New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival 2017 Was a Great Success!

The Annual New Hope Juried Arts & Crafts Festival was a great success on September 23 and 24, 2017. It featured more than 160 local and national artists and craftspeople. Held at New Hope Solebury High School in New Hope, PA, the festival included events for the whole family. Next year's festival dates are already set. They are September 29 and September 30, 2018.

There were many winners at this year's festival. The Festival awards $4000 in prizes. Civil War tintype photography took the top prize with Best of Show going to Derek Mohr, and 2nd Prize Jewelry going to Michele Cole. The First Place winners were Ruth Taylor for Photography and Kathy Dinsmore for Fiber, and Bob Richey for Fine Art, who won Best of Show in 2008. Daniel Pratt won First Place in Crafts, Megan Whitten for Jewelry, and Kirsten and Marc Lamuniere for Mixed Media.

This year there was a new drawing offering one lucky guest a subscription to Bucks County Playhouse. Mohr had the honors of selecting the winner in the drawing. It was Pina Bartolotta of Marlboro, NJ, who was very excited when Alexander Fraser, Producing Director of Bucks County Playhouse, called her to share the good news.

The New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival attracts artisans from states along the east coast along as well as thousands of visitors. Artists and craftspeople include specialists in oil painting, pastels, watercolors, drawing, etching, mixed media, black and white and color photography, soft and hard sculpture, wood turning and rustic furniture, pottery and glassware, wearable art, leather and fabric handbags, handspun and felted clothing and jewelry - including hand-blown glass beadwork as well as precious and semi-precious metals and stones. Prizes are awarded in six different categories: crafts, fine arts, fiber, jewelry, mixed media and photography.

Here is a complete list of winners:

Best of Show:
Derek Mohr - Tintype Photography - Ottville, PA

1st Prizes:
Crafts: Daniel Pratt - Midnight Glassware, Bethlehem, PA
Fiber: Kathy Dinsmore - The Wandering Vine, Punxsutawney, PA
Fine Art: Bob Richey - Bob Richey Pastels, Warminster, PA
Jewelry: Megan Whitten & Jen Demarco - Molly Moonflower, Edinboro PA
Mixed Media: Kirsten & Marc Lamuniere - Sculptery Bones, Langhorne PA
Photography: Ruth Taylor - Reflections by Ruth, Doylestown, PA

2nd Prizes:
Crafts: Susan Nonn - Naturally Yours, Elk Mills MD
Fiber: Adriana Rangel-Houser -Woven Dreams Designs, Toms River NJ
Fine Art: Phillip Singer - Phillip Singer Paintings, New Britain PA
Jewelry: Michele Cole - Michele Cole Designs, Southampton NJ
Mixed Media: Max Gyllenhaal - Zortz Puppets & Masks, Brooklyn NY
Photography: Josh Axelrod, Roxbury, VT

3rd Prizes:
Crafts: John Cheer - Cheer Studio, Allentown PA
Fiber: Patricia Walkar, Haddonfield, NJ
Fine Art: Beth Kaylor Brunner, Lititz PA
Jewelry: Leanne & Marc Marquis -Leanne Marquis Jewelry, Conesus NY
Mixed Media: Michelle Hoff - StaiNed Glass & Mosaics, S Dayton NY
Photography: Scott Krycia, Fountain Hill PA

Honorable Mention:
Crafts: Robin Campanale - Rusty Man, Brick NJ
Fiber: Jolanta Michalska - I Felt, Belleville NJ
Fine Art: Zu Sheng Wu - Zu Sheng Wu, Huntington NY
Jewelry: Douglas Brandow - Deep Rock Mining, Key West FL
Photography: Stacey Granger - Life Art by Stacey Granger, Cherry Hill, NJ

Judges this year:
Crafts: JoAnne Eisenburg and Will Hammerstein
Fiber: Sandy Morrison and Michael Ross
Fine Art: Lisa Tremper Hanover and Lauren Travis
Jewelry: Susan Goodrich and Judy Zipkin Grasso
Mixed Media: Sherri Daugherty and Michaela Murphy
Photography: Wendy Gladston and Billy O'Con

Proceeds of the Festival will go towards maintaining the New Hope Visitor's Center. The Festival is sponsored by Penn Community Bank and Bucks County Playhouse. The Visitor's Center located at 1 West Mechanic Street in New Hope and is operated by Bucks County Playhouse. A significant town landmark, it is the only local information center that promotes all area businesses. Public restroom facilities and Playhouse ticket sales are available at the Center during normal business hours.

Constructed in 1839, seven years after New Hope was incorporated, the Visitor's Center building served as New Hope's first town hall, school and jail. In his book New Hope, Pennsylvania, River Town Passages, New Hope historian Roy Ziegler states that the building "served as the municipal building and jail for nearly a hundred years until the borough moved into its new offices in a converted fire station. The original old jail gates from 1839 have been converted into garden trellises that greet thousands of visitors each year."

For more information, visit www.NewHopeArtsandCrafts.com or email newhopeartsandcrafts@gmail.com.