GoggleWorks, Kutztown Folk Festival join forces
Reading arts center to offer interactive programs at the festival
Officials from the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts are partnering with the Kutztown Folk Festival to bring its renowned artists and a host of new interactive programs to the event this summer.
The announcement of the new partnership was made Saturday, April 29, during the fifth annual Iron Pour & Forge Fest at GoggleWorks. Representatives from both organizations were on hand to explain what visitors to the Kutztown Folk Festival can expect.
They said GoggleWorks will occupy a large pavilion where festival attendees will have opportunities to engage with a variety of art forms through demonstrations, workshops, programs and children activities.
“We are thrilled to partner with GoggleWorks and bring their innovative art programs to the Kutztown Folk Festival,” said Heather Zimmerman, director of the festival. “We believe that this partnership will enhance the festival experience for our attendees and provide a unique opportunity to engage with art.”
The Kutztown Folk Festival, which will be held July 1 through July 9, is a celebration of Pennsylvania Dutch culture and tradition that attracts visitors from across the country to the Kutztown Fairgrounds each summer.
GoggleWorks Executive Director Levi Landis said the festival gives the center’s artists the perfect opportunity to share their expertise in traditional art processes through innovative programs that inspire and engage the community in new ways.
The GoggleWorks pavilion will feature a variety of tools from 10 teaching studios at its headquarters in downtown Reading,
including a mobile glass blowing furnace, a ceramics wheel, warm glass torches, drawing and painting kiosks and gardening activities.
“The partnership with the Kutztown Folk Festival is an example of how GoggleWorks is committed to engaging new audiences through creative experiences,” GoggleWorks Program Director Maggie Gallen said.
Gallen said the center began offering outdoor mobile programs for community events in public spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that in 2022 GoggleWorks offered 42 admission-free mobile programs for more than 15,000 participants.
“This opportunity will expand our unique art programs throughout the region,” she said.
“We believe that this partnership will enhance the festival experience for our attendees and provide a unique opportunity to engage with art.” — Heather Zimmerman, director of the festival