DISPATCH - MAY 25, 2013 (3:30 p.m.)
RIVERHEAD, NY-
Memorial Day weekend means it’s time once again for the East End Arts 17th annual Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival to be held on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. in downtown Riverhead. As in years past, the fun-for-the-whole-family Community Mosaic will feature the event’s signature’s street painting on Main Street, a fine arts and crafts fair populated with local artists and artisans, live music on the Riverhead Town Show Mobile, face painting for children, a drum circle, gourmet food trucks, various arts, crafts, dance, and music activities for the whole family.
Window installation of Andrea Cote's "Eyes on Main Street."
This year, artist Andrea Cote is collaborating with East End Arts to use the Community Mosaic as a springboard for the launch of “Eyes On Main Street,” an interactive, community-based public art project for Downtown Riverhead.
The project involves video portraits of local personalities, community organizers, and people who live and/or grew up along Main Street. Launching is a public window installation in several empty Main Street storefronts.
The installation is made up of around 100 silk blindfolds printed with the eyes of those who make Riverhead their home or is the location of their livelihood. An interactive website, that is smart phone responsive can be found at www.eyesonmainstreetriverhead.com.
This is the second interactive project Cote has presented at the Community Mosaic. In 2011, she presented her poetry-based project "“Memorized.” Last month, Cote presented the project again in Miami, FL during a month-long celebration of poetry.
The street painting at the festival is a descendant of the “I Madonnari” art form dating back to 16th century Italy, when street painters created works of art in front of cathedrals to pay homage to the Virgin Mary. Street painters at the Community Mosaic Festival create images ranging from pop culture and trompe l’oeil to historical figures, portraits to landscapes, comedy to tragedy.
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Scene from the 2012 Community Moscaic's Street Painting Festival.
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New this year is a Festival Passport for Kids, which will allow youngsters to explore the many activities offered throughout the festival. Passports get a stamp when kids stop at different stations and participate in the activities. A completed passport will equate to a 5 percent discount on one group class at the East End Arts School.
After the festival, the newly renovated Suffolk Theater will present the band Who Are Those Guys? in an After-Party Concert, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and the show starting at 7; general admission tickets are $10. For more information about the event, visit: www.eastendarts.org.
The artisans and crafts people to be featured at the 17th Annual Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival include Michael Chait, original artwork and graphic prints (www.esty.com/shop/michaelchait); FB Gifts, sand art; Fenwood Designs, hand felted items (www.fenwood-designs.com); Hampton Art Space, watercolor, prints and ceramics (www.hamptonartspace.com); Christine Heidenrich, acrylic paintings; Ivy Cottage Gifts, hand painted glassware (www.ivycottagegifts.com); J Alex M, collage décor, polymer clay, jewelry; Yan Yan Liang, jewelry; Mayaindia Body Bakery, handmade soaps and body scrubs (www.mayaindiaspaa.com); Misknit et al, knitted, crocheted, and hand painted gifts; Annette Steedle, watercolors; and Diane Woodcheck Photography ( www.dwoodcheke.com).
All activities take place in downtown Riverhead on East Main Street, between Roanoke Avenue and East Street, and on the grounds of East End Arts (133 and 141 East Main Street.) In the case of rain, the event will be held on Monday, May 27, from 2 to 5 p.m.
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Laura Picca and Kayle Petruzzi work on a chalk mural inspired by a favorite illustration at the 2012 East End Arts Community Mosaic street painting festival.
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BASIC FACTS: The "17th Annual Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival" will be held May 26, 2013 from noon to 5 p.m. along East Main Street in Riverhead, NY. Admission is free. For more information, visit: www.eastendarts.org.
RELATED: "Chalk Murals Take Over Riverhead's Main Street" Published June 3, 2012.
"O,Miami Poetry Festival Crosses Artistic Boundaries." Published April 30, 2013.
"Visual Diary - Exhibition Exploration" Published June 2, 2011.
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