The San Bernardino Art Festival celebrated its 4th annual showcase at the San Manuel Stadium on the 16th of March. The creation for the arts festival was born with the desire to revitalize and inspire the cities of San Bernardino through culture and art. The festival showcased over 100 artists and vendors selling their personal art as well as booths with information on programs and events within the community of San Bernardino. The art vendors ranged in age groups as well as different art styles and mediums.
The artists were set up in booths outside the parking lot of the stadium, which had two separate stages that held performing acts like musical artists. The different acts who performed on the separate stages included but were not limited to the, Ballet Folklorico Cultural and the San Bernardino Teen Music Workshop. The main stage near the entrance of the San Manuel Stadium held the main performers where the SBTMW had their jazz band and singers perform covers of big musical hits. The SBMTW is a nonprofit organization that offers music and dance classes for free for students from 6th grade to 12th grade in the Inland Empire. According to team member Cheryl McClung, the bands within the program get the opportunity to travel to community events and perform at venues such as Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. McClung also mentioned that students who are involved within the program for more than a few years can gain the experience to become mentors for others.
The art booths that were set up alongside the art walk showcased art styles such as surrealism, photo realism and cartoon recreations. One of the many artists who showcased their art and mediums was Victoria Serna who works with watercolor and acrylic. Serna mentioned the importance of producing art by presenting “what it means to exist and co-exist within the world.” The several artists presented throughout the festival showcased the growth and importance of art within the community.
One of the booths within the festival was the Little Gallery of San Bernardino that focused on showcasing local art such as portraits and drawings brought in from around the Inland Empire. Arts Connection known as the Art council of San Bernardino was also one of the many booths set up alongside the art walk that contained a variety of different information on community events and programs. Jennifer Kane, a member of the Arts Council mentioned the importance of creating and maintaining art alive and thriving throughout the San Bernardino community. The AC is supported by the county of San Bernardino where their mission is to; “Elevate arts and culture to the status where you want to have artists and art organizations at the table in helping human services in development and planning.” The AC helps in giving artists resources and non-profit support as well as welcoming and creating an artist registry for the cities.
The Art Council welcomes artists such as painters, dancers and musicians so that they can build an enriching list of community artists. Kane mentioned the eye-opening experience of being involved with events where they connect with people in the community who want San Bernardino to “come back to life” following the fall into bankruptcy in the year of 2013. The event is one of the many ways to start a conversation within the city on how to improve programs and keep those in the city connected. The San Bernardino Art Festival focused on the importance of keeping artists from all age groups creating and passionate for all types and styles of art. The festival’s mission relied heavily on keeping the city informed about what the county has to offer for culture and art.