Artists Converge on East Brunswick

The weather wasn’t ideal, but nonetheless several hundred people still showed up for the ninth annual Fine Arts Festival at the East Brunswick Municipal Complex on Saturday.

This year’s event saw 61 venders set up shop around the municipal pond, selling everything from painted rocks to handmade soaps to stained glass.

“It’s a good reminder for people to see what’s out there,” said Karen Kecskes, the recreation supervisor who led the event’s 12 person planning committee. “I myself walk around and see the talent that’s out there, and they could be your neighbors and you don’t even know your neighbors are so talented.”

Planning for the event began in January, when the town put out a “call to artists” for which locals could submit their work to be judged eligible for the fair. Judging was based on originality and quality and to make sure someone didn’t just “go to A.C. Moore by a bunch of beads and string them,” said Kecskes.

While the 61 venders this year is a far cry from the 103 that participated in the first Fine Arts Festival, Kecskes said the low number is simply the result of a poor economy.

“Most of our artists say it’s because of the economy. They’re either not coming out because of the economy, or their feeling that the public, when they’re coming out, they’re not really spending.”

Some venders though, Joshua Zaitz of Kenilworth, just recently heard about the event and came out this year for the first time. “It’s nice to have a Facebook and Twitter account to promote (the art), but it’s always nice when people in the area stop by and I can put the face to the name,” said Zaitz, who sells what he calls “3D Pop Art,” three-dimensional pictures of anything from a city skyline to a TV show character.

“I’ve been to a few others similar to this, but this one is in a really nice setting with the pond and everything,” said Tracey Thompson, a stained glass artist from Hightstown. “It looks like it’s got some real potential here.”

Even though the event is almost a decade old, it continues to attract new people every year, such as Donna Radick of East Brunswick. “I’ve always lived in East Brunswick and it’s my very first year I’ve ever come,” said Radick, who came for a specific vender after seeing her at another craft show. “They have a lot of variety in the art,” she added.

An event like this, Kecskes said, also serves as a reminder for people of what the community can offer.

“Sometimes people are looking for an outlet, a way to get out of the house at night and be a little creative. A lot of our artists offer classes, and you can find the hidden talent you have,” she said.

And despite having the festival cut short because of some early afternoon rain, Kecskes was pleased with the event’s turnout.

“It’s June, people are itching to get out of the house, and it’s just a good opportunity to get out and about.”