Normal Holds Annual Sugar Creek Arts Festival
By: Alexandra Sutter
Updated: July 8, 2012
NORMAL -- The annual Sugar Creek Arts Festival is celebrating 29 years this weekend.
From paintings to pottery, the Sugar Creek Arts Festival has something for everyone.
Artists from all over the country are in central Illinois to show their work. If you're looking for something a little different, this festival is the place to be.
Visitor Jennifer Weber likes to support local artists. "We always search for little gifts here that are unique and special, and to support the artisans. My girls have bought a couple things here today as well," she said.
Another visitor Fran Tatum said she loves the endless possibilities. "I think just about everything here you can't find at your typical department store."
Thirty-three artists are from the area and over 100 traveled near and far to be apart of the annual event.
Artist Knox Steinbrecher made the trip from as far south as Marietta, Ga.
With temperatures above 100 degrees on Saturday, she said even her artwork was overheated. "My pottery takes up the ambient temperature, which yesterday was 100. Anytime you touch the pottery it was hot. It was scary hot," Steinbrecher said.
On Sunday, the cooler temperatures kept the streets of uptown Normal even more full.
Coordinator Doug Johnson said he expected attendance to top out at around 8,000 on Sunday alone.
"The cultural life of our community is pretty terrific and this is a great opportunity to engage yourself in the arts and to meet an artist and find something," Johnson added.
The festival is also a contest.
This year's best in show winner is no stranger to the title. Fernando Cornejo of Bloomington clinched the prize for the second year in a row.
He's been a painter for more than 17 years and his work hangs in galleries locally as well as in Chicago and St. Louis.
He said it's the way that he creates his art that makes it unique. "It's the technique that I do. It's very similar to reverse glass painting, what they used to do a long time ago by painting on plexiglass. The special part about it is I don't use paintbrushes I use my fingers and toothpicks to give me detail," Cornejo said.
His paintings range from $20 - $800.
To find out more information on buying his work, find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FernandoCornejoFineArt.
