Festival of Arts brings Out Creative Energy

The Redlands Festival of Arts Committee, in cooperation with the Redlands Arts Association, the Redlands Cultural Arts Commission and Arts Connection, and the arts council of San Bernardino County held the 2nd Annual Redlands Festival of Arts at Smiley Park on May 24th and 25th, Memorial Day weekend. The two-day festival brought local and outside artists of all kinds to the Inland Empire. Shirley Harry, one of the organizers, said the festival grew from last year and a lot of new artists came "by word of mouth." Entertainment for the festival included a kid's activity center, live music, and a beer and wine garden. Food trucks catered the event. Judges awarded artists with cash prizes. Artist Greg Clark said, “I didn't even know there were cash prizes.” His works with brass, copper, and aluminum won a $1,000 first-place prize. Artist Brad Faegre, who painted many of his pieces in Redlands, came for the second year in a row. He said, "Art is craft you have to put thousands of hours into." Christina Van Hulle came with her husband, Michael, and daughter, Victoria. Christina bought an art piece featuring an apple with a heart in it. She said, "Teachers are the heart of the future."