Armory hosts new art festival

If you haven’t finished your holiday shopping yet, you might want to stop by the Armory Art Center’s new West Palm Beach Arts Festival this weekend.

The juried festival will feature 88 exhibitors selli ng gl ass, ceramic s , j ewelry, paintings and other works. There also will be f ood t r ucks , a r t demonstrations, children’s craft activities and concerts by local groups such as the Les Nuages with Palm Beach Post columnist Frank Cerabino, Roaring Kelly Band, Orchid City Brass Band and the Bak Middle School of the Arts ensembles.

The festival will be held 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the nonprofit visual art school. Admission is free, as are the shuttles running between the Armory and p a r k i n g a t t h e Dre y f o o s School of the Arts.

The event is the brainchild of executive director Tom Pearson. He’s attended a lot of festivals. “My wife is an art festival junkie,” he said.

It replaces a holiday ceramics sale that didn’t draw many shoppers.

“This is a way to get our name out there and for more people to know who we are,” Pearson said.

Armory faculty members will demonstrate skills taught at the school, such as printmaking, painting, ceramics and blacksmithing.

The festival is also a good opportunity for artists to sell their work. Pearson said he doesn’t expect this festival to be a money-maker, although if it catches on it might be in the future. “My goal is to break even,” he said.

The event costs nearly $50,000 to mount and is partially underwritten by a $20,000 grant from PNC Bank’s foundation.

Exhibitors, who come from around the country, were chosen to provide a variety of designs, materials and subjects, said Liza Niles, chief of education and exhibitions. Goods are priced affordably.

Among her favorites are painters Nyle Gordon of Missouri and William Cantwell of Port St. Lucie, jeweler and metalsmith Ruth Hartman of Maine, and fiber artist and craftswoman Erin Bassett of Sunrise.

Resident Laura Klein is pleased that the Armory has started a juried art festival. “I think it’s a great idea,” she said.

She sug gested that her friend Debra Herndon apply to exhibit.

The two met when Herndon was bagging Klein’s groceries at the Palm Beach Publix. Herndon creates portraits in pastel and pencil from photographs of peo- ple, pets and wild animals.

“She’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever met,” Klein said.

ARTIST COURTESY OF THE Debra Herndon’s Wealth and Beauty, a portrait of a woman from Nepal, is among the works that will display at the West Palm Beach Arts Festival.

COURTESY OF THE ARTIST Armory faculty member Adriana Ficarelli’s booth will feature rings, pendants and other jewelry at the West Palm Beach Arts Festival.