THESE FOUR talented artists will display their work this weekend.
MELROSE — The annual Melrose Arts Festival is the largest, most popular visual arts event in the city, and has been for 16 years!
Each year, a small committee of volunteers works tirelessly to produce a spectacular event to bring young and old together to share a sense of community with visual arts at its core.
As it is a juried show, artists are selected based on the quality of their work and commitment to celebrating the arts in Melrose. This year, over 40 artists and artisans will be displaying and selling their work at Memorial Hall, in downtown Melrose. In fact, approximately half of the 2023 artists live in Melrose!
Among those Melrose artists, are four women who have committed their lives to making fine art and craft. These women are graduates of fine art programs from colleges near and far, and work out of dedicated studio spaces in their respective homes.
Michelle Desveaux is a fiber artist and graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), she uses printmaking techniques in her handmade utilitarian pieces. Michelle is inspired by principles of design as experienced in both urban and rural settings.
Roberta Tobey Gertz is a mosaic artist who works on a variety of scales, and uses glass and ceramic materials in her pieces. She has also worked as a color consultant.
A graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Roberta is inspired and influenced by nature, animals, and traditional art elements (patterns, textures, color, etc.).
Laurie Schmidt is a lifelong artist, and Melrose resident, who taught art to secondary level students for most of her life, and now enjoys spending most of her time creating fine art and crafts in a variety of media. At this year’s arts festival, she will be showing a range of hand crafted metal pieces.
A graduate of Mass. College of Art, and RISD, Laurie is inspired by nature, imaginative writing, classic and whimsical architecture, and her precious dog.
Penny Young is a mixed media maker of a range of fanciful, fun craft designs. She has lived in Melrose, with her family, for nearly 40 years. Some of her favored techniques include dying, painting, and printing on fabric. She is drawn to highly saturated colors, patterns and layering.
Penny attended the University of California/Davis, majoring in clothing and costume design. She is inspired by her family and nature.
The Melrose Arts Festival will take place on Saturday and Sunday, April 29th and 39th: 11a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat; 11a.m to 4 p.m. Sunday.
In addition to the art exhibit, will also be children’s activities, a face painter, caricaturist, musical entertainment, magnificent raffle, and food trucks (both days)!!
Admission is FREE!
