Mt. Lebanon Artists’ Market set for Sept. 22-23
For folks who attend the fifth annual Mt. Lebanon Artists’ Market, Wendy Denenberg has a suggestion.
“People should talk to the artists and find out what’s behind them and what makes them tick, and what inspires them,” she said. “That’s the interesting part of these shows.”
She and husband Steve, longtime owners of Create A Frame/Handworks Gallery on Washington Road, are co-organizers of the two-day event, which is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 22 and 23 in the Academy Avenue parking lot. The market features 68 artists in a wide variety of media.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Celebrating being awarded the scholarships presented in June by the Mt. Lebanon Partnership are, from left, art students Paulina Braverman, Alyssa Scott and Hannah Wu.
About one-third of this year’s artists, who were selected through a juried process, are new to the market.
“We’re getting artists from farther and farther away from the area, because it’s becoming more well-known,” Wendy said, with some traveling from New York, Ohio and West Virginia. “The word is getting out there.”
Along with the artists and their work, the event features seven food vendors to tempt visitors’ taste buds: Revival Chili, BRGR, the Mac & Gold Truck, Arancini House, Totopo and Two Brothers Bar-B-Q.
Special features include entertainment by the musical duo Hewlett Anderson, demonstrations by students of the Tom Savini’s Special Make-up Effects Program, caricatures by Howard Bender and face painting by Noelle Marinelli.
Also, students in Mt. Lebanon High School’s art program, under the direction of Jennifer Rodriguez, will show their work and talk about the support they receive for their endeavors.
The Mt. Lebanon Partnership – which sponsors the artists’ market, and for which Steve Denenberg serves as treasurer – awarded $1,000 scholarships to three members of the Class of 2018 who are continuing their education at art schools. A raffle at the market, with pieces donated by artists as prizes, will raise money toward next year’s scholarships.
Along with the daytime events, an Artists’ Market Party will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, featuring music at the Clearview Commons stage by the Afro Yaqui Music Collective, which recently appeared at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
The weekend’s festivities are occurring just as the Denenbergs are getting ready to retire from their business after 43 years, as of Oct. 1.