Bayou City Art Festival

By Jade Emanuel

On any other weekend, the 1.1 mile loop at Memorial Park is filled with joggers, families and picnickers. March 27-29, however, Memorial Park was transformed into an extravagant outdoor gallery, as artists and festival­­­­­–goers interacted at the Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park.
“The festival began as a fundraiser in the early ‘70s to promote charity for AIDS,” said Wendy Harshbarger, accountant for the Art Colony Association. Today, the festival, which is produced by the Art Colony Association, not only aids the livelihood of artists, but has raised more than $2.5 million for local art-based non-profit organizations.
“The Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park is a unique avenue for up­–and–coming artists,” said Joe Pogge, president of the board of the Art Colony Association.“Our top–level art festival draws artists from all over the world.”             With more than 1,200 applicants and only 300 entries granted, there was an eclectic group of creative works. Artists representing 19 media formats displayed everything from clay sculptures, to hand–blown glass and functional furniture art. Each booth held individual artists and allowed festival–goers to admire and even purchase their favorite pieces of artwork.
“It’s like walking through a museum,” Pogge said. “There is a flow ... there is a feel to it.”
While the outer loop of the park was littered with booths and observing crowds, the middle of the park featured cuisine chefs, wine tasting, an interactive children’s Capitol One Bank Creative Zone and an array of performance dance groups.
Avid toy collector, watercolorist and the 2009 Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park “Featured Artist” Larry Stephenson wowed the crowds with his whimsical collection. His premier piece, “A Day at the Airport” was displayed proudly at the entrance of the festival, along with billboards, programs, t-shirts and posters donning the featured piece. The Kansas–based artist established most of his work around his collection of vintage toys. Paintings of antique marbles, wind-up tin men, and model planes and cars could be found throughout his display.   
“It kind of marries a couple of imaginative avenues for me, both that of painting and collecting,” Stephenson said. “I’ve done the show for a number of years ... I really didn’t politic for [becoming the featured artist]. They just ... called me one day and asked if I’d be willing to do this, and that’s when I started working up some ideas for the posters.”
For most participants, art is a full–time occupation. Daryl Thetford made the drive to Houston from Chattanooga, Tenn., for his fifth showing at the festival. Thetford began his career as a straight “Americana” photographer.
“I’ve always been drawn to old signs, old billboards, old posters and from there then it became, well, what if I created my own signs?” Thetford said. It was this line of thinking that led him to create pieces like the “Carousel Horses” a collage of vintage signs used to created the background and foreground of a desired subject.
Throughout the booths, several artists had pieces of work with no formal titles. When people would ask about the piece, the artists enjoyed discussing their opinions and thoughts pertaining to the art.
“Some artists want the viewer to have their own dialogue with each piece ... giving it a name takes that element of thought out of the process,” said Austin–based acrylic painter Micheal Babyak. “Some pieces don’t need names; they should have their own visual vocabulary.”
While walking along the decorated paths of the park, onlookers had a rare chance to communicate with artists about their original and sometimes perplexing pieces.
“The festival is a great place to find one-of-a-kind, unusual presents for people who have everything,” said Houstonian Patti Lapp, a second year attendee to the Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park.
As for hopeful artists interested in entering the festival, the competition is highly advanced. Out of the 300 artists in attendance this year, only about 30 were first–time participants.
“My advice for upcoming artists is to follow your passion and don’t expect [everything] to happen overnight,” Stephenson said.
Art lovers can be very fickle when it comes to the approval or disapproval of an artist’s piece of work. Some may loathe the creation that an artist feels is his/her best work yet.
“You have to find your own crowd; you have to find people that are drawn to your work,” Thetford said.
The ambience and entertainment the Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park offers can both visually and physically stimulate an unforgettable experience. Whether it’s the soft sounds of jazz leaking throughout the tree–lined paths, or the odd life–size metal cow that makes you strike up a conversation with a stranger; the Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park is a solidifying part of Houston culture not only for Houstonians, but for art lovers across the country.