For those looking for an activity to attend on an away game weekend, Kentuck’s annual Festival of the Arts will be providing a variety of entertainment and art.
Kentuck will celebrate the festival’s 40th anniversary and will be held Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kentuck Park.
Over 250 artists will be participating in the event, with booths featuring a variety of folk, contemporary and traditional art. There will also be selected artists providing educational demonstrations of different art techniques.
UA ceramics and drawing instructor Daniel Livingston will be featuring his Raku pottery collection and demonstrating the pottery firing process.
“My pieces are mainly decorative ware that are one of a kind,” Livingston said. “I generally get my inspiration from nature.”
Raku pottery is a traditional type of Japanese pottery that has been made for over 500 years. Raku pottery typically consists of Japanese tea bowls and is characterized by hand-molded clay that gives each piece a unique look.
“The best part of my art is getting to do what I enjoy doing,” Livingston said. “I always wanted to make stuff on the pottery wheel.”
Livingston applied to be part of Kentuck’s festival his first two years and has since been invited back as a demonstrating artist for the past 18 years.
“There will be a large number of potters [at the festival] that will be demonstrating the different types of pottery techniques,” Livingston said. “You will see virtually every type of ceramics being made.”
Livingston plans to bring 30-40 large pieces and 10-15 small pieces to sell and will fire around 40 pieces for demonstration during the festival.
In addition to the festival, Livingston’s art is on display at the Kentuck Art Gallery in Northport.
“I’m always excited about the festival,” Livingston said. “I’ve made a lot friends at Kentuck that I get to see every year and enjoy making new friends too. It’s a great way to spend two days.”
Another demonstrating artist, Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., will be displaying his collection of poster prints at the festival.
Kennedy first designed a poster for Kentuck’s Festival of the Arts in 2002 and has since participated for the past nine years.
His posters are created through the manual process of letterpress printing. Letterpress is a type of relief printing where a raised service of letters is inked and then applied to paper to create the print.
“My printing process is an ongoing activity because I live and work in the same space,” Kennedy said. “When a person orders a print, I usually get it to them in about two weeks.”
Kennedy will be bringing between 200-300 of his posters to show at the festival. The posters sell individually for $15 or in multiples for $10 each.
Kennedy’s business is located in Gordo, Ala., and customers can order posters from his website, kennedyprints.com.
“Kentuck Festival of the Arts is an excellent festival and the best deal for $15 in Alabama,” Kennedy said. “It’s an experience you need to have once in your four years as a student at the University of Alabama.”
