Penn Staters sell ceramics at Arts Fest

Arts Fest has always been a town-and-gown affair, and this year is no different.

Through a collaboration between the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and the arts entrepreneurship program in the College of Arts and Architecture, four Penn Staters are selling their ceramics.

Stephanie Seguin and Courtney Michaud, 2017 master of fine arts graduates; Bradley Klem, current master of fine arts candidate; and Mary Cate Fruehan, who recently graduated with a bachelor of fine arts, shared a double booth on Pollock Road.

They had to be vetted through the same jury process as any other artist in the show.

Between the four of them, they had an inventory of about 550 pieces. Much of the work they’re selling is functional, but there are also decorative and sculptural pieces.

Klem said his favorite part of participating in Arts Fest is meeting and interacting with festivalgoers.

It’s an exciting opportunity to see how people react to the work, Fruehan said.

They’re “getting a lot of cold reads,” Seguin said.

Seguin said it’s helpful to see what people react to and pick up because her work is totally different.

“I like to kind of spice things up,” she said.

She said she flip flops the mood she’s in with her work — going from doing something more serious to something more floral and decorative.

A lot of Klem’s works start out as drawings on paper in ink and then he uses a quill pen and china paint to transfer the designs to the ceramics.

Many of his pieces are inspired by conservation, he said, with images of plastic bags, crunched up water bottles and fish appearing on them.

A number of people have said they’re glad to see student representation, Seguin said.

Arts Fest continues through Sunday, with the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition drawing more than 300 artists from across the country. Performances and other events take place throughout the festival.

This story was originally published July 14, 2017 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Penn Staters sell ceramics at Arts Fest."