Artists gather at Fourth Street Festival

Far from the drab walls of museums, the Fourth Street Festival featured "living art" -- art made and sold by the actual artists. The tents, live music and smells of local food vendors added to the "alive and present" atmosphere of the festival.\nThis year, the Fourth Street Festival is in its 29th year. It was started in 1976 by local potters to showcase southern Indiana's artistic talent. The potters chose Fourth Street because they admired its architecture and saw it as a growing and revitalizing area of downtown, said Dawn Adams, president of the Festival Committee and Bloomington resident.\n"We still like this site. It's perfect for a community event," she said.\nToday the show has grown to feature 109 exhibitors in 14 categories, some from as far away as Canada and Venezuela, as well as 18 live music groups. The visitors are also drawn from a wide geographic range, Adams said. About one-third of the visitors are traditionally local (from the tri-county area), while the rest come from all over, but mostly the Midwest and Northeast.\nThe festival has also made a reputation beyond southern Indiana. Adams said an art fair sourcebook rated Fourth Street Festival the best festival in Indiana. Despite such prestige, the festival firmly keeps its feet on the ground.\n"The artists run the festival, so we always keep their interests foremost," Adams said. \nOne vendor who sees eye-to-eye with this goal is Bloomington artist Martina Celerin, who sold wall hangings with 3-D plant shapes woven into them.\n"The festival is entirely run by the artists, which gives it a very non-pretentious flavor. That way it's accessible to all," Celerin said.\nThis is Celerin's second year having a booth at the festival, and she has her reasons for returning.\n"I love Fourth Street. I love the festival. It's such a Bloomington thing to do," she said.\nCelerin said her booth has been rather successful this year, but she measures her success not in terms of profit, but in watching visitors' reactions.\n"One of the best things is watching faces light up when they see my work. I love watching it making people happy," she said.\nThis is also Celerin's main objective for being at the festival. She thinks it's a great way to bring art out to the general public.\n"The festival brings art back into the forefront of people's thinking. It inspires them to be creative, whether it's to create their own artwork or make their house more beautiful. It's all about making people happy," she said.\nA passerby who wished not to be identified said, "I agree with everything she said."\nAnother vendor for whom this was the first year at the Fourth Street Festival was Daniel Bennett, a ceramicist who came from Rushville, Mo., to show his work at the festival.\n"Another artist told me that the show was good and profitable, so I figured I'd apply," Bennett said. "So far (the festival) has been very good. I've had a large response and sales are good."\nBennett enjoyed the festival enough to willingly return again.\n"Selection is by jury, so if they'll have me again, I'll return," he said.\nAside from the vendors, local arts organizations also had booths set up to sign up volunteers and supporters. Organizations represented included the Monroe County Chamber Singers, the Monroe County Civic Theatre, the Bloomington Early Music Festival, Jazz from Bloomington, the Bloomington Playwrights' Project, WFIU and the Hoosier Youth Philharmonic.\nEven though the Bloomington Early Music Festival does not happen again until next may, Bob and Lizzie DeVoe were using the festival as an early opportunity to gain support. Despite several months advance, the DeVoes have had encouraging results.\n"We've had a great response. So far lots of people have signed," they said.\nThe hosts were greatly impressed by the turnout. The Bloomington Parks Department, which helps coordinate the event, had a booth there,also. It was staffed by Jacqueline Myers, the supervisor for the People's University program, who gave her overall impression of Saturday at the Festival.\n"The turnout is great, the day is perfect, we have a nice mix of people," she said. "It's a real community event"