Dozens of vendors, food trucks and local businesses came together for the Statesboro ArtsFest at Sweetheart Circle on April 26.
This annual event is organized by Bulloch County Recreation & Parks. Kimberly Sharpe, the event coordinator, enjoys the community aspect of it.
“It really helps people come and be involved with the university,” she said. “It really connects the university and the community together.”
One table that’s always at the ArtsFest is the tie-dye station. Guests can purchase a t-shirt for $5, and they can tie-dye it for free with the help of the volunteers.
“I love that if you look around, you see kids wearing them from the years before,” Sharpe said. “A lot of kids will come and tie-dye a shirt one year, and wear it the next. It’s really great to see.”
This year, there were 50 vendors selling items such as art pieces, jewelry, handmade crafts, home decor and more. One vendor was Aubrey Corley, who came with her friends to sell some of their ceramic pieces.
“It’s really just a hobby, we took it as an extracurricular class and fell in love with it,” Corley said. “We are basically selling everything we have made. We make cups, bowls, chip bowls, vases, planters and little jars, stuff like that.”
This event is a great opportunity for local artists to showcase their work and meet others in the art community.
“I just think it’s important for artists to find each other,” she explained. “Even with the internet, it’s hard to find people in your local community, so we are kind of losing that sense of in-person togetherness. This is a great way for us to make a little bit of money while also networking and meeting each other.”
Along with vendors, local businesses and organizations were able to host “art stops”, which are tables with arts & crafts for the kids to enjoy. Statesboro Urgent Care hosted a table, handing out crafts while also spreading the word about their facility. Dr. Sreevalli Dega is a full-time provider, and she came with her colleague to hand out scratch-off bookmarks to the kids.
“We are handing out crafts to families and also telling them who we are, where we are and what we do,” she explained.
Throughout the day, local artists performed at the main stage, where families could relax and enjoy the nice weather. The ArtsFest is held every spring, and they start accepting applications for vendors and performers in the months leading up to it. More information can be found here.
