The Huntington Arts Council-affiliated SPARKBOOM initiative presents OFF THE WALLS II, a block party/street fair on Saturday from 1-6pm. After the success of last year’s event, SPARKBOOM has decided to rock the Huntington Station block again with free live performances from local bands like Nonstop to Cairo, Motion Ocean, Slang, KB Jones & The Kontraband and Jarred “AllStar.”
At 1520 New York Avenue (Mt. Calvary Holy Church of Huntington) you can also find Latin dancing presented by Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company: salsa, Argentine tangos and rumbas. There will also be a free BMX stunt show at the festival, and Mt. Calvary will be barbecuing food with proceeds going to the church.
But let’s not forget the art! ‘Off the Walls’ is named for street art and Lucienne Pereira will be painting an interactive mural at Huntington Deli. The 30 plus art vendors include handmade jewelry by Ali Herrmann, Deborah Porretto and Donna Saladino-Irvine, and photography by Kristen Vetter.
A Long Island native, Vetter has a BFA in Fine Arts, Psychology and Photography and her most recent work focuses on “the varied perceptions within an environment” based on her travels to Israel, Egypt and Jordan:
“My series of photographs, captured in an area synonymous with conflict, are full of contrasting elements: beauty, devastation, and the mundane,” said Vetter. “I document architecture and people within their environments. I then manipulate each image by hand with drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture to emphasize aspects of growth, change, and transition. The images that are created from this process emphasize empathy, and careful looking to offer clues to our common ancestry, common daily practices and struggles.”
Vetter will be selling some pieces like the enigmatic ‘Contemplation,’ a long exposure digitally taken “to emphasize the little nuances that we go through during bursts of emotion.”
‘Contemplation’ by Kristen Vetter
Digital photograph on Rives BFK and mono-print, 21’’ x 14’’ Digital photograph on Rives BFK, pastel, charcoal, matte varnish, 50’’ x 30’’
Suggested donation: $5 for the Block Party; For more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/1467771493474989/