious art buyers who attend the festival."
The Bethesda Fine Arts Festival has received a 40 percent increase in applications since its inception in 2004. Artists have heard the buzz and seen the promotion of this new festival and its advantages, which include a great demographic market, significant artist amenities and artist-friendly size of only 130 artists.
According to one participating artist: "This is the best art show I have exhibited in because it includes serious art buyers, excellent artists plus the artists are treated well."
Visitors to the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival will find everything from Paul Germain’s spectacularly rich-colored oil and metal leaf on panel to jewelry such as Michelle Krespi’s 18-karat gold ring, which is a stunning example of an individual artist’s use of gold and diamonds to create a dazzling work of art. Additionally, artists such as F. Lennox Campello, Syd Mathis and Diem Zim Pham will exhibit and sell their works of charcoal on paper, glass and photography, respectively. Festival attendees will have the opportunity to talk directly to the individual artists about their craft, inspiration and evolution of their techniques.
The Bethesda Fine Arts Festival will be held on Saturday, May 13th from 10am to 6pm and Sunday, May 14th from 10am to 5pm on Auburn and Norfolk Avenues in downtown Bethesda.
