Plainsboro Public Library’s annual Festival of the Arts, the culmination of “Local Color,” the library’s summer program, takes place Saturday, September 19, from noon to 4 p.m. Meet artists from the area, participate in collaborative art projects, and experiment with different kinds of arts and crafts. There will also be live music.
Tatiana Sougakova, an artist from Plainsboro, will create an art installation called “Kaleidoscope of Butterflies” when she attaches a swarm of more than 170 cut-out drawings of butterflies to an outside wall (or window) of the library. The 8 x 10-inch cut-outs were hand-colored in crayon, primarily by participants in the library’s summer program, who may come and see them in the kaleidoscope.
Alison Kwok will return with her ever-popular Chinese knot-tying. Other members of Plainsboro’s Chinese community will demonstrate traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy.
Julia Pankratova, the recipient of Plainsboro’s 2015 Artist of the Year award in March in recognition of her many volunteer hours in library arts programs, will show patrons how to create their own mandalas, a circular symbol of unity used in meditation.
Embroidery artists and wannabe embroiderers will have a chance to learn about the craft and test their skill at the table of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America, Princeton Chapter
Artist Art Lee will invite festival-goers to stop by and help him create a large collaborative sculpture from recycled materials; while Rachel Bissette will demonstrate her stained-glass-cutting technique. Artist Leena Shekhar will show festival-goers how to make small clay figures; and library staff member Neera Kothari will host a booth on painting and decorating diyas (clay pots).
Musician and artist Russ Rice will demonstrate his use of found objects in the construction of simple musical instruments; and Plainsboro fiber artist Nelly Kouzmina will demonstrate the art of felt-making to festival-goers.
If the weather is good, Sue Albert will return with her “Twirling Arcade,” a show that involves tossing, juggling, and flying. Festival-goers will be invited to participate as she juggles sticks, scarves, and handmade hula hoops, while Louie the Hoop-Flying Clown, also a therapy dog, performs his favorite routines.
Sangeeta Warier of That Pottery Place will host a table devoted to pottery painting. Other artists participating in the festival will include Sangita Angora, Jaya Shah, Aarti Mantri, and Maria Sanchez.
Mary Jo Egbert of WATS, a central New Jersey organization that encourages women and children to pursue excellence in all areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and art, will demonstrate the science behind cotton candy, as she spins it for everyone’s enjoyment.
The Plainsboro Library’s summer program is funded by the Plainsboro Public Library Foundation. The Foundation’s fourth annual Mayor’s Cup Golf Tournament, which will be held this year on Monday, September 21, at the Princeton Meadows Golf Course, raises funds to support the summer program.
Festival of the Arts, Plainsboro Public Library, 9 Van Doren Street. Saturday, September 19, Noon to 4 p.m. Annual festival with demonstrations by artists from the community, create your own masterpieces, and take part in collaborative art projects. Funded by the Plainsboro Public Library Foundation. 609-275-2897. www.lmxac.org/plainsboro.
